Another way of transmitting subliminal messages is to carefully airbrush words and images into the backgrounds of stimuli. Wilson Bryan Key, the author of several books on the supposed subliminal manipulation of the populace (see bibliography for full references), believes that practically every advertiser uses subliminal sex embeds in their advertising. Actually, this page you are reading now, is filled with visual embeds that were amateurishly created by me using a picture editor. The background image, if you look carefully has the word SEX repeated over and over again. Now look at the banner at the head of this page. In the blue section, is the word SEX. In the green section, I have inserted the words "See This?" The pink section contains the word "GREAT" and the yellow section includes the word "SITE!" Most of these are visible when I point them out to you. However, if you weren't aware of these embeds until they were pointed out to you, they could be considered subliminal embeds to some extent.
What follows are some examples of embedded messages that have been claimed by various individuals or groups.
September 11, 2001 will be a day that will live forever in infamy. Already, the hindsight machine is turning. How much did the FBI really know about the terrorist plot to crash planes into the World Trade Center? What should they have done about it? Interestingly, I was recently told of a "subliminal message" that perhaps could have hinted at the disaster that was to come. When the twenty dollar bill was redesigned in 1996 (the new bills were issued in 1998), apparently someone had a premonition of what was to come almost exactly a year later. I am not sure exactly what form of "visual embed" this would be, but folded a certain way, the new $20 bill shows images that bear a striking resemblance to the familiar images of the burning Pentagon and the WTC buildings on 9/11. What do you think?
| Fear mongers pointed to this eerie resemblance to familiar
images ... Take the $20 bill and fold it across the length so the image of the White house is visible on the outside. Now make a triangular fold along the middle so the railings along the top balcony of the White House are visible along the length of the fold. You should get the image on the right. Look familiar? According to conspiracy theorists, it is no coincidence that the image looks so similar to the WTC buildings in flames. In fact, to cinch the case, there is more ...
Now, just flip the folded note over. What do you see here? Doesn't the picture of the White House now look uncannily like the images of the flaming Pentagon we all saw on 9/11? Look at this image below: The "flames" seem to be emerging from just about the point that the plane hit the Pentagon. Was this a secret message coded into the bill? By whom? Why? Unfortunately, these are the questions that subliminal message enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists never seem to ask. Most likely it is just a chance pattern that has been made more salient by the events of September 11. Just as your hidden motivations can make you "see images" in random Rohrshasch inkblots, the pattern emerges based on our experiences.
By the way, it was a sheer eerie coincidence that the number just to the left of "20" in the bill I used for these images was 119 (11/9 is how the Europeans would write 9/11)! |
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| No matter how much research evidence builds up against subliminal
effects, the fear will not die. In 1990, Pepsi actually withdrew one
of its "Cool Can" designs after someone protested that Pepsi was
subliminally manipulating people by designing the cans such that when
six-packs were stacked at grocery stores, the word SEX would emerge from
the seemingly random design. Look at the illustration to the right.
Critics alleged that the red and blue lines on the "cool can" design were far from random. If you read from top to bottom, you should be able to see the letter "S" in blue at the top, followed by the letter "E" in red and then "X" in both blue and red (the blue stroke of the X goes from top left to bottom right and the red stroke goes from the top right to bottom left). Please click on the image of the cans to see additional pictures of the Pepsi "Cool Can" as well as this picture with the words traced over them. Was this intentional on the part of the designer? The point I make repeatedly through this site is that the question is irrelevant. Whether it was intentionally designed to reflect the words "SEX" or not is not as relevant as whether this design could have influenced people to buy more Pepsi. And the answer to that question is a clear NO! |
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Tobacco companies have also been the target of accusations of visual embeds. One common alleged embed of sexually suggestive imagery is on the standard pack of Camel cigarettes. Apparently, if you look closely enough at the rear leg of the camel on the cigarette pack, you can see an image of a naked man standing tall facing the rear of the camel, with a proudly erect penis! See if you can spot it in the following pictures:
| Once you know what to look for, you can even spot the embedded image on the picture to the right. However, to ease the transition, I present a few other images that highlight the alleged sexual imagery. If you look at the close-up of the camel image right below, you may be able to make out the image of a man standing upright with his arms behind him and on his hips, chest thrust outward and an oval shape outlined in black right where his penis would be. In fact, that oval shape with a dark black outline is probably the easiest part of the image to see. I have tried to amateurishly outline the image on the picture to the bottom right. Look at that outline simply to get an orientation and then look back at the image below to try and identify the embed. Good luck! |  |
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The Phillip Morris Tobacco company also has been accused of using visual embeds to further a racist cause. First, it has been suggested that if you hold a pack of Marlboro cigarettes sideways, you will see three gold Ks, thus suggesting that they support the KKK. The first K is on the front of the pack, the second K is on the right side of the pack and the third K is on the back of the pack. The left side of the pack does not contain a K as it holds the Surgeon General's warning instead.
