Comments on: Pop Culture Takes a Shot at Paranoia http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/01/01/pop-culture-takes-a-shot-at-paranoia/ Wesley R. Elsberry's personal weblog, talking about falconry, science, antievolution, computation, and the broken body he lives in. Wed, 23 May 2012 03:12:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Austringer http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/01/01/pop-culture-takes-a-shot-at-paranoia/comment-page-1/#comment-159415 Austringer Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:21:45 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/01/01/pop-culture-takes-a-shot-at-paranoia/#comment-159415 Sorry, I just don't see the "placing <b>all</b> criticisms in the nutball category" part of your argument. Sorry, I just don’t see the “placing all criticisms in the nutball category” part of your argument.

]]> By: QrazyQat http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/01/01/pop-culture-takes-a-shot-at-paranoia/comment-page-1/#comment-159387 QrazyQat Sat, 05 Jan 2008 04:27:59 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/01/01/pop-culture-takes-a-shot-at-paranoia/#comment-159387 My point was that the commercial was an effective marketing strategy aimed at sidetracking legitimate and needed debate by preemptively placing all criticisms in the nutball category. This is common (and why wouldn't we expect it from corporations, since it's in their interest to demonise their opponents by taring them with association with people those opponents don't actually agree with). For instance, on the recent "Green Week" on NBC, the one environmental guy on "30 Rock", the only one who took it to heart, was presented as a nut. Coincidence? Sure. I'm sure it had nothing to do with General Electric's ownership of NBC. Sure. But then I see problems with these things, and GE, and probably Konica-Minolta, will no doubt tell you I'm a nut. Right? :) My point was that the commercial was an effective marketing strategy aimed at sidetracking legitimate and needed debate by preemptively placing all criticisms in the nutball category. This is common (and why wouldn’t we expect it from corporations, since it’s in their interest to demonise their opponents by taring them with association with people those opponents don’t actually agree with). For instance, on the recent “Green Week” on NBC, the one environmental guy on “30 Rock”, the only one who took it to heart, was presented as a nut. Coincidence? Sure. I’m sure it had nothing to do with General Electric’s ownership of NBC. Sure.

But then I see problems with these things, and GE, and probably Konica-Minolta, will no doubt tell you I’m a nut. Right? :)

]]> By: Austringer http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/01/01/pop-culture-takes-a-shot-at-paranoia/comment-page-1/#comment-159132 Austringer Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:36:08 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/01/01/pop-culture-takes-a-shot-at-paranoia/#comment-159132 Yes, capitalism and governments are each dangerous. That doesn't mean that we will be doing without them, not does it mean that everyone threatened by new technology is perfectly justified, either. There are neo-Luddites out there, and they don't need anything more than the sort of ridicule served up in the commercial I discussed. Yes, capitalism and governments are each dangerous. That doesn’t mean that we will be doing without them, not does it mean that everyone threatened by new technology is perfectly justified, either. There are neo-Luddites out there, and they don’t need anything more than the sort of ridicule served up in the commercial I discussed.

]]> By: QrazyQat http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/01/01/pop-culture-takes-a-shot-at-paranoia/comment-page-1/#comment-159077 QrazyQat Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:57:35 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2008/01/01/pop-culture-takes-a-shot-at-paranoia/#comment-159077 They didn't really take a potshot at it, did they? They pointed away from the issue, which is that corporations and governments, not machines but the owners and leasers of those machines, are a danger. They turned that legitimate concern into a nutball conspiracy theorist thing. True, that's marketing all right -- marketing designed to sidetrack the legitimate issue and tar those who bring it up as nuts. They didn’t really take a potshot at it, did they? They pointed away from the issue, which is that corporations and governments, not machines but the owners and leasers of those machines, are a danger. They turned that legitimate concern into a nutball conspiracy theorist thing. True, that’s marketing all right — marketing designed to sidetrack the legitimate issue and tar those who bring it up as nuts.

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