Reaching the Lizard Brain
by David Benzion · 03/19/2008 7:25 amWorking in the political “bidness” and all, I’m sometimes hesitant to offer an opinion about another campaign’s tactics, particularly when voting is still underway.
Clearing off my desk last night, however, I came across a piece of direct mail I’ve been saving, eagerly anticipating a post-primary comment.
Keep in mind, I see a lot of political mail… and I don’t think it’s any secret that one of the hot new trends on the Republican side of the battlefield is to throw the head-bangers some red-meat on immigration.
This tactic is often complimented by a not so subtle image designed to provoke the voter’s “lizard brain” into feeling threatened and scared by the hordes of raping, robbing, murdering Mexican desperadoes armed with Tejano cassette tapes in one hand and suitcase nukes in the other, pouring across our border to collect Social Security checks and force all of us to “Press One” whenever we call customer service.
The honorable Dr. Ron Paul, for instance, still seeking counsel from the merry band of warriors responsible for his bigoted 1990’s newsletters, managed to produce this gem in his race for re-election to Congress.
Now go ahead and deduct as many style-points as you want for ethnic insensitivity; the fact is that’s a damn effect piece of direct mail, with a picture destined to go straight to the lizard brain.
So what in the world were the knuckle-heads working for Harris Co. Precinct 4 candidate Louis Guthrie thinking with this thing?
Dude– there’s a freaking little girl staring me straight in the eye–smiling–in this picture.
Frail old men, fat peasant women, and a cute little smiling girl, looking me straight in the eye.
You gotta be pretty hard-core to get put on mental “Red Alert” because that image just passed through your subconscious. 
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Louis Gutherie was my man. I received the mail with his family pic, etc, but not this one. Or, I tossed it because towards the end of the campaign, I had made up my mind and tossed all ads. Yes Ron Paul’s ad is much more effective. I have no idea why this picture was used, but wish fervently, he had won.
It must be really slow around here soooo David is throwing a Ron Paul bomb early in the morning. Yawn
DJ,
On the contrary, it’s a compliment to the good Dr. and his political team. Hardly a bomb when you talk about the effectiveness of his ad versus the dufus that put the “Frail old men, fat peasant women, and a cute little smiling girl” picture in his mailer.
** Frail old men, fat peasant women, and a cute little smiling girl, looking me straight in the eye.
You gotta be pretty hard-core to get put on mental “Red Alert” because that image just passed through your subconscious. **
So the candidate was trying to motivate the Pat Gray types?
As to the lizards…… there are 7 drug cartels in Mexico, per their government. The “Border Movie” showed one night in the desert, approximately 22 men were walking into the USA, carrying drugs. They would meet up with 1 or 2 other mule trains, and offload on I-10. That’s one cartel, one group,nightly. If all 7 did that nightly, that’s a lot of illegals, carrying drugs, entering. I am clueless as to if that happens, but the thought is staggering. The men who carry in the drugs are all ages. Old men make the trip. Do cute little Mexican girls do this, no, but they are birthed here, and I take on the burden. Count the gangs in Houston with 13 in their names, murdering thugs with Mexican origin. If I’m a lizzard so be it, but I’m not blind, or greedy.
“Frail old men, fat peasant women, and a cute little smiling girl, looking me straight in the eye.”
This could be referring to the many generations of illegal aliens that this country will be supporting if this continues. There is no doubt that we don’t want the criminal types who will tax our prison system but the others will tax our social services so enough is enough—-CLOSE THE BORDERS!!!!!!!
Oh Puleeeze. Enough with the little child poor fat women. By the way looking a young girl in the eye has already been used by another Mexico supporter.
The little girl is OFFENSIVE, DEHUMANIZING TERM DELETED sucking the system dry using our educational system, health system, food stamp system and will contribute to the problem when she starts having children at 13 or 14. The adults are already fully online doing this. They are OFFENSIVE, DEHUMANIZING TERM DELETED. They need to take the little girl and go HOME. I have to deal with these people on a daily basis. They are not contributing to this society they are depleting its resources and destroying the American way of life.
Oh by the way if you can’t understand this press two for Spanish.
Once again:
It was the folks working here illegally (12 million) wanting to bring the rest of the family over here the “Frail old men, fat peasant women, and a cute little smiling girl, looking me straight in the eye.” All of these need the extra medical and gov’t help. Yes we do need to stop those. Plus that truck load is not adding to the work force in any way that we hear so much about why we need the illegals in the first place. For the ones wanting to come here legally or even illegally that is one thing, then saying that all of the extended family needs to come up as well. Eventually the “extended family” will be Central America. Viva to Mexiamerada.
