ithinkyoushould. Have a Marketing Plan that includes a Public Relations/Media Plan.
In business life, you are nothing without a marketing plan AND a public relations/media plan. Business & Marketing/PR go hand in hand like milk and cookies, pasta and sauce, wine and cheese, fries and salt. You get the picture. Unfortunately, so many small businesses fail because while you may have a great idea and a great product, few invest the necessary thought, time, energy and dollars on the smart tools that will help to bring your product to market.
In our over-media saturated world, the companies that gain the most air-time, are more often than not the companies who invest big dollars to ensure that their products are placed front and centre on the media landscape. If we are bombarded and pressured to buy “Concept A” over “Concept B,” or “Product A” over “Product B” it is because some clever body out there is making damn sure that we keep our eyes on their prize. Quite instantly the [subliminal] buzz words and phrases that they use to market their great ideas instantly become part of the culture and we incorporate them into our lingo without missing a beat:
Dr. Oz wants you to focus on You, Oprah wants you to Live your Best Life, Nike wants you to Just Do It, Adidas tells us that Impossible is Nothing, Coca-Cola wants you to Smile, and the list goes on. If we are not called to swift and immediate action by these slogans, then we are gently persuaded that we are Lovin’ It by McDonald’s, that I’m a PC and Windows 7 was my idea by Microsoft, that Banking can be This Comfortable by TD Canada Trust, that Ziploc was designed with you in mind [thanks for the refresher NYTimes], and so on.
It is these smart marketing strategies coupled with smart design and smart public relations/media initiatives that keep these brands in the forefront of our minds, at the forefront of the media cycle, all with a strategic hand in our pocketbooks. It doesn’t hurt that TD has been voted Best Customer Service, that Nike endorses [and drops as necessary—boohoo Tiger!] multi-million dollar gifted athletes or that Microsoft’s Bill Gates is a great philanthropist in addition to being a likeable and business-savvy geek.
Smart marketing, and clever planning make all the difference and the difference lays in not only what you market, but how and why and when you market your product. So here’s the thing: in addition to setting goals and benchmarks, one must aim high, and if you can’t aim high, then aim mid-market. That’s right people. I said, “MID-MARKET!”
The mid-market landscape is populated by wanna-be brands who might never reach the top tier level of products similar to theirs, but they don’t care. They are content to be B-Status players and as a result they are able to milk that status for all it’s worth. What’s clever about the B-Status players is that knowing that they will “never” become top level players, they are free to market the hell out of their B Status as a viable option to the A Level Brands . The bells and whistles aren’t as loud and/or shiny, and it may not cost as much, but no matter, the B Status/Listers have a calling and a following and they know what their demographic wants. The point is, they too have a marketable strategy—a failsafe Gameplan that keeps them on “back-up” status should the A-Lister lose public favour or fall from grace. Yes, the market is that fickle, because we the people are that fickle.
A good example of smart marketing is the comic/brand Kathy Griffin. Many years ago she made a name for herself by promoting her “D-List” status. Her program, My Life on the D-List skewers the Hollywooderati while making good fun of her life as what she terms a “D-List Celebrity.” What’s smart about Ms Griffin is that in promoting her “D-List” status she has made herself an “A-Lister” by default. She is also clever enough to know how not to alienate her fans or to isolate herself from the very category that she established to win a unique demographic all her own. She’s been smart enough to keep her brand loyal to what she set out to do, and she’s been strategic enough to leverage her “D-List” status to insinuate herself into the A-List category/environments where she would have been previously unwelcomed.
Griffin’s [media]strategy involved her creating a Reality Show long before Reality Shows were the norm, and she brought us into her “private” world of entertainment where few celebrities would “allow” such access. In fact, the sole reason the Tabloids exist is to deconstruct and annihilate the untouchable personas “A-Listers” create—by way of their own marketing strategies— to distance themselves from the grubby masses. So for example, Brad Pitt will do a Edwin 503’s jean commercial in Japan, but we won’t ever have a hope in hell of seeing him hawk jeans here much less smile for a celebrity Gap ad. And thus an industry was born.
So from this we can glean that strategy is everything, and that a good strategy underscores any marketing/public relations/media campaign that you will ever embark upon. You need insight, and foresight and forbearance. You need to invest and be confidant that what you have is indeed worth fighting for and you will stop at nothing to achieve your market share be it A Status or D Status. There is room at the top for everyone and no one. How badly you want it depends on your Value Add and the strategies you employ to get you there. I think you should get going. There is plenty of room at the bottom.
Tags: Adidas, Brad Pitt, Coke, commercial, Edwin 503 jeans, Gap, Kathy Griffin, marketing, McDonalds, media plan, Microsoft, Nike, NYTimes, Oprah, public relations, Strategy, TD Canada Trust, You, Ziploc
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ithinkyoushould. Keep Some Things Sacred and Define Yourself as Distinct from the [Counter] Culture.
There’s something about getting things off your chest that is not only cathartic, but deeply cleansing and therapeutic. We now live in a culture where things once-considered taboo, and/or underground have been brought screaming like hell fire and damnation into the mainstream. In some respects this is good and healthy and in other respects it leaves nothing to the imagination and pollutes the energy with all things negative and nasty. In other words, our desire to unearth and expose all things formerly considered Unmentionable has created a vibe of dysfunctional contentedness. Such that anything goes.
With this Anything Goes mentality comes a kind of recklessness of which few are blissfully unaware, deceptively unwilling, and charismatically unconcerned about the inevitable outcome. Knowing that we cannot necessarily “predict” the future has created a kind of “safe haven” for the dysfunction.
Take Drug Culture as an example. Recreational drugs were once considered the domain of a particular sub-culture, most specifically the counter-culture. They believed in Free-ish Love, Free-ish Sex, and a Free-ish Society. This counter-revolution developed as a result of restrictions and laws [instituted by people], telling people that they “couldn’t,” or they “shouldn’t,” and so on. So naturally when you get a system telling you “No,” a group will eventually rise up telling that system “Yes.” So in a very real sense that counter-culture “worked.” People felt empowered and entitled to say No and embrace the dubious consequences. The consequences being drug addiction, diseased bodies, and perhaps a counter-culture mindset that was rightly or wrongly suspicious of the status quo.
In our world today we are experiencing the “fall-out” of that counter-culture in the sense that it—whatever “it” is your poison—is now mainstream culture. Nothing is taboo, and few things are sacred. For example, we can now use our freedom of choice to experiment with drugs knowing that we may or may not become addicted. If by some chance we become addicted, we have the option of using readily available and immediately accessible therapies set up to counter-act our addiction. And we can become life-long users of those remedies to either sustain or manage our addiction knowing that we will always have this tendency toward addiction. What’s “new” on the addiction-scene is Image [the plastic surgery obsessed], Sex [too much or too little as the case may be], and before that it was Food [Obesity, Anorexia, Bulimia]. Perhaps what would be more appropriate would be to call these various addictions our Addiction to Pleasure [perhaps a direct result of the Boomers’ parents having to suppress and modify their behaviors due to War, and whatever ailed them/us prior to that generation].
But that’s not my point. My point is that addiction is so currently mainstream as to not warrant a second glance or anything more than an cursory investigation. If we are abusers it was/is likely that we have been exposed to abuse. If we are addicts chances are that there is addiction in our DNA, if we are loathe to empower ourselves, it is likely that our foremothers and forefathers were weak in character. Meaning that everything can be explained away which leaves no room for personal responsibility. Why I wonder do some of us not choose Health over Illness? Is this the cost and price of Freedom and Choice?
We have been given so much of the proverbial rope that we can hang ourselves—twice, if we are so inclined. We can rack up addictions like notches on our belts. And we can excuse and reason-away our behaviours as simply as we get hooked [or not] on/to whatever we fancy. Those of us who go the rehab-route can be life-long members without so much as a bat of an eye. In fact, it is a condition of therapy to assume that one will offend again.
But OK. Recognition and rehabilitation is GOOD. Don’t get me wrong. I do not believe in an endless cycle of punishment because that too is counter-productive. But endless cycles of relapse and lack of responsibility numbs the mind and destroys the soul. Just stay away they tell you. But triggers are everywhere. In fact, Culture itself is a trigger.
[Now pause, for the tidy, packaged solution].
At the end of the day, what should remain Sacred is our sanctity for Living, Distinct and Independent of the Masses. Without depression, anxiety, and negativity. Instead of stuffing the Void with things that are superficially instantly gratifying, try stuffing it with reality. Yes, Life is Hard, but Excess is Overrated.
Tags: Counter Revolution, Rehab, The Beatles
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ithinkyoushould. Reassess your Understanding of Respect.
My husband’s father does not like me. And, guess what, it’s OK. I should say, I’m OK with it now. But I wasn’t before. I wasn’t OK with it before because I’ve never really had the experience of somebody not liking me for what I perceived to be “no reason.” And from what others, including complete strangers tell me, I’m a sufficiently likeable person. At the same time, I can totally get behind the idea of the “real” reasons why or why not people find a mutual like, since likeability is as random as the idea itself. Also, common psychology dictates that whatever you may or may not dislike about a person is a projection of the things or an idea or concept that you innately dis/like about yourself.
My husband’s father has never “voiced” his dislike of me. We’ve never gotten into any arguments or disagreements, but that’s because we don’t talk. Although in this case, general actions speak way louder than words; his Dislike Energy Field is palpable. I used to say “Good Morning” to him, and through vacant eyes, he would just look past me. We later determined that he may not have heard me due to an alleged hearing problem, but that was proven to not be the case, the evidence being that it was only my “good mornings” that weren’t reciprocated. And let’s be frank, it’s not like I was mumbling the greeting from a great distance, I happened to be standing in his personal space at the time.
At our wedding, he didn’t smile at me, or welcome me, or congratulate me, or hug me, or even look at me. [He might have done this to his son, I don’t know]. Still, I was OK with this because I was busy basking in the warmth and love of other family and friends not to mention our then 2 year old, and our second child who was growing beautifully [at 5 months] inside my tummy. [Yes! The Bride Wore Black and 5” Stilettos!] Did he disapprove? Was he embarrassed? Nobody else was, in fact our growing brood was instantly embraced and welcomed in a reception that I can only describe as magnificently surreal.
Some have suggested that it might be cultural. He’s Asian. I’m not. Age? He’s a disenfranchised Boomer. I’m not. Sexism? He’s traditional insofar as he “thinks” women should have a particular rank and order. Racism? Most if not all fathers of a distinct cultural background might prefer their sons to keep the blood lines “pure.” Beliefs? He’s an atheist, I’m not. And the list goes on.
The point is Today I’ve decided to live my life as if he doesn’t matter. And guess what? He doesn’t. It doesn’t matter what he thinks, or what he cares about, because it’s not up to him to pass judgment on me. It’s not up to him to decide whether I’m worthy of a hello, or a good morning because what somebody thinks or does not think about you should not be given the power to make or break you. Some have asked if I’ve “tried,” and to that question I’ve often retorted with a cynical “try what?” At the same time, I have made an “effort” if that’s what you want to know. And like an ass I’ve even ingratiated myself knowing deep-down that nope, this just doesn’t feel right.
We Women often plunder our brains in desperation trying to link somebody else’s emotional dysfunction to our own, rationalizing that if “I only” do this or that, he will change. But guess what? He never does. And it is unlikely that he ever will [though one can cling to that false hope cuz it makes us feel so good]. And so you continue the cycle of frittering your own self-worth away desperately trying to appease the disagreeable. It’s a losing battle. But if you really wanna win something, if you really want to gain the edge that is necessary for control of your own life, and earn your right to emotional freedom, then I think you should Reassess your Understanding of Respect. What you are and who you are is up to you. Be proud. Nobody can take that away from you.
Tags: Aretha Franklin, Reassess, Respect
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ithinkyoushould. Say Goodnight.
Tags: Goodnight, Kid's Classic, Margaret Wise Brown, Moon
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ithinkyoushould. Pretend you Care.
Tags: LG, Pretend, Texting
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ithinkyoushould. Pretend you Get It.
Tags: Lou Doillon, Pretend
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ithinkyoushould. Lighten up!
So here’s the thing. I’m not ALWAYS off my rocker, vexed about some happening here or there. But lately, I HAVE been. The reason? Well, my girls are sick. As in cough-cough, spew-spew, wipey-wipe the runny nose over me, their mother, the human tissue. It’s ok. So far, I haven’t caught anything except the emotional onslaught of being a mom with 2 sick little girls. They ARE getting better so it’s cool. But it has been a helluva week. And then some. A few days ago I read some article somewhere and I wanted to share it. With my friends. Except I don’t think I really have any friends because people don’t really respond to me when I write stuff. I usually write long-winded chatty things about something I’ve read about, and I don’t know whether people find me boring, or annoying or simply do not care to respond. Like the other day I told a friend that I hoped she was doing well, but that my girls were sick and she responded by saying, “We’re all doing great. Take care!” And I thought, ‘Wow. Nothing eh?’ But misery loves company and I suppose I was looking for a little sympathy because I was tired of being a Mommy Martyr and I just wanted somebody to ask about me. Well, she wasn’t it. And then I wondered why I couldn’t “relate” to my so-called friends, but I can have the BEST conversations with random service people.
For example, today I decided that I was going to buy myself some real blasted face cream and not that Oil of Olay sh*t that women are duped into believing is good. What is an “Oil of Olay” anyway? What does it mean? I KNOW what oil means, but what does Olay mean? So I go to Clinique. The women wear white lab coats, the packaging is clinical green. The design of everything is clean and neat and sparse and the pricepoint is well, it’s getting up there, but it’s kind of “proven.” I trust the Clinique women because their skin often looks good. Clinique was always about the “3 steps” and that makes sense. So I dash in telling the woman my life story about having 2 sickish beautiful little bunny girls, and feeling stressed, and feeling dry in the face and basically frumpy, etc., and she tells me that my skin is “beautiful.” She shouts it practically. And I go, “really?!” and I have to look in a mirror, after which I make a screwface, and she goes, “YES, really!” and I go, “come on…” And she’s like, “seriously, what’s the problem?”
So I tell her “my problem” and she sells me a moisture with 25 spf. And then I ask about a face cleanser. And we talk about cleaning my face. And then I tell her that I need to get some face cream for my husband so he doesn’t use mine, and she says “right this way.” And then we chat some more and I say, “Wow, you really do have this awesome aura about you.” And she smiles, and says, “Well, you know, it’s really simple, my philosophy is to just give you what you want. I don’t pressure sell people because we do really know what we want, we just need someone to help bring it out.” And I was amazed and I tell her that her skin is great-looking too. And she says, “Really?!” And I go, “Yes!” And she goes, “No, look at the zits on my chin.” And I say, “Really?” And then she grabs my arm and tells me that the “issue” with Women is that we are so self-critical and so busy projecting our insecurities onto nothing, about basically nothing, and NOBODY ever [even!]sees what we think we lack. And I thought, wow she is so right. I think I do need to lighten up a bit. And the way to do that is to buy yourself a little face cream. I think this might help you to lighten up too!
Tags: Clinique, Oil of Olay
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ithinkyoushould. Breathe into a Brown Paper Bag.
Too…Much…Amazingness…No…Words…Actually Makethatplenty’owords!
Tags: Amazing, Tavi, The Pop
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ithinkyoushould. Follow the Uncomplicated Wisdom of a Certain 13 Year Old.
So out in the blogosphere there is a 13 year “genius,” “prodigy” who writes a fashion blog called the Style Rookie. Her name is Tavi. She is a precocious sort in that her fashion tastes are unlike that of the “average” teenager. She writes superbly, and she exudes a particular creative energy that is inspiring. And by all accounts she knows her stuff. She is the “rage” in the business of fashion writing/reporting, and in her early days, many questioned whether she was the brilliance behind the blog because it contained a sophisticated maturity, and a rather unique understanding of the craft. But she is. The real thing. Baby.
Yesterday on her blog she wrote about a writer for the Guardian named Tanya Gold, who penned an article called, “Why I Hate Fashion.” I think, Tavi wrote an “on point” argument about why she felt that Gold’s and others’ sentiments against fashion are at best, misplaced. To me, in many ways, it’s like the Religion and Science debate: there are strong proponents for and against either side; but the fundamentalists on each side, notwithstanding, the point is really that not all of it can be [easily] explained away. You either do “believe” [in the concept] or you don’t. You’re either a fan or you’re not. And at the very least, if we respect the fact that nobody needs to convert anybody, we can agree to disagree that neither idea is the panacea. And to think of them as such is kind of ignorant.
Without irony, Tavi proclaims that, “the problem with fashion isn’t fashion, but how others decide to see it.” Perhaps this is a over-simplified view of the question of fashion itself, but maybe there’s something to be said in that.
Many moons ago I wrote a response to Karl Lagerfeld’s “attack” on “jealous fat mommies” and Oprah’s and Dove’s comment and campaign respectively, about “real women.” I disagreed with Karl’s choice of words, but agreed that it’s unfair to judge the genetically-blessed Glamazons who strut the catwalk and blame them because you can’t stop eating twinkies and ding dongs after 6pm. I admonished Oprah and Dove for their word choice insisting that a “real woman” has a “real bootie” unlike, they implied the Glamazons, who according to their argument are not “real” [meaning they must be “unreal?”].
So essentially it’s an interpretation thing. And, guess what, you can’t have it both ways. The point is, I suppose, to have a point. And take a position. And Tavi makes some good ones. And Tanya Gold makes some good ones—albeit personally-felt and cynical. The difference is that Tanya wants to hold fashion hostage for something that people are responsible for [see above argument about twinkies and ding dongs], much like in the Science and Religion discussion where, the God-dissers and disenters want to hold God responsible for all the “bad” when again it’s not God, but people.
Tags: Campaign for Real Beauty, Dove, Fashion, Oprah, Religion, The Style Rookie
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ithinkyoushould. Resist this kind of NONSENSE!
Oh boy. I want to post this under the heading WTF?! But I’m grappling hard with its association with Haiti.
This is what I believe Naomi Klein refers to as a “disaster capitalist” opportunity: Rihanna singing Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, rather BADLY I might add. And then Oprah comes back and says it was “beautiful!” [I think she was inferring that Rihanna looked beautiful, cuz YES, not only did she look "beautiful," she looked gorgeous! But the singing was all kinds of awful. If she was on American Idol, she would be told to NOT come back.
…and then at the end of the clip, after you see the tragic images of Haiti, but before they pan the audience to an applauding, yet solemn-faced Wyclef Jean, of Haitian descent, you are told to download Rihanna’s horrible version of Bob’s song. You are told that ALL proceeds go to Haiti. AND THEN, wait for it….you get the plug for her new CD! Say what?! [Obviously the CD requires more strategic publicity, and now she has the Oprah-Effect and Haiti to help her increase sales].
Pinch me, and call me stupid, but I *really* can’t stand stuff like this ANYMORE! I think you should resist this Nonsense before it gets out of hand. Haiti does not need this kind of self-serving “support.” [See Entry #47]
Tags: American Idol, Haiti, Oprah-Effect, Redemption Song, Rihanna
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ithinkyoushould. Try Eating your Politics without Entertainment.
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ithinkyoushould. Carefully consider this position.
The title of a Newsweek.com article/interview reads: “Exploitation Nation: Naomi Klein worries Haitians won’t have a role in shaping their future.” It was written on January 21, 2010 by Katie Paul, a Newsweek correspondent. I only happened on this article moments after I installed the previous entry, but I have to say that since the devastating earthquake in Haiti I’ve been thinking the same thing. Something along these lines has been gnawing at my core, and I haven’t found the words[!] to express it without sounding like a wacko.
Yes, the collective rallying cry is immediately and overwhelming present in our lives and damn right we have to do something about it, but what Klein outlines in her book, Shock Doctrine, penned in 2007, is the very thing that we are experiencing this very instant with regard to our response to Haiti. She argues that “‘disaster capitalists’ take advantage of post-crisis chaos to push through a set of free-market reforms that further their own interests, rather than those of the victims.” I call it the commodification of fear, uncertainty, destruction and guilt.
I think you should join the No Shock Doctrine for Haiti Group on Facebook. There are 26,000 members and counting. I think it’s a good move.
Tags: Disaster Capitalists, Haiti, Naomi Klein, Newsweek
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ithinkyoushould. Read what Naomi Klein says about the politics of Corporate Branding.
This article in the Guardian.co.uk by Toronto’s own Naomi Klein is many shades of brilliant. Not the least because she resists being dictated to by our popular brands, but because she details and itemizes the global impact of the corporatizing of brand culture. Yes, she and her disciples lean so far left as to require the odd metaphorical prop to keep them standing upright, but I so appreciate her taking an active stand against what so many of us think and feel about brand culture, but do not wish to be entirely inconvenienced by these exposed certain Truths.
About 10 years ago Ms. Klein wrote a timely book called, No Logo, “designed” no less, by the inimitable Bruce Mau. It was the marketing slap heard ‘round the world. The very corporations she sought to “out” embraced her ideals wholesale to the point that they wanted her to “teach” them how to be better brands. The irony was not lost on her and in fact made her more vigilant about her cause enough to switch gears and take the focus off what so many had been turned on to. [I don’t always agree with the politics of Ms Klein, her “boycott” [aka, "a simple message of solidarity"] of TIFF seemed a bit abrupt, but I do feel that a voice like hers is relevant in this cesspool of advertising/marketing “freedoms” that increasingly debase our culture].
This essay marks the 10th anniversary of No Logo. I think you should read it, digest it, and maybe even regurgitate some of its more salient points to the people you care about.
Tags: Corporate Branding, Naomi Klein, No Logo, TIFF
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ithinkyoushould. Recognize the Not-so Subtle Messaging of MTV, MUCH, and Youth/Young Adult-Oriented TV Programming in General.
This is the first of many installments under the heading: SoapBox Editions in which I’ll be wearing my Pontificating, Self-Righteous, Morality waving flag, tsk-tsking about what I perceive to be a disturbing trend in our Culture.
So again the other night I flicked on the tube. Yes, this seems to be my habit of late. Not because I am “searching” for material, but *indirectly*, it would seem that I am indeed searching for material.
Perhaps like some people, I would not ever readily admit that I go to television to validate my interests or to change and/or influence the way I think, or even to learn something. I might suggest that I go to TV out of boredom, something to do, or for a temporary diversion to “relax” my over-stimulated brain, and chill-out. Except TV-watching is anything but “relaxing” and in fact it provides the exact opposite feeling.
Studies show that it is the passive action of TV-watching that makes us most susceptible and vulnerable to the over-simplified and disturbingly complex images that we see on TV. For example, we have the problem in North America of Obesity. Now I am not sure if anyone has ever done a study between the correlation between TV-watching and Obesity, but have you ever watched TV starting at 10pm and notice the amount of fast food, fried food commercials and junk food ads that occupy the airwaves? It’s alarming!
No, these are not subtle images of families dining together, these are an-all-you-can-eat gorge-fest in the form of glossy super-sized visuals of plates of fatty, sugared and salted foods that no person should be consuming at 10pm much less at dinner. Most, if not all of these items are consumed in bar-type, “social” atmospheres with pretty THIN young adults eating, laughing, grinning and socializing over massive plates of food. Except that no one is actually consuming the food. They are deliriously overjoyed at the “idea” of the food and the bountiful nature of the food, but in all reality, as we are now painfully aware, people who “look like that” do not necessarily “eat like that,” and that’s where the disturbing subliminal messaging comes in.
Take also, for example, the program, 1 Girls, 5 Gays. It airs on MTV/MUCH. Perhaps in the 10pm timeslot, perhaps even earlier. I can’t be sure, because it’s not my “go-to” program of choice, and like many programs on the boob, it’s pretty much a random catch-all as far as I’m concerned. [Wait, I do like the Food Network, certain Chefs are good, and I watch HGTV because I like certain programs. Don’t get me started on Sarah Richardson from Design Inc.!]. But I digress…
So I’m flicking, and I see my “favourite” bubbly host, Aliya-Jasmine, she of the “Condoms and Haiti” report. And now “Ms. AJ,” as I affectionately call her, also hosts a round-table “talk-show” where she discusses gay-sex-scenarios with 5 gay guys. The show is liberally and shockingly spiced with all manner of sex-talk and the liberal use of the F Word, completely unedited and not beeped. The boys talk about random F’ing, as our pretty ethnic hostess, eyes wide and grinning, without even a hint of irony, nervously giggles her way into presenting 10 “questions” about gay-sex life amongst these 5 differently-attractive, 20something white boys. Each question is prefaced by a bold suggestive visual, blatantly lacking in subtlety.
The other night our hostess asks the boys, “Is [gay] sex better with drugs?” And then we flash to a cartoon image of a cannonball with its spout, in the form of a joint, that becomes lit. The joint then points upward like a penis, and then we cut to the boys laughing and over-grinning, agreeing that yes for some of the “panel” gay sex is indeed better with drugs, and for others not so much.
Watching this on the safety of my sofa, I sat there thinking, “Can this be serious?!” Other questions follow, but I cannot believe my ears, or my eyes. Earlier, our illustrious host asks if any of their parents have seen the program, and the boys answer that some of their parents have and others have not. The general commentary is that their parents don’t necessarily approve or disprove but that they want them to be “safe” and that they hope that they are not being overly promiscuous. Naturally the program demographic is not geared towards adults or parents or teachers or caregivers and so the random question about what adults might think is gratuitous, and side-steps the issue[s] entirely.
And herein lies the problem. For all intents and purposes, the show is mind-numbingly gratuitous and salacious and isn’t about promoting sex-positive encounters or dealing with the “real” issues that gay/young adults may or may not face, rather it’s about the random-nature of horny young adults, specifically young horny white gay boys of a certain economic and social background [one of the guys also “does” girls], prescribing and describing how they navigate the seemingly slippery slope of picking up, also known as “cruising,” as well as the beginnings of alcohol, drug and sex addiction.
Ya, I’m off my rocker about this one. Because at the end of the day, young people are gonna do what young people wanna do, and hey, it’s their prerogative and right to do what they wanna do, man. And I say go for it! Fight for your independence and your right to do stupid shit, but don’t let these random people of questionable morality dictate what you should or should not do with your sexuality. Don’t let these folks of questionable morality dictate that you should try gay/sex with drugs because it “might” be better. Don’t let these people with questionable morality even suggest that it’s ok to put your body and therefore your life at risk for simple entertainment.
Personally, I think it’s irresponsible and disgusting. And it’s not a joke. The whole time the 6 of them are laughing and guffawing and telling bad jokes about the so-called reality of their lives and it’s incredibly shallow and distasteful. I am loathe to think that there is an audience for this. And I want to know what purpose and benefit it serves any community beyond the voyeuristic qualities that imagining gay-sex life might have for some. I don’t think that any of us imagined this when we shouted from the rooftops that, “I Want My MTV!”
A program like this is all kinds of wrong, and I think you should recognize the not-so subtle messaging of these so-called entertainment programs, and be vigilant about what you allow into the sanctity of your home.
Tags: "1 Girl5 Gays", Aliyah-Jasmine, MTV MUCH
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ithinkyoushould. Get Interested in Design. Design is all around us. It’s literally in the air we breathe. These days Designers, those seemingly untouchable uber creative types are communicating their ideas in ways that we can all actually now comprehend. Oh, they always did, but perhaps in ways that were a bit too lofty, and a bit too sexy, a bit to “out there” so that the seemingly non-creative type, aka, the consumer found intimidating. Designers were the celebs of the business working class. Kind of like Rockstars. They looked a certain way, acted a certain way and created and delivered their projects in a certain way. They even spoke a different language. And for some of us, we couldn’t keep up, nor did we dare to.
Today, however, a different generation of designers wants to take the veneer off and bring a more down to earth understanding of design to the masses. In fact, the new breed of designer is calling us ALL designers! The new breed of designer wants us to take responsibility for our world through sustainable design and its various methodologies and it wants us to be responsible for our imprint, and it wants us to make conscious decisions for our world much in the same way we’ve attempted to do with our lives. So [some] Designers are actually willing to be less sexy and more approachable. And these designers are preaching Affirmation, and Positivity, and Optimism, and Hope, and Massive Change. It’s refreshing and enlightening and awesome! I think that your getting interested in Design is good for you and the planet. And if you want to read about the trailblazers in the pack, read Glimmer by Warren Berger featuring the Ideas of Bruce Mau.
Tags: Bruce Mau, Glimmer, Massive Change, Optimism, Warren Berger
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ithinkyoushould. Forget About Guilt. Guilt is one of those social emotions that comes about when we do something we’re “not supposed” to do, say something we’re “not supposed” to say, or act in a manner we’re “not supposed” to act. It comes about when the sub-conscious feels a certain amount of remorse, and regret to the things it did willingly and knowingly, but decided to do it anyway. Guilt is a manipulative, underhanded emotion because it seeks to deprive and destroy both the object and indirectly the subject of that Guilt in ways that are unhealthy and counter-productive. Above all, Guilt is one of those palpable emotions, the energy from the Bearer of Guilt is like a heat-seeking missile, and therefore one must avoid the messenger at all costs.
Yes, we must all endeavour to Forgive and Forget, because as the saying goes one must not carry negative emotions from the past because it will dis/colour your perspective and outlive your future. Personally, I think it is healthy to engage in a little constructive forgetting, which is to say that Yes, I will forgive you wholeheartedly for the ways in which you sought to manipulate me because people make mistakes, do stupid things and say stupid things, and you might not know any better, [or choose to not know any better].
Conversely, if you happen to be in the presence of someone for whom Guilt is a way of Life, and a way of Being, then you must engage in a little strategic forgetting and immediate distancing. Sociopathic behaviours, and borderline personality disorders aside, it is important to protect yourself from people who are emotionally damaged and therefore ill-equipped to handle more complex social emotions such as the negative behaviours that come about by actions of Guilt. By living with Guilt, in whatever form it manifests itself, you are perpetually sucked into the vortex of negativity, and uncertainty. You constantly wonder what is real versus what is unreal, what you actually see, versus what you perceive, and so on. For these reasons you should forget about Guilt. Live free and tell the Guilt Vendors to take a hike! I think your positive energy field just opened up!
Tags: Forget, Forgive, Guilt
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ithinkyoushould. Tell Harrison Ford that Sleep Aids Needs a Spokesman. The other night I watched The Hour with George Strombo. “The Bio,” as his guest’s biographical introduction is called, serves to give the highlights of said guest’s career. I was both excited and interested to see what Harrison Ford, given his illustrious film career to date, might bring to the live format nature of the show. So I watched: The. Longest. 5. Minutes. In. Television. History. Ever.
Harrison fidgeted, breathed, mumbled, spoke in a monotone, and barely made eye-contact with the audience or his host. It was excruciating. Apparently, I am not alone in my sentiments. A YouTube video of this segment with HF cannot be found.
Harrison, you’re a likeable enough actor, you’ve never strayed from the good books of the movie-going public, except when you left your wife of XX years for Ally McBeal. But Live TV just isn’t your forte, brother. Instead, I think you might try auditioning for a Sleep-Aid commercial.
Tags: George Strombo, Harrison Ford, The Hour
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