Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
Is this a positive step...?
federica
Seeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
0
Comments
But of course I won't say that.
Are you asking my opion from a Political Science perspective, or my personal opinion
So overall here in Canada the census, is we don't care. Romney, or Obama, makes no difference. They will still try to push the American cultural machine on us, we will still let them belief they are succeeding. either way, no real change will be made, they could elect a turnip and it wouldn't matter, why? The political system is a system of balance and checks, which ultmatley will gridlock every single presidential executive that comes to power in the next 100 years. Until that changes, it really makes no difference who has the "title"
Sorry, I can't figure out how to get the click on the video picture here
PS. There is also this quasi tongue-in-cheek take on Republican-esque positions.
"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society? I would argue yes, it does. ... That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing."
-Rick Santorum
"I believe and I think the right approach is to accept this horribly created - in the sense of rape - but nevertheless a gift in a broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given you. As you know, we have to, in lots of different aspects of our life. We have horrible things happen. I can't think of anything more horrible. But, nevertheless, we have to make the best out of a bad situation."
-Rick Santorum
But even census/survey data isn't reliable. Who did they survey? How many people? Was the sample really representative of a majority of Canadians? If they only asked 1000 people and most came from Manitoba or something, that's not a very good sample.
Although I think Canadians aren't keen on following every detail about American politics in general, I think that the outcome of a presidential election is pretty important to most Canadians.
Also, how are Canadians "allowing [Americans] to belief [sic] they are succeeding" in pushing their "cultural machine?"
To stay on topic, however, I'm glad that Santorum is officially out of the race (not that I thought he'd win anyway), but like @genkaku said, there will always be stupid bigots out there. I hope Santorum's campaign hasn't increased support for his 'values.'
It looked like it was going to be Romney for a while now.. Obama seems like a quiet back-channel, talk-turkey, reasonable person on the international scene.... That is pretty sane. I don't know what Romney would be like...but his much maligned etch-o-sketch valuelessness is actually reassuring.. He is less likely to see the world in terms of good and evil forces and go to war to enact God's will.. ... or so it seems to me.
Incidentally.... this week is the summit in Turkey re: Iran Nukes.. the outcome might be a big factor in the election... not sure exactly how..
I blame the "stars" who insist on such big bucks.
And China is more modern and less dystopian than people think.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me as if you're making an underlying assumption that a "captive audience" has no agency in interpreting the advertising they consume - the message is interpreted to them. However, I think that's not giving the audience the benefit of the doubt.
After studying advertising within graphic design at college/university, you can sit there and try to analyze the ad, but there are many techniques that will pass you by and trigger responses within you without you even knowing, that is why they are so clever because they do it stealth style. By the way, the China thign was a joke, I am quite aware how modernized it has become.
Well I don't... but yknow... other people who watch that show do. Yeah that's true, but I don't know many people who go out and buy items/favor items just because they were in an ad. They might recognize it more easily, but most people I know don't seem too affected.
Since you've got experience in graphic design/advertising, maybe you could tell me - is the point of advertising even to convince people to buy things? Or is that a misconception? Cuz like I said, it doesn't seem to work very well at doing that, at least within my social circles. Are there more sinister things at work? Bah, sorry. You'd just be surprised at how some people automatically go "OMG CHINA IS COMMUNIST AND YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO EAT MORE THAN 2 MEALS A DAY OR YOU'LL BE EXECUTED" or whatever on the internet.
I should've given you the benefit of the doubt though
Anyway with the advertising, it does work on a large scale, if it didn't work then they would change their methods. Capitalism is the driving force of the western world, for it to work it needs products people want to buy, not just products they need but products they do not need. That is the art of it, you (the general usage of 'you') go out anf buy things that you do not need to stay alive. We are conditioned to think that is fine, that is how it always has been. The end result is people at the top getting rich and governments prospuring.
If you want to know the methods used, google things such as:
Advertisin and discourse of power
Advertising and ideologies
Advertising and colour connotations
I would also like to add that if there is a product beinf advertized that resembles change such as a product to make you healthier, they tend to use average-not attractive models, if the product is one that is desriable they will use attractive models. There is really a lot behind it once you start to dig. And of course, TV is only one of many ways to advertize.
Are certain media more effective than others for delivering ads? The first two I more or less studied in sociology (although probably in a bit less detail), but the last one sounds interesting. I'll check it out. Thanks!
I know lots of sociology students who go into marketing too. Since we study a lot of demographic info and social norms/trends, we'd be good at it I think. However, most sociology departments are pretty left-wing, so it's almost like betraying your teacher, Anakin Skywalker-style.
I will look and do some research if I can find any good articles on data related to advertising, maybe we should start another thread because this is unfair and I am sorry @federica. I will finish this post and then make another thread.
I will also get some info on colour connotations as that is actually very important when it comes to advertising, it is one of those tactics which people rarely ever notice. This is mainly because we have been conditioned over time to relate certain emotions to colours or colour groups. One of the key aspects of targeting people is getting to their emotions, so this is quite powerful if used correctly.
Here in the heartland, it's been common wisdom that the circus called the Republican Primary was just going through the motions. The only question was, is the far right that controls the party crazy enough to think someone with extreme views like Santorum had a chance? The fact that he was trotted out in the first place and they all pretended like his views were somehow mainstream is worrying.