I am the grit in the gears, the missing bolt, I am the poker of sticks into spokes. I like to know how things work, but sometimes when I take them apart and rebuild them, I have a few pieces left over. I am a man, so I tend to leave reading the instructions until after it goes wrong. And like all men I have a comprehensive mental map of the world and never need to ask directions. I never get lost, only sometimes I'm late, or end up in the wrong place entirely. It's what we do.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
A Hymn to Corporate America. What's Your Logo?
This is made by a studio in Paris, It's a shorthand condensed version of how america shows itself to us, via action movies, cop shows, and, of course, the creeping spread of logo-imperialism. Yes, it's exaggerated.
But, I have to say, this is pretty much how we're fed America's corporate image.
And yes, we know that it's not all like that... or we hope not... meanwhile, MacDonalds, Starbucks, and all the rest spread out, like plague pustules, all over the globe.
it is an exaggeration, but not much of one. if you are in a city or live in a small town that's has an interstate exit, it's about like that. the main difference is that the signs are not all the same size and covering the entire building. if they were, it wouldn't be much of a stretch... maybe the little twitter people wouldn't be walking around. i abhor the whole thing, we threw the baby out with the bathwater long ago. try buying clothes without logos. and now the supreme court has removed limits on corporate contributions to political campaigns. if anyone thinks that we are not living in a corporatocracy, they're not paying attention. of course that's entirely possible because there is a certain amount of that due the eventual numbing effect of all the constant advertising. i think the recently departed george carlin had the right idea and when you get asked every single time you purchase something if you would like an "x" with that or would you like to sign up for an "x", maybe it's time for the appropriate response... a solid f*ck you. of course the corporate model is based on the lowest least paid and least responsible person being the one who interacts with the customer so any verbal confrontation will be with someone that has no culpability or power. the thing is that as bad as it is, it has never stopped getting worse and will not ever stop. the last generation express everything, including love, by consuming. every normal human interaction has been usurped by corporations to have more consumption. that's why i don't like holidays, we go from thanksgiving, xmas, new years, valentines day, super bowl, march madness, easter, on and on and on. i know i sound like a curmudge but it's an unsustainable model. and even though europe has it to a lesser degree, i believe it's spreading like a cancer throughout the globe. glad you got me on the plague pustules train of thought, i must not have been paying attention this morning.
ReplyDeleteYeah, what jimgottuso say's...
ReplyDeleteIt's F*ing depressing!
I do have to add, the video is awesome!
ReplyDeleteYes Jim, We're heading the same way here too, every high street the same storefronts, logos.. it's deressing.
ReplyDeleteI was one who did no jump for joy at the triumphal announcement that MacDonalds had opened in Red Square, Moscow, then in Peking.
My supermarket up the road, five minutes away, is in Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, probably Kathmandu by now.
When was it that logos became more important than the clothes?
(I have a good story for that, one day)
"A real man is secure enough to wear the labels INSIDE his clothes"
It troubles me, as I pass through beautiful historic cities, to see generic corporate stores shoe-horned into graceful old buildings.
Begone, foul commerce.
Rita. It is indeed awesome. Cliche through and through, but tongue-in -cheek awesome.