December 22, 2014

Dog Whistle – the new direct response marketing tool! It works like MAGIC! Sometimes.

The road to hell. It takes a lot of good intentions to pave that sucker. It takes a few bad intentions too. Take the Dog Whistle for example,

Dog Whistle

Noun

1.

Politics. a political strategy, statement, slogan, etc., that conveys a controversial, secondary message understood only by those who support the message:

His criticism of welfare was a dog whistle appealing to racist voters.

                                                                                                   Believe it or not, Dog Whistle App, Google

Picture this: A new infomercial shown on your media of choice at all hours of the day and night. The product being sold? The Dog Whistle. It is the perfect product for our sound-byte craving media and political classes. Especially for our 24 hour news and entertainment media which love to blow things out of all proportion. Need something or hope for something to happen politically to satisfy your need for “Gotcha” politics? Dog Whistle is perfect for that!

Dog Whistle is perfect when going “wall to wall” covering the latest demonstration, die in, and “societal victim crusades”. The dog whistle is blown in sitcoms, news shows, sporting events and you name it, and you know it even finds a place in “reality” TV shows. Face it some folks are responding to Dog Whistles and not even know it. Dog Whistle is different from a “meme”. “Meme” is coordination of thought (posturing) toward a specific political purpose. A Dog Whistle is an appeal to those who are not yet part of the “meme”. Lets call them the “uncoordinated”. Purveyors of the “meme” blow the Dog Whistle to encourage action, outrage and donations, murder and/or mayhem from the “uncoordinated”.

Dog Whistle is the tool everybody in politics and media loves to blow. Some folks aren’t even aware that they are blowing one! Take a look at Facebook. Look at that! Another political commercial, how about that? Facebook is wall to wall commercials for all things political – even things that we weren’t aware had a political context.  Some Facebook users sure love to blow that whistle! How many times were you dared to “like” or “share” a post that you couldn’t give a very firm crap about? I get a lot of those too. I get so many that, in the future, I will encourage all political Facebook users that they should post that dreck on their own blog, and quit posting political crap to Facebook. PEOPLE START YOUR OWN BLOG FOR CHRIST SAKES!!! Jeez, with some people – they just don’t get the hint!

Not all dog whistles when blown are equal in their effectiveness. Nor do most Dog Whistles when blown predict future action on the listening dog. Unfortunately some do. And they have had disastrous results.

Climb into the Time Magazine machine with me and take a look at this Dog Whistle. We need to go back to 2010, when Time blew the whistle on dangerous right wing militias. Time posited militias as the police officers deadliest threat! Time put the whistle out there for those dastardly militias to get a clue and start attacking police. Didn’t happen. Not all Dog Whistles are worth the paper they are printed on. And since Time requires a fee to read their tripe, here is a copy that doesn’t involve money, but does involve visiting dailycaller.com.  How about that warning involving, “two main dangers of a mass-casualty attack: that a group of armed radicals will strike out in perceived self-defense, or that a lone wolf, trained and indoctrinated for war, will grow tired of waiting”…

Or remember that failed Dog Whistle Sarah Palin was accused of blowing? Placing democrats in crosshairs! How dare her. Somebody could get hurt. Of course, the person who did shoot rep. Gabriele Giffords was a looney leftist who worshipped Marx and the Communist Manifesto, and loved Hitler’s Mein Kampf. Even the New York Times had trouble, much to their chagrin, linking Loughner to anything remotely related to militias or the right in general. So there were no high fives passed around the news rooms that day. Call that Time Magazine "meme" a fail. Dog Whistles do fail to achieve their hoped for results.

                                                                                           Jared Loughner, courtesy US Marshall Service

Sometime Dog Whistles do work. And the results can be devastating. Former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani has commented specifically on President 0bama’s use of racial Dog Whistles of late. Giuliani was too kind to the president in my opinion, but that’s me. He accused 0bama of propaganda. He accused 0bama and his administration’s propaganda at stigmatizing sworn police officers and duly appointed grand juries in the town of Ferguson Missouri and New York City. 

The results of the Dog Whistles blown lately with such extreme and continual force by President 0bama, Attorney General Holder, Reverend Albert Sharpton and a litany of race baiters, media types and pundits have finally born poisonous fruit. Police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were ambushed and killed by a black muslim enraged at what he perceived as injustice to blacks that has been promoted 24 hours a day by the media, the president, the mayor of New York, and the usual race hustlers who clamor to any camera or microphone. The murderer took his own life shortly after executing the officers in their squad car.

My heart goes out to the family of ambushed NYPD police officers. Words cannot express my sadness. Those men did not deserve this fate.

If you had been paying attention dear blog reader these deaths were sadly predictable. I have a heavy feeling that those blowing the racial Dog Whistle these past months were silently high fiving each other when they learned the tragic news of the officers deaths.

As I understand it mayor di Blasio is not welcome to attend the officer’s funerals. That makes perfