Friday 3 February 2012

Sirens and Starbucks


These days the wailing "Sirens" of police, ambulance and fire services are a common occurence in our cities, they draw our attention, alert us to danger and send a message to criminals that its time to scarper, but pause to reflect on the root of the word and we realise it comes from the call of the Mermaid or Siren these dazziling beautiful Goddeses of the sea would enchant sailors with their song causing them to fall in love and carry them away to their underworld , the English word serenade has the same root.

Just as sailors were warned of the mermaids, both religions and governments have a history of  warning of the dangers of the flesh,  effectively using the control of sex to manage the behaviour of the masses.

Few know of the evolution of the popular "Starbucks" coffee logo,which in earlier versions was a mermaid baring her breast, Just like the mermaid uses her sexual attraction to lure the seamen, so too do many advertising campaigns use the pull of sexual attraction to draw in their target and caputure their prey.




As the saying goes "The female of the species is deadlier than the male."