Strange Orwellian Telescreens Debut At UK Supermarkets

Propaganda Matrix.com: May 21 2003

By David Meekins

In the last couple of weeks, my local Tesco store has installed tens 
of flat TV screens. Some are huge, at least 24 inches. Some are small 
14" to 15". The screens show a combination of adverts featured on 
terrestrial TV and Tesco's own adverts. They also show "did you know 
facts" for kids, images of kids watching the screens and horoscopes 
for others. The horoscopes are for the www.ivillage.co.uk website. 
Some of the adverts shown are for  Matrix 2, 28 Days Later, and Madonna 
videos. The Madonna video is Madonna standing in front of a whole 
bunch of flags, apart from the stars and stripes which is not obscured.  

The only people that I noticed paying much attention to the screens 
were children. The children watching were so interested in the screens, 
that they would turn their heads to continue watching the screens as 
their parents turn a corner. I heard one woman say to her husband, "ohh 
look, it's that funny advert". But she was the only one I heard comment.  

Above the screens is CCTV that films your face as you watch the screen. 
Images that regularly flash up include Tesco Value TV (for the poor), 
which consists of red white and blue stripes. Juxtaposed is Tesco Finest 
TV for the richer, which shows an English butler opening a silver dish. 
Pop video adverts play in between these images. Notice the pictures of 
a Pound symbol being severed with scissors.  

I was approached by a smiling young lady in a smart suit:  

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"I'm taking a picture of the stars and stripes flying on the screens. 
Why do you ask?," I smiled politely.  

"Oh, it's just, we are from the company who installed these screens. 
We've come to check that all the screens are working properly and we 
noticed that you were the only one watching them. Then we saw you 
taking pictures," she smiled.  

"Plently of other people are watching them. They just don't realise it." 
I replied, smiling back.  

"The..." her smile dipped, and she looked at the floor. Her smile 
promptly reappeared when I said...  

"I'm trying to get a picture without people in it, because they don't 
need that. Other than that, I'm just watching the television, you know?," 
still smiling.  

"Yeah. You'll probably have to come back at three AM in the morning 
to do that," she suggested.  

"I guess you're right," I said.

She half smiled and walked away, looking downwards (not at the 
screens). I continued with another few photos, then I left. Then, 
I photographed the outside of the building, returned home and wrote 
this.  

I hope she will think about what she does for her chosen job, but 
I doubt she will.

                              -==-

Source: Propaganda Matrix - http://www.propagandamatrix.com/telescreens.html


Cheers, Steve..

---