Marketing crackpot ideas - Creationism and Social Security phase out

How do you sell creationism to people who do not find it key to religious belief and object to its interference with teaching good science? The same way you sell phasing out the singly most popular New Deal program, Social Security. Greg Anrig, Jr. explains.

As explained clearly in the very recent superb documentary on Nova on PBS, the marketeers changed the name from the previously discredited name. "Creationism" was redesignated as "Intelligent Design." In Georgy Bush's abortive effort to end Social Security, the term "Privatize Social Security" was reframed as "Create personal Social Security accounts." These name changes are designed to conceal the original purpose of the proposal and reduce anticipated opposition, but in neither case did it indicate any change in the idea the proponents were trying to force on the public.

In each case, a lead organization was need to market the product. To sell creationism, the Creationists established and funded the "Discovery Institute." To sell the phase out of Social Security, the movement conservatives provide funds to the Cato Institution and the Heritage Foundation. These organizations have no function in developing the basic ideas they are selling. Those were set by those providing the funding. The organizations have only function of repackaging the old, discredited ideas in new ways so that people who reject the earlier ideas can be led to make the error of thinking there is something new being sold. This is exactly like stamping "NEW AND IMPROVED!" on the box of detergent to try to increase market share. Since in each case this is a marketing plan to sell an old product with a poor reputation, a sales strategy is needed. Both products have a base document which describes the new sales strategy.

In each case the marketers have developed a soft-sell sales strategy in order to minimize the opposition to what they are selling. In the case of Creationism/Intelligent Design, the sales strategy, described in The Wedge Strategy. In the case of selling the phase out of Social Security, the Libertarian CATO Institute presented a document called Achieving a Leninist Strategy. Both involve misdirecting people about the intent of the program that is being pushed while brushing over and minimizing the extreme changes called for and minimizing the damage each plan will cause. First, here is the essence of the wedge strategy to sell creationism:

The Wedge Strategy is a plan to force the teaching of a manufactured "controversy" about Evolution into science classes and present Creationism/ID as an alternative scientific explanation for how human beings were created. Once science teachers are forced to teach creationism as an alternative to science, this creates an opening Creationists will used to teach ignorant children and gullible adults that there is no real controversy - creationism is the only acceptable answer to how human beings were created. Selling creationism is a religion, so the ultimate purpose of the wedge strategy is to use the public schools to convert people to the beliefs of their specific denomination. The main barrier they have to overcome is the Constitutional prohibition against government teaching the beliefs of a specific religion to children.

The CATO Institute offers a similar strategy to sell the phasing out Social Security. It also involves misdirecting people regarding what was intended. The title of the document - a Leninist Strategy - shows both that misdirection is intended and that the authors are proud of what they are doing with that misdirection. Also like the Creationists, the movement conservatives downplay how extreme the proposed change really is and minimize the damage to be expected when the plan is implemented. Yet the changes they push are like replacing fixed pensions with private accounts. A few people will do very well after the changeover, but most will find that they get a lot less than was promised. Here is how the Leninist strategy works.

The Leninist Strategy started with the movement conservatives selling the false idea that a few problems faced in the long term of Social Security will destroy it. (Unlike Creationism, this lie has been bought by much of the corporate media.) The plan the conservatives offer is supposedly only intended to bolster the Social Security program and save it, not to phase it out. They avoid saying they intend to "privatize" Social Security, since everyone knows that means destroying it. Instead they just soften the language to say they are establishing "private accounts." This softening of the language is intended to reduce the intensity of the opposition to what they intend to do until after the destruction of Social Security is a fait accompli. Since Social Security is a government program, all that is needed is to change the program politically.

Both marketing plans are implemented in a similar way. When confronted with the undeniable fact that Creationism/ID used to replace science is unworkable - they ignore the objection, throw up lame excuses and go on selling their product. When confronted with the similarly undeniable fact that the so-called private accounts cannot be funded without massive expenditures, the Conservatives similarly ignore the objection, throw up lame excuses and go on selling their product.

When confronted with the fact that the Creationists are trying to force science classes to teach their limited view of religion, the Creationists flat out lied and said that they had no religious motives at all. When confronted with the fact that the so-called "bolstering and strengthening of Social Security" can do nothing but destroy it as a social safety net, the Conservatives also bluster and lie.

As Greg Anrig points out at the end of his article, these attacks on our society by well-funded relentless true-believers pushing irrational, religious or self-centered beliefs on others, beliefs which are either religious or movement conservative based, will not stop. Stopping the Creationists from using public schools to proselytize and stopping movement conservatives from stealing from the large pot of money intended to fund retirements will be a constant battle. There will also be other well-funded individuals and groups that want to push beliefs and practices that on closer inspection do not pass the smell test. Sensible people have to remain vigilant and ready to beat back the crazies.