Okay, maybe this happened years ago, and I was living under a rock. Maybe it happened recently which is why I just now find myself pondering this “issue.” While watching something I will not name on NBC.com I was treated to constant commercials from Sprint’s new ad campaign that features classic Beatles hits. Then I recalled the TV spots from the same campaign I’ve been seeing recently. Then I got confused.
You see, the Beatles wrote amazing music. Seriously, amazing music. In one documentary that I saw sometime around the 20th anniversary of John’s death (Dec 2001, natch) somebody who I can’t recall said the Beatles made music that made you feel good. It was that simple. It was also categorically true. No matter how dire things may be, having the Beatles playing in the background can make it better. Bar none. It’s so good, in fact, that I almost actually ENJOY the commercials. Then I get queasy.
I can’t help but remember that while this song, this music, this life affirming, world changing, amazing music that I grew up with (thank you Mom and Dad) is now being used to shill cell phones. I used to be a cellular customer service rep, not for Sprint, but for a cell company, and at the end of the day I can assure you, they’re all very similar, and none of them really respects their customers or the public interest at large. There is a part of me that does not want this music used to sell me things. Don’t use it to sell cell phones, or computers, or cars, or clothes, or anything, please. I want it to stay… pure?
It’s not a rational response I realize. Arguably by putting these songs in ubiquitous advertising new generations will hear them, and using song identifying apps or something, end up being exposed to the wider catalog, and hopefully experience the same wonderful, child like joy that the Beatles gives me.
Honestly though, I don’t quite know how to feel about it. I imagine the daily ennui of 21st century life will eventually make me numb to it. I just wanted to comment on it while I did still feel it, I suppose.
This is a small meaningless thing compared to so many other things happening right now, but none the less, this news makes me glad. If you did not somehow already hear, EA Sports decided to have a fan vote to determine who would adorn the cover of their decrepit franchise which only survives with life support in the form of an exclusive licensing deal with the NFL. They started with 32 candidates, 1 from each team, with Vick representing the Eagles. As the rounds progressed, so too did Vick and I felt a slowly growing horror as I contemplated the possibility that Michael Vick might win this glorified popularity contest. Most of the sports media has forgiven Vick for the things he did to innocent animals in Virginia, he won the AP’s comeback player of the year award. Still, while it was easy enough to recognize the appeal of that narrative, I have reservation. Vick himself has said he would not do anything differently if he could do it over, because it got him where he is today. It’s a lot easier moving on from torturing animals when you can make millions of millions of dollars and be a star. I still can’t help but wonder about a guy who doesn’t wonder what life would have been like if he hadn’t been the kind of guy who’d torture and murder dogs. Okay, so maybe the fact that my own gut isn’t comfortable with him is not, in reality, a reason to wish he wasn’t on the cover of this video game. Not a rational one anyways. I’m just not sold. But more importantly, what does his story say to the generations of children about his choices? If you’re phenomenally talented and show remorse at some point, at all, you can overcome being a sadistic brute that bullies and hurts anybody within reach? Even if we assume that Vick is truly reformed, his story of redemption is not fit for the youth. There are plenty of age appropriate fictional alternatives that don’t include a “role model” who has “learned his lesson” and wont, again, torture and murder another living being. Vick is right when he says some people will never forget. They shouldn’t. Neither should he. What he did is wrong, and unlike so many of the other people who do the things he did, he has a shot to go on to public love and incredible financial security. I imagine most people with his rap sheet might have a hard time finding a job in a call center these days. I don’t care if he truly has reformed or not, I’m just glad he’s not going to be on the cover of Madden.
I know I know, that’s really strong language in the title, but I couldn’t help myself. For weeks the nation has been watching this slow drama unfold. The protesters fighting for their basic rights, the politicians ignoring their constituency at the behest of deep pocketed private contributors. Business as usual in 21st Century American Politics.
So, tonight, or this morning, or sometime in the last few hours this sad chapter in US history seemingly closed. Apparently the Wisconsin Senate found a way to pass their union busting legislation without the return of the missing Democratic senators.
So what happened, did one of the democratic senators return from Illinois? No. The reason that the bill stalled without the democrats present is that it was a budget bill. There is a minimum quorum of 20 for a budget bill by Wisconsin law. So how did the senate republicans get around the problem? They stripped every provision of the bill that had anything to do with the budget. That’s right, the legislation so necessary for balancing the budget it be in the budget bill, didn’t have to be in the budget bill after all. But then again, this wasn’t about the budget of Wisconsin was it Gov Walker? If it was, you wouldn’t have blown your state’s surplus on corporate taxes less than 30 days after taking office, would you?
All I can say is that Rick Scott, you fucker, you better not get any more ideas. You’ve already managed to wrong the Sunshine state in Walker level proportions. If you get any fool notions about trying to break up what weak unions we have here, you might find yourself going just a little too far. Does anybody even know how hard it actually is to force a recall? Is there a time frame we have to wait to pass before pushing for one? These are the burning questions I want answers to.
Net neutrality is not a new issue, though it certainly is getting a lot more attention since Google and Verizon announced their policy statement on the issue. Typically I am a big supporter of Google, but their announcement is something I can not accept. It is imperative that the internet, wired, wireless, and future platforms, remain a free marketplace for the interchange of ideas. The power of mass media is considerable, and a neutral internet is the best and last weapon that the common people have against consolidated media giants such as News Corp, Viacom, and GE.
There are a number of online petitions in support of net neutrality out there today, including Sen Al Franken’s petition. There are several other similar petitions floating around the web these days. Sign as many of them as you want to. I would not discourage such behavior.
However, I personally feel that online petitions are increasingly easy for legislators and government officials to disregard because of the “ease” of getting lots of signatories and the difficulty of verifying how “valid” any given signatory’s opinion is. On the other hand, a more traditional method of communication, the good old letter, is much harder to ignore, especially in quantity. It is much harder to dismiss a pile of letters definitely from constituents than it is a petition that took somebody less than 30 seconds to add their name to.
With that in mind, I have prepared a form letter that you can download. Simply insert the name of the government official you are addressing at the top, sign at the bottom, and then send it. If you need information on who your representatives are, here’s where you can find your Federal Representative and Senator. For local legislators, check with Vote Smart. Also, here’s a way to send the letter to the President. (You can either copy and paste it into the form or snail mail it directly to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC 20500) The FCC is the actual agency responsible for regulating these kinds of issues, so contacting them wouldn’t hurt either.
Also, here’s the the form letter in pdf format. Granted, the .doc format will allow you to type in the addressee and not just fill in the blank on a printed copy. Ultimately, it’s your choice.