The Pitch

The “Men of Power” sat rigidly, laughing maniacally, from their secret smoked-filled rooms of control. They devised strategies that not only caused chaos and unrest, but also deceived a portion of the population into unwittingly fighting for their interests. The “Men of Power” were cunning as they persuaded countless souls that their battles for wealth and control were somehow adorned in virtue and honor. Those exploited almost seemed hypnotized, convinced that their plight rested on some sort of high moral ground. Their minds were completely deceived, unable to understand that they were merely political pawns on a lopsided chessboard. They lost all inclination of truth and were manipulated to the point that they eagerly handed over the sovereignty of their land to those who secretly despised them.

Politics in America today almost seems dominated by a specific personality type. Not to say that there aren’t good people with good intentions in political office, but they certainly seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Although narcissism seems to be a common component found in American politics today, the ability to sell is probably the most lucrative trait that the big money donors and powerful special interests are searching for in their political mouth pieces. Whether it is selling to the public the idea of borrowing billions to stockpile vaccines or paying defense contractors to arm Ukraine with an unlimited arsenal, the purchased politicians are the frontmen who provide the American people with the slick sales pitch.

As with most political pitches in DC, it seems that there is almost always the honorable reason for doing something. That noble and principled reason is shouted from the rafters, but then there’s the real reason, whispered about in secret shadows. It appears as though the more urgent the messaging the more you can be sure that someone, other than America and the American people, is profiting or benefiting tremendously in some way. The American media is utilized to saturate the public with repetitious marketing until a portion of the population memorize and repeat the sound bites and bend to the will of the honorable reasoning of the pitch.

Seeing that very few problems are ever actually solved by the government, it forces one to question whether the government and their agencies are just completely incompetent. Could it possibly be that the major objective is not to actually fix the problem at all? Although pragmatic solutions are often suggested, they are rarely implemented. How many years have we been fighting illegal immigration and illegal drugs pouring across our southern border? Decades? When Trump suggests building a wall to physically stop the traffic, it’s amazing the amount of pushback that occurred from people in both parties. Why?

Here’s an analogy.

Let’s say a bathtub is overflowing with water, faucets turned fully on and drain clogged. First of all the government would call a press conference and label the problem as “The Homeowners Flooding Crisis of 2023.” After weeks of the media terrorizing the public about the dangers of flooding water, public support for the government to “act” is demanded. Instead of simply turning the water off or unclogging the drain, the government would create a bill that requires the purchase of a never-ending supply of towels that continuously soak-up the water from the floor. It would perhaps include a new government agency and oversight committee that would hire new government employees to towel-dry the floors. The legislation could be entitled “The Dry Children Act”. Now, despite the fact that “The Big Towel Industry” were represented by lobbyists and donated to the re-election campaign of many of the politicians who signed onto the bill, who could argue with dry children? Okay, perhaps that analogy was a tad bit extreme, but there is definitely some truth to that formula. Another important element of “The Pitch” is the crafted phraseology that is repeated ad nauseam by the media and politicians. Whether it’s “Weapons of Mass Destruction,” “My mask protects you,” “Kids in Cages” and even “Climate Change” – it is undeniable that somewhere there is a marketing team who carefully crafts phrases for public consumption. Every politician and media talking face was describing the need to support Ukraine as a fight for “Democracy.” (Which is now completely ironic since Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suspended all elections).

My main point is that the public is being emotionally manipulated by these crafted pitches and narratives that tug at our heartstrings and play to our good nature. The sad truth is that the people manipulating the public could care less about “Kids in Cages,” that “Black Lives Matter,” or “Democracy” for the people of Ukraine. These people pulling the strings care about nothing other than enriching and empowering themselves – and they will do or say whatever it takes to pacify the public into allowing them to reach their goal of unfettered control.

Charles Stouff lives in Pequea and is a lifelong resident of Lancaster County. He is the owner of A+PC LLC, a computer services company and also serves as a township supervisor in Martic Township.