On the image below, I have combined the 3 Ks from the front, side and back of the pack.
Below, are the separate images of the back of the pack (this is the same as the front of the pack) as well as the K on the side of the pack.
Is this really a racist message carefully embedded in cigarette packs? Well, believers point to another clearly racist message embedded into the Phillip Morris logo itself. If you look at the Phillip Morris logo of two horses holding up a shield, subliminal message theorists claim that you can see the embedded image of two hooded Klansmen holding up a banner that reads "I Came, I Saw, I Conquered." Look at the close-up of the logo below and see if you can spot the message.
Where is the message, you ask? Well, at the bottom of the logo, you see the banner with the words "Veni Vidi Vici" by the feet of the horses. Now, look at the white space between the horses legs and block out the rest of the image. The white space between the animals' legs could be construed as hooded Klansmen who are holding up the banner saying "Veni Vidi Vici" (which translates from Latin into "I Came, I Saw, I Conquered"). Right below is a close-up of the bottom of the logo that may make it easier for you to identify the image. What do you think?
Like tobacco companies, the Walt Disney Company has been the favorite target of critics who believe that these large corporations have an agenda that goes beyond selling you their products. Disney has often been accused of a variety of subliminal embeds in their communications. There is an excellent Internet site that discusses each of these myths in detail. I will only list the myths here and add links to appropriate locations on that site to avoid copyright violations. Drop me a note if that site ever dies. I have backed up some of their material for my convenience!
According to this legend, there is a scene in the movie where the clouds in the sky form the word S-E-X which was put in there to subliminally induce people to do something. The web site contains still images of the frames in question and even has an animated image so you can see the word form. Again, I'd like to remind you of the theme of this site - is the word SEX really spelled out in the clouds? IT DOESN'T MATTER. Maybe it was put their intentionally or maybe it is just an overactive imagination on the part of someone with a lot of spare time. Either way, there is no evidence that such fleeting images can have ANY effect on viewers.
This rumor suggests that the artwork on the cover of The Little Mermaid video (and the original theatrical release poster) contains an embedded phallic image. The site contains detailed close-ups of the offending tower and even an explanation from the artist that the resemblance was purely coincidental. The power of rumor is so strong, however, that Disney actually changed the artwork for the laserdisc release of the film.
Here it is suggested that during the scene where the Prince is about to be married to the evil Ursula, the officiating minister is shown as being "sexually aroused" and having a prominent erection during the ceremony. Someone even filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company over this and other subliminal messages. Talk about having too much time and money on your hands!
The rumor alleges that there is a topless woman visible in the background of a few frames of the movie. Interestingly, this rumor was proven to be true - Disney actually recalled millions of copies of the home video because of the image in TWO FRAMES of the movie. Maybe they need to read some of the research on the efficacy of subliminal messages! Visit the site using the above link to view the frames in all their naked glory!
The rumor alleges that there are a few frames in the movie where Jessica Rabbit's white underwear disappears. The urban legends site link above allows you to view the particular frames where the undergarment disappears. Look at those frames and form your own judgment. My opinion? Still the same - there are too many people with too much time on their hands!
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The Subliminal Site:
http://sbe.d.umn.edu/subliminal/
© 2001 Rajiv Vaidyanathan
