[Vocabulary] Packaging

[dawyii]

Hello.

I happened on a writing like the following. I can't clearly understand the correct meaning of the word "packaging" in it. Could anyone tell me what it means in this writing?

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People profess to be troubled by this sort of packaging. When we say a person or an experience is "packaged," we are complaining of a sense of excessive calculation and a lack of authenticity. Such a fear of unreality is at least a century old; it arose along with industrialization and rapid communication.
We might say,cynically, that the person who appears "packaged" simply doesn't have good packaging.
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[TheParser]

Hello.

I happened on a writing like the following. I can't clearly understand the correct meaning of the word "packaging" in it. Could anyone tell me what it means in this writing?

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People profess to be troubled by this sort of packaging. When we say a person or an experience is "packaged," we are complaining of a sense of excessive calculation and a lack of authenticity. Such a fear of unreality is at least a century old; it arose along with industrialization and rapid communication.
We might say,cynically, that the person who appears "packaged" simply doesn't have good packaging.
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***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Good morning, dawyii.

(1) I believe that the answer lies in one word in your question: CALCULATION.

(2) Although anyone can be "packaged," let's use a politician as

an example.

(3) Here in the United States and some other countries, if people want to

be elected to public office, they must be packaged.

(a) For example, when you send a gift to a friend, you wrap the gift with

beautiful paper. So you make the package (with the gift inside) very

attractive -- even if the gift itself is not very good.

(b) When they package a person who wants to be elected, they do many


things:

(i) They tell him/her how to dress for different groups.

(ii) They tell him/her what language to use. (If s/he is talking to a group

of uneducated people, maybe s/he will speak some "bad" English

ON PURPOSE. )

(iii) They tell him/her how to answer certain questions so that nobody

will get angry. In other words, TO LIE.

(iv) They tell him/her when to smile or when to cry (just a little bit).

(v) They tell him/her which TV programs to appear on and which ones to

avoid.

(4) I am sure that you have gotten the idea. In other words, a packaged

person lacks authenticity (another word in your question). The person is

putting on an act. S/he is an actor.

(a) In other words, we see the attractive package but not the

"gift" inside.

Of course, as Shakespeare said, we are all actors. But a packaged

individual goes much too far.

Have a nice day!

 

[dawyii]

Thanks a lot, TheParser!

I got it now.:-D