I think y’all are missing the point. Benzion was not saying we shouldn’t care if an old man or little girl is illegal. What he is talking about is using pictures in campaign adds to evoke the most favorable response. If you are trying to push an anti-illegal immigration platform, it would be better to pick a picture of illegals in handcuffs, a riot at a day laborer site or something like that. Instead, Louis Guthrie chose a picture that would evoke sympathy for the illegals from certain segments of the population.
#2 Now tell us all how you’re not going to participate in this CJ (as you participate in the CJ)
See David, you obviously don’t have a good grasp of the intricacies of the Lizard Brain. You see a “cute little smiling girl”. The fully developed lizard brain sees nits growing into lice.
9. duhmoose
All illegal aliens are criminals. If you are here illegally you are nothing more than a criminal. I understand the fact that pictures of harden Mexican Mafia members all tatted up in handcuffs might be more realistic, but that is a picture that is easily shown to be a misconception of the average illegal alien.
The group in the picture is what is dragging this country down. The defeat of Guthrie can be attributed an entrenched constable supported by the people that use these illegals in their business and have more money than we do.
Actually, the defeat of Guthrie came about because the issue of illegal immigration is not as big of an issue in the minds of voters as it is presented to be. His sole issue was illegals - perhaps he should have talked about things constables actually do.
Thank you BigJolly for that shot of out of touch liberal cold water.
You’re welcome.
And the byplay ventures yet again into the comical…
“The problem with the immigration issue for conservatives is that first they have to ask, ‘Who would Jesus deport?’. Then they realize that there are 12 million illegal immigrants in this country, half of them named Jesus”—Kinky Friedman
It’s days like today I really hate having to work.
Two quick points–
Immigration is NOT as big an issue to voters overall–both among the general electorate and even GOP primary voters–as it is to a lot of readers of LST and listeners to KSEV.
That doesn’t (necessarily) mean the people hot about immigration are wrong; it just means other folks, MOST folks, don’t care about it as much.
By way of analogy–I care about Israel-related issues much more than average. Yes, other voters care a lot, and even most Americans who don’t particularly care still generally back Israel… but I don’t delude myself into thinking that a strong U.S.-Israel partnership is the absolute top priority issue on the minds of most people when they go vote.
“Proving” my point will just have to wait, but I’ve got some very interesting polling data to get into on this at some point in the future.
Also, a clarification– “lizard brain” is not meant as an insult to people who care about illegal immigration.
We ALL have a “lizard brain”–it’s the least rational, most immediate, almost pre-conscious part of our minds. It isn’t thoughtful, it isn’t reflective; it just reacts.
Put a picture of a HAMAS freakazoid in a suicide bomb-vest on a piece of direct mail, and you’ve reached MY lizard brain. I suddenly care, before I’ve ever bothered to read a single word you’ve happened to write.
LIZARD BRAIN IMAGES
Fetus in the womb to pro-lifers
KKK cross-burning to African-Americans
Cheney/Rove/Halliburton to Moonbats
Taj Mahal sports stadiums to the anti-tax activists
The 10 Commandments to the Christian Right
Polar bears stranded on a melting iceberg to the enviros
These new-fangled, unconstitutional, horseless carriages to the Paultards
We’ve all got a lizard brain, and effective political mail lands on your doorstep and starts hammering it at first glance.
Ron Paul and his team “get it”, and it’s part of why they spanked their opponent’s butt silly. Kudos to them for knowing what they needed to do and getting the job done.
I’m just telling ya’–if your “lizard brain” gets punched by a picture of frail old men, fat peasant women and a smiling little girl, you are PRETTY HARD-CORE on the issue of illegal immigration.
luv2hammer, americanwoman–I think even you’d agree that you are both PRETTY HARD-CORE on that issue, no?
A picture like that is enough to be effective with you.
It wasn’t enough, apparently, to work with a majority of GOP primary voters in one of the most conservative parts of Texas.
My advice to the anti-illegal immigration crowd–stick with the tattooed MS-13 gang-bangers.
medula oblongata
work with me, monkeyincognito… I was losing folks with “lizard brain”
#18 -
DB - I can only comment that apparently the economy IS a big issue and if immigration’s NOT directly tied to at least some of our economic woes than I’d be hard pressed to list what IS……..
