Comments on: Politics as Product http://howtowin.visitsteve.com/advertising-example/politics-as-product with Steve Duncombe and Steve Lambert Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:20:53 +0000 hourly 1 By: James http://howtowin.visitsteve.com/advertising-example/politics-as-product/comment-page-1#comment-118 James Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:53:01 +0000 http://howtowin.visitsteve.com/?p=309#comment-118 <p>Yes, I have become more interested in the value of symbols lately, and I recognize that merchandise can serve as a modern flag or icon, uniting "imaginary communities." My problem is not with the merchandising, but with the focus of the merchandising. The slogan "Yes we can" is definitely an inclusive one encouraging group action, and many of Obama's speeches mentioned the importance of grassroots action. But the focus, I felt, always returned to Him, the One. I felt like the merchandise led to a deification and a hope that the great leader would make everything alright. My sister has a colleague who told her, "Every night my daughter and I pray to Obama." Not pray for, pray to. She made this clear.</p> <p>I understand why people were so desperate for a competent leader, but that desperation led to a loss (assuming some was there to begin with) of criticality. In my conversations with Obama supporters I regularly encountered a level of cognitive dissonance that baffled me until I read an <a href="http://www.ameaningfullife.org/fundamentalism.htm" rel="nofollow">interesting article</a> comparing political extremism with religious fundamentalism. So yes, merchandise as symbol of action is fine, merchandise as symbol of demagogue is not fine.</p> Yes, I have become more interested in the value of symbols lately, and I recognize that merchandise can serve as a modern flag or icon, uniting “imaginary communities.” My problem is not with the merchandising, but with the focus of the merchandising. The slogan “Yes we can” is definitely an inclusive one encouraging group action, and many of Obama’s speeches mentioned the importance of grassroots action. But the focus, I felt, always returned to Him, the One. I felt like the merchandise led to a deification and a hope that the great leader would make everything alright. My sister has a colleague who told her, “Every night my daughter and I pray to Obama.” Not pray for, pray to. She made this clear.

I understand why people were so desperate for a competent leader, but that desperation led to a loss (assuming some was there to begin with) of criticality. In my conversations with Obama supporters I regularly encountered a level of cognitive dissonance that baffled me until I read an interesting article comparing political extremism with religious fundamentalism. So yes, merchandise as symbol of action is fine, merchandise as symbol of demagogue is not fine.

]]> By: duncombe http://howtowin.visitsteve.com/advertising-example/politics-as-product/comment-page-1#comment-112 duncombe Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:19:59 +0000 http://howtowin.visitsteve.com/?p=309#comment-112 <p>I tend to agree with you James, particularly about the vacuous nature of Obama's "change" so empty that it could be filled up with all of our particular wishes for change -- and all sorts of merchandise. And...maybe there is a place for merchandise of the revolution: it gives us objects to live with, think through, remember by. Is our beef against the merchandise or is it with merchandise as a replacement for organization and politics? It's useful to think of the Catholic Church here: they had icons, but they ALSO had priests and churches and rites and rituals and crusades. OK, that last one wasn't so great, but the point was they didn't use icons as a replacement for organization and action they used then in the service of these things. Capitalism and the fetishism of the commodity and all that may have changed the ball game, but perhaps not...</p> I tend to agree with you James, particularly about the vacuous nature of Obama’s “change” so empty that it could be filled up with all of our particular wishes for change — and all sorts of merchandise. And…maybe there is a place for merchandise of the revolution: it gives us objects to live with, think through, remember by. Is our beef against the merchandise or is it with merchandise as a replacement for organization and politics? It’s useful to think of the Catholic Church here: they had icons, but they ALSO had priests and churches and rites and rituals and crusades. OK, that last one wasn’t so great, but the point was they didn’t use icons as a replacement for organization and action they used then in the service of these things. Capitalism and the fetishism of the commodity and all that may have changed the ball game, but perhaps not…

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