Why pink or blue?

By William M Diaz

The world of 2016 is very challenging and competitive where people are often depressed by the life they live but feel like they have no influence on the outcome either way.

A big factor contributing to this reality is the loss of individuality, also called loss of voice or opinion. 

As human beings it is easier to accept what is told without questioning, this avoids unwanted engagements and conflict. Many people just keep their heads down and accept what others say, even when it includes opinions about them. They think that there is no point of arguing or even making comments because no one will listen to what they have to say anyways. They feel numb, powerless, disconnected, and have no idea why. When they try to listen to that inner voice that everyone is born with, that voice that tells them who they are and what they think, it is silent. It is too late.

This is because they have been brought up in a culture and a reality where they are stripped of everything that makes them unique from a very young age. The first, easy to spot, example of this, happens even before they are born. 

When a happy couple get pregnant and family and friends want to buy them gifts for the baby, there will be two options. If it is a boy, it will be blue. If it is a girl, it will be pink. While there are a wide variety of other colours available to everyone, but these will be chosen 90% of the time without being given a second thought.

But why? Where did this “pink or blue” culture come from? 

Unsurprisingly, it came from United States, the land known for its marketing and its control over the media. It was part of a marketing strategy put in place by retailers in the early 20th century (Wolchover, 2012). This strategy worked so well that even now, 100 years later, it is not only accepted as the norm but if anyone goes against it they are seen as queer. 

This is just a simple example of a simple truth that has been right in front of everyone their whole lives, but either no one knows, or those who do don’t care. These so called “fads” and ever-changing fashion has everyone running around in a circle that no one even has time to stop and ask themselves “why am I doing this?” 

They accept the reality that they will have to work to get money to be able to afford that new phone or those cool clothes. And they do, sometimes working tirelessly to be able to afford the things they think “they” want, only to have the process start over once they have got it.

They don’t dare think for themselves. Instead of formulating their own opinions they choose to listen to others and decide from them.

They listen to two sides of the argument and then choose their side, depending on how well the argument was constructed. They think that choosing from blue or pink constitutes to having their own opinion. 

The problem with this is that there is rarely only two sides to the argument. And even worse is that a good liar can often argue better than someone telling the truth.

On top of that, the world is full of good liars. Hitler was quoted saying “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed”. While the liars of today may not publicly kill others, they do something much worse. They kill their minds.

Some people call these liars marketing agencies, others call them the mass media, and others call them politicians. But the problem is not the liars or even the lies being told, because there will always be liars. The problem is of much more monumental significance.

The problem is that people are afraid of being labelled for having a controversial opinion. They don’t want to be known as “The guy who thinks Hitler was right” or “The girl who thinks nuclear power is the solution to the world’s energy problems” 

What is needed in this world is people who will step out into the spotlight and not be afraid to question everything. From “Is there a better way to structure society?” to “Why pink or blue?”