June 4, 2010, Newsletter Issue #287: Eliminate Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt

Tip of the Week

 
Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) is a prejudice tactic used in business, advertising, public relations, and politics. FUD is a strategic effort to persuade your point of view by dispersing negative information targeted specifically at influencing your judgment. FUD tactics are either harsh and simple or subtle and devious. A sample “harsh and simple” technique would be a political campaign commercial claiming devastating effects if a certain politician is elected or allowed to be kept in office. You’ve seen those commercials, the background music is playing a ticking sound and the candidate looks really angry. A sample “subtle and devious” technique would be an infomercial or “pitch guy”. You’ve seen the commercials that use phrases like “you’d be crazy not to own one of these”, “why do you want to work twice as hard”, “no other product can do this” or “you can’t live without this”.
 
Every form of media uses FUD – Radio, Magazines, Newspapers, Television, and the Internet.
The Media is constantly bombarding us with influential messaging. Limiting, or eliminating, media in our lives assists in our efforts to free ourselves of worry, prejudice, fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The average American over the age of 14 watches nearly 5 hours of television per day, and in those 5 hours, 1.5 would be spent viewing advertisements or 30%. It’s difficult for a parent to compete against that kind of constant bombardment so don’t let your child be influenced by FUD tactics. When we do watch television I press the mute button when commercials are one. It accomplsihes two things: cuts down on FUD tactics and gives us all some much needed peace and quiet.

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