One thing I’ve noticed over time is the sense of personal responsibility attached to everything. “Contribute to this campaign to help Save America!” “Only you can help the polar bears!” “take charge of your future!” etc.
Were things alway like this?
One thing I’ve noticed over time is the sense of personal responsibility attached to everything. “Contribute to this campaign to help Save America!” “Only you can help the polar bears!” “take charge of your future!” etc.
Were things alway like this?
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March of Dimes.
“Only you can prevent forest fires.”
It’s a little more common now, I think, mainly because it’s been found to be effective messaging for a lot of people. But it’s certainly not new.
In the past, there was a sense that certain problems were structural and a collective response was the right one. Since the 80’s, the bottom has fallen out of that kind of thinking in the name of the government getting out of the way and not wanting others to tell you what to do.
So the only acceptable way forward now is the personal appeal. But it isn’t the best approach in many cases because the underlying issue doesn’t get addressed.