I am NOT a Demographic...

So I was just listening to All Things Considered, waiting for a story about used CD stores, but first I have to listen to a piece on the lastest devious, insidious brainchild from the mental terrorists of Madison Avenue. Now, the bastards, not content with all of the evil they already unleash on television, radio, print, the internet, any public space they can find and within any other medium that exists, have begun hiring "Brand Ambassadors", collaborating, whoring bastards who travel around college campuses and other such places attempting to build word of mouth for corporations not content with the mindfucking already accomplished.

I couldn't listen to the whole report. It was much too much. So I retreated to my computer, put Bruce Springsteen's "Badlands" on, and googled (is the verb google insidious advertising? Probably. But google is only slightly evil)"Used cds", and decided that the story is probably about new laws demanding fingerprints of sellers of used cds to stores, in a classic heavy-handed attempt to deter the transfer of stolen goods. Which probably won't do more than hurt legit sellers of used cds, since who the hell wants to go through that while trying to make 20 bucks selling their old Zep cds. But I digress.

I found that story and concept so abhorrant, but then I got to thinking about the show I went to Sunday night, which was completely underwritten by whichever car company makes the Scion (you can see how effective that bit of "branding was) and the bag I gladly took and used today. Am I just another hypocrite? Almost certainly. But, in my defense, I would point out that at the show, there was only one mention of the car company, a rather off-hand and arguably slightly derogatory thank you from (I think) Dready Kruger. And the bag is quite nice, and the logo on it is quite small. I doubt anyone who saw me carrying it today noticed it. (Of course, the Carolina Hurricanes t-shirt I wore and am still wearing is another bit of advertising, when you think about it at all, but I think we can all agree that sports teams get the same pass as bands or movies we like and wish to use our shirts to communicate our appreciation for to others).


(Of course, anyone who wants to advertise on Obviously 5 Readers is welcome. Hell, I don't care if you sell child porn and dangerous drugs to puppies and Panda bears, a blogger has GOT to get paid...)