Dumb move by Guthrie, to say nothing of the fact that there isn’t exactly a lot a Harris County Precinct 4 constable can do to combat illegal immigration.
If you want to make illegal immigration an issue though, the Paul piece is a textbook example of a mailer that accomplishes that goal. There is nothing sympathetic whatsoever about the illegal in that photo. He’s sucking on a cigarette, covered in tattoos, looks like a criminal illegal alien, and has a classic smirk on his face that says “Hey, INS! I dare you to deport me!” PC nazis like Jamie Kirchick will always call that sort of mail piece “racist” but the fact remains that it works and it accomplished everything it was intended to do.
The Guthrie piece by contrast looks like a truck en route to a Cinco de Mayo parade. The impact is minimal, and like David said some people will even sympathize with the grandmas and the little girl. There is no obviously implied criminality, no creepy looking thug covered in gang tattoos, no beady eyes, and no nefarious intent.
Yeah David I agree about work with you. I also am quite strong and vocal on the Israeli cause. I no longer send them money because I did that and for years I received countless solicitations for money, calendars I couldn’t read, and phone calls from the JDL.
A lady and her mother that live near me gave me fits when they told me they were Hillary supporters. I rose to that like a mullet to a dough ball. I tried every argument I could to try and dissuade them from voting for her. Then the primary came and I asked if they knew where the voting would take place as they have only lived here for a couple of years. I asked what precinct they were in, it’s located on the voter’s registration card, and guess what? The bimbo’s weren’t even registered and not only that they had never changed their address on their TDLs so they couldn’t vote.
What an idiot. Me I mean. I wasted some of my best oratory on folks that didn’t count.
http://www.timboucher.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/reptilian-lizard-brain.jpg
I have a question — The Ron Paul ad says “If you sneak into America, no Social Security for You”.
== Doesn’t one have to work 40 quarters to qualify for Social Security? If someone pays into the system, what is wrong with them getting it out?
I understand how they are a drain on food stamps, medical and schools. How are they a drain on Social Security?
#23luv2hammer - now that is just too funny.
#25 The general problem is that most people, even those who pay into the system for their entire careers (>50 quarters) get back more than they paid in. SS payouts when originally implemented were based on the recipient living at most a couple of years after they started drawing their payouts. Life spans in the 1930’s were about 63-65, iirc (I may be overstating even). So when you hit 65, you’d typically draw for a short while before you slipped your mortal coil.
Now the avg lifespan is well into the 70’s for those approaching retirement and there’s been lots of inflation since the 1950’s when they started working. Since the incoming money was spent immediately on current payees, there hasn’t been any compounding effects like you’d get with normal investments. This is what’s leading up to the looming crisis in the SS & Medicare systems now.
#27 — I find it hard to believe that the average citizen takes more out of Social Security than they pay in. If a taxpayer average salary is $20,000 a year for 45 years, that is .153 X 20,000 X 45 which is $900,000 invested. Even if he got $2000 a month, which he won’t and lived for 20 years after he retired, that is $480,000 he would take out.
Reference #28 — Forget my logic, I don’t know how to multiply.
The IRS in its infinite wisdom has started issuing ITIDs to illegals intead of SS#s helping them obtain “benefits” from us…. http://www.cis.org/articles/2002/back1202.html
DB, I was thinking ot the scene from “Waterboy.”
#31 Here ya go.
The Wall Street Journal says illegal immigration isn’t a big problem. Polls cited say illegal immigration isn’t a problem. Do your own polling. Ask your neighbors. 1. Is illegal immigration a problem? see what your poll numbers are. A poll taken in upstate New York may not reflect Texas. If immigration weren’t much of a problem Haley Barbour would not have signed the documents he said he didn’t want to, but had to. and Arizona and Oklahoma would not have taken measures. Like simple says.. it’s simple.
Luv2hammer - from earlier in this thread. I’ve worked a lot of local campains in Montgomery County and when someone says ” I don’t like this or that ” I just ask where they vote. If they don’t know, why bother with a detail response. It took a lot of wasted breath to figure that out.
David’s explanation for Lizard Brain is dead on. Flash pics of a 6 year old bloody Iraqi child, GWB and a weeping soldier within a seconds of eachother and it might as well be like waving a red flag infront of an angry bull for me. Other people have their triggers for their own reasons.
We can’t help it - we are hard “wired” to react to certain images and some people know how to use this to their advantage.
You have to have a rather large medulla oblongata to see a little kid and the first thing that pops into your mind is how many babies the little “cockroach” is going to be popping out in 10 years.