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Texas Governor Rick Perry just released a new advertisement for his Presidential campaign in which he slams President Obama’s economic plan. The first half of the ad is filled with apocalyptic imagery that graphically transforms Obama’s campaign logo into a ‘zero.’ But in the second half, Perry presents himself as the better candidate, with ubiquitous images of the American flag being flashed throughout the scenes. If you’re not paying attention, you don’t notice the flag imagery consciously [see ad below]. The implication that Perry, the “real American,” would make a better President, intentionally or unintentionally plays into the “birther conspiracy” fomented by Obama’s extreme rightwing critics. But Perry’s ad is part of a long tradition of subliminal messaging in both politics and business. By definition, for something to be classified as subliminal it must be “below an individual’s absolute threshold for conscious perception.” This includes marketing techniques like ad placements in movies, whisper ads and backmasking intended to influence the viewer’s behavior. The real effect of this type of media on people has been debated by professionals and at times labeled as conspiracy. However, it’s existence is well documented and widely accepted. In his new film “Programming the Nation?” Jeff Warrick questions what influences subliminal messaging really have had on the public asking, “could such techniques really be contributing to a variety of social, political, and economic problems currently present in our culture?” Warrick’s documentary explores the early history of studies of the unconscious mind going back to Sigmund Freud that influenced the development of marketing in the US. Programming the Nation explores the validity of subliminal messages not only in advertising, but also from historical examples in popular culture such as film and music, and in politics and even the defense industry. His documentary includes interviews with Noam Chomsky, Mark Crispin Miller, Amy Goodman and clips of controversial adverting media throughout history.

GUEST: Jeff Warrick, writer, director, and producer of Programming the Nation

Programming the Nation will begin on Friday September 23rd at the Sunset 5 in West Hollywood, 8000 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Watch the trailer of Programming the Nation here:

Watch Rick Perry’s anti-Obama ad here: