Friday, June 06, 2008

Okay - I still intend to answer the other blog Q's soon - it's been kind of busy. Besides all the end of school stuff (BTW I was voted 'Most Likely to Travel the World,' and 'Most Likely to Suceed.' - which apparently must be the same as "Surprise! We do know you're alive!" Because that's what it feels like sometimes.) My gramma got into a bad car accident and cracked her sternum, bruised her lungs and broke her foot, my mom's aunt got brain cancer and my brother's best friend was hit by a car. (If my family was Native American and did winter counts this would be the moon of the medical maladies.) So... anyway, now everyone is okay and I can get on with blogging. :-)

Anyway... I ran across this article about this media/advertising experiment today and wondered what you all thought. I am kind of thinking about the Democratic primary races and the impact of YouTube etc on the whole thing. If you go into YouTube and Search, nearly every video about Hilary Clinton is derogatory, sterotyped and sexist while all those about Obama are cool and hip (even if they don't say anything.) Any videos that appear to criticize him are flagged as racist and have mostly been removed. So...I'm not sure exactly what I'm asking. Kind of... Why is it okay (socially acceptable) to be sexist (ala freedom of speech) but it is not okay (Socially acceptable) to be racist? Why has no one flagged the Clinton videos as sexist and asked for their removal? And, If people had made cool hip videos about Hilary CLinton do you think the outcome would have been different? Or, is that the people each candidate is attracting? ie. Clinton followers are not cool, hip and media savvy?

Also... I would be interested in what you think about this experiment. I am really curious how many people fall for it and stuff.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25006813/

Anyway... I'm off to the mall for now. Have a great 1st day of summer vacation!

6 comments:

Casey said...

Since it is a one-day campaign, I am printing their webpage into a PDF and emailing it out in case you don't log on TODAY and miss it. :-)

Actually this is probably a better way of viewing it or we could skewer their results. :-)

Their disclaimer at the bottom of their website says:

The Derrie-Air campaign is a fictitious advertising campaign created by Philadelphia Media Holdings to test the results of advertising in our print and online products and to stimulate discussion on a timely environmental topic of interest to all citizens. All names, identities, characters, persons, whether living or dead, companies, situations, offers, products, services, and other information appearing in this campaign and the associated website are fictitious. Any resemblance to real or fictitious names, identities, characters, persons, whether living or dead, companies, situations, offers, products, services, or other information, is purely coincidental and unintentional. In other words, smile, we're pulling your leg.

Anonymous said...

This is interesting. I kind of like it. I think if it was in our paper, I totally would've fallen for it...

Rachel Q! said...

I'm not on summer break yet :(
But I agree with you on the Hillary/Obama stuff. My mom and I were just talking about it. I really don't have an answer though. It's absurd yet very very normal

Casey said...

Yup. Oddly normal. I love oxymorons. Actually I must love morons of all kinds since I'm into politics. jk lol.

Jennifer Griffin-Wiesner said...

As soon as it became clear that the Democratic race would be between Clinton and Obama I told my husband that this country was more prepared for a "President of Color" than for a "President of Gender." Why? I don't know, except that racism seems to vary in terms of the characteristics of the oppressors and the oppressed, whereas sexism is almost always (always?) directed against women. Throughout history.

Maddy said...

I see what you mean about the Clinton/Obama advertising. Very interesting indeed. I think maybe it has to do with the demographics they are each targeting. I think maybe Obama is more popular among younger voters (who are more media savvy?).

I liked that Derrie-Air thing. I wonder what a travel line like that would be like. Would people try to lose weight to save money? I also want to know how many people fell for it.