I recently read Matt Taibbi's article in the October 2nd issue of Rolling Stone entitled Mad Dog Palin. From a personal standpoint, it has been difficult to express why I thought John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin for vice president was so awful – even insulting to the American public. I knew something was wrong, but I could only skirt around the subject with the usual talking points that were painfully obvious.
Then I read this. Despite Taibbi's hardcore left-wing viewpoint, he brought up several points that struck a chord with me. You can see the exceprt below, or see the full article here. I could not express the following paragraphs better myself.
Sarah Palin is a symbol of everything that is wrong with the modern United States. As a representative of our political system, she's a new low in reptilian villainy, the ultimate cynical masterwork of puppeteers like Karl Rove.
The great insight of the Palin VP choice is that huge chunks of American voters no longer even demand that their candidates actually have policy positions; they simply consume them as media entertainment, rooting for or against them according to the reflexive prejudices of their demographic, as they would for reality-show contestants or sitcom characters.
The same goes for the most damning aspect of her biography, her total lack of big-game experience. It is worth noting that the same criticisms of Palin also hold true for two other candidates in this race, John McCain and Barack Obama. As politicians, both men are more narrative than substance, with McCain rising to prominence on the back of his bio as a suffering war hero and Obama mostly playing the part of the long-lost, future-embracing liberal dreamboat not seen on the national stage since Bobby Kennedy died.
So, sure, Barack Obama might be every bit as much a slick piece of imageering as Sarah Palin. The difference is in what the image represents. The Obama image represents tolerance, intelligence, education, patience with the notion of compromise and negotiation, and a willingness to stare ugly facts right in the face, all qualities we're actually going to need in government if we're going to get out of this huge mess we're in.
The truly disgusting thing about Sarah Palin isn't that she's totally unqualified, or a religious zealot, or married to a secessionist, or unable to educate her own daughter about sex, or a fake conservative who raised taxes and horked up earmark millions every chance she got. No, the most disgusting thing about her is what she says about us: that you can ram us in the ass for eight solid years, and we'll not only thank you for your trouble, we'll sign you up for eight more years, if only you promise to stroke us in the right spot for a few hours around election time.
Big props to Lora for not only inspiring this post, but actually providing the source material. 'Tis the season for politics and this post represents the first time I have covered anything politics-related. However, if you are expecting a rant about how insulting, hypocritical, and terrifying a McCain/Palin ticket is, or how inspiring and refreshing Senator Barack Obama is, you won't find that here. (Sneaky huh?) Today's post is focused on political advertising.
First a bit of analysis. If my guess is correct, the photo at the bottom of the post is based on what is known as lenticular printing. As obscure as it sounds, I'd bet my 401k that every one of you has seen a lenticular print. Give some eyeball to the Wikipedia page for lenticular printing, or check out the short video below for an example that will fill you in.
Got it? Good, now on to the goods. While cruising the mean streets of Manchangeles, Lora happened to spot a unique advertisement on top of a taxi cab. The ad appears to move as the cab drives past you, creating a morphing effect. You first see a closely cropped image of John McCain, which morphs into George W. Bush, then back to McCain again. Take a look at a still photo of the effect:
While I have no idea if this is an officially sanctioned Obama ad, I see it as a great example of the creativity and vitality that the senator has embraced during his campaign. Does anyone have any information on this ad? Have you seen it? Let me know at matt at tuneoutdropin.com!
Hey friends, it's been a while - as usual. Not too much going on around these parts, but I did want to share one thing with you. Some of you may know my old roomate David, some of you may not. But someone knows him, and that someone is...
Skip to 8:07 for the lulz.
One of the interesting things about working for a media company that covers the intricacies of the business intelligence industry is that you soon attain the ability to expound on the benefits of master data management, the constant struggle to conform to Sarbanes-Oxley, and the best way to implement a customer relationship management solution. That would be written BI, MDM, SOX and CRM for those in the know.
What comes along with this niche knowledge, beside having an unhealthy percentage of you brain dedicated to acronyms? That would be the constant barrage of inane buzzwords and industry jargon that permeates the very fabric of cubicle dividers nation wide. A day does not go by when I don't hear shit like this:
"Our turnkey solution allows users to leverage value-added, integrated schemas while utilizing a best-of-breed architecture."
Yes, it is confusing. Yes, it does sound stupid. And yes, hearing it does damage your soul.
The good news? The good news is that you can now fight fire with fire. Please let me introduce you to the Web Economy Bullshit Generator.
Using the phrases from the WEBG, you will now be able to confound infants, old people, and most of your cowokers. Get to work.
