I look forward to the day when we get back to more of us calling things are they really are. We have descended into a world PR ducking and diving, in order to sell something, anything, often ourselves or our ideology – and then we dress that trash up as something else.
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* For the record, I hold qualifications in “Marketing”. What professional marketing really is, I shall address in a separate post later.
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This morning The Mail newspaper – that is one minute saying it’s reporting “news” but like other media out there, has descended into becoming a puerile gossip rag – has run a story about a once famous person kissing someone else. This is supposed to be “News”. Is it seriously “News” ??? …Seriously?
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To me (in marketing and beyond it), words matter. We have entered George Orwell’s nightmare where words have been given double meanings and sometimes are a complete opposite of that the original word was meant to convey.
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For example, modern day usages:
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* “Rendition” – a cosy word used by the USA, UK, media outlets and other states to say a person was moved from one place to another. Sounds ok? Actually… “Rendition” usual means that a person has been taken without any legal process done in an original country, without any guilty charge found against them, without permission of anyone in proper original home government authority – so that the person that has been “Renditioned”, has been in fact and action, ILLEGALLY KIDNAPPED – I repeat, KIDNAPPED – from one country and just sent to another. Feck that person and their rights to silly things like a legal right to be judged in a home court, by their peers, a judge or even have any legal rights!
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* “Sequested” – this is a good one in Ireland. Many civil servants are being “Sequested” quietly from government departments, to private companies. Did you know this? No, you are not meant to. That too is mass media news buried. Even unions are keeping too quiet about this.
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A person “Sequested” is firstly, only supposed to be so, for a short length of time in order to serve a temp’ purpose. We have (or did have!) civil servants who have been “Sequested” for years now within private setups. Hell, the government even tried to “sequest” one of our top state professionals, tried to get the tax payers to pay the private entities wage bill and tried to cover it all up – but you were never meant to learn all this too!
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What happens in reality for other civil servants, is that they are told they have been “Sequested” in move, into another workplace – one that in fact, sometimes also turns out to be a private entity, hired using taxpayer money or is gaining taxpayer money, to cover private entity bills.
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The person being “Sequested” is often told they have a choice. They can go with the “Sequesting” and keep a job, or they can decline it – and lose their present job, lose wages, lose job grade and lose any built up pension payments already coughed up for months or years. In other words, they are really given NO CHOICE if they want to keep food in them or ability to pay mortgage/rent. They are too, to be moved if they like it or not. Another form of kidnapping dressed up under the word “sequested” ??? What do you think?
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* Military incursion – Another modern classic. Newsreader on TV -> “Today there was a “military incursion” as a USA (or Russian) force entered a location beyond their own borders”. What the newsreader or media outlet should be really saying is that one country’s military has just invaded another country by illegal crossing over a state border.
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* “Taxable Event” – this is a new one being used by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael in particular. It’s the latest wording used by our government ministers in order to try avoid referring to huge companies profits. Such is the sick mega profits that (for example) energy companies are PROFIT making- and allowed to get away with PROFIT making – that government ministers now want to try stop stating a word (“profit”) that’s become synonymous with more greedy rip-off companies they are protecting – who are screwing citizens in Ireland massively on a daily basis.
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So, in order to downplay the huge gas/power company “PROFITS” they are reaping in, such mass gatherings are now referred to as “Taxable events”. Sounds good, don’t it?
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* Customer – As in a nation of people bring pressganged, for example: to being “customers” of Irish Water, a private registered company. “Customers” given no choice of alternative services. “Customers” who were once “service users” before they were lock, stock and barrel, without personal permission, handed over along with personal details, to a private company.
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Unemployed people have become “customers” to hired private companies – who in turn have been sent (by state departments) “Sequested” people into rackets such as “JobPath” – so that
(a) once state services, can be more privatised and
(b) sticking to a TTIP/CETA agenda of turning everything possible into a way for private companies to have a “taxable event”, persons are “Sequested” (kidnapped/pressganged) against their will, into other setups – and if they don’t go along with this next crap, they will be state punished. Damn them and their constitutional rights to self-determination!
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Even better, they are further threatened that is they don’t sign a “PPP” (Personal progress Plan) which is in clear legal terms, a contract, they will be again punished for not signing – against their will. The contract (PR called an “agreement” as it sounds better) will see them further stripped of more person rights and award further rights over themselves, to others – be it individuals or a private entity.
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* Job activation – another modern classic. As in being “Sequested” (pressganged/kidnapped) into another private company (#Seetec/#TurasNua/#JobPath) that’s been given your private detail’s without your consent, told to apply for a minimum wage job that’s will leave you worse off, in economic distress – and if you don’t, you get cut off state help, have Garda turn up at your door in order to get you comply, get assaulted, have to endure a mental breakdown down due to state pressure tactics – and in some cases, then attempt suicide, seeing it as the only way out. All the previous listed, has happened – and put into a report – but that report like many, has been FF/FG government buried.
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No extra jobs have been created nor have actually been “activated”. You are just pressganged into an already existing low paid one, often with non-compatible hours, long distances (creating additional higher fuel costs), interfering with child minding/care abilities and care of infirm family members.
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TO CONCLUDE: words matter. In 2023, in Ireland and beyond it, the people, our children, are being screwed by rotten political parties in government. Additionally, they use other setups that have created or allow to operate, that in the end sees people further rights abused, threatened, pressganged or even kidnapped – and it’s all carried out under the usage of PR wording and news soundbite phrasing.
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While the rest of many, the complacent, the too silent, remains in such a bad condition, this crap will sadly continue. Sure, is it not #HowIrelandWorks too now?
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…And finally… “There’s lessons to be learned” – another Ireland modern day classic. Stated in those very words or similar. What that phase now really means, is that NO ONE will be held to legal court room account. NO ONE will be arrested, questioned or charged. NO ONE will even be named in many cases and NO PRIVATE company or state department will be accountable either – but of course “There’s lessons to be learned” says a Fianna Fail or Fine representative…
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Yes – a lot of the above, is also #RTEcensored. Go back to sleep. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party thank you for doing so. Damn you and your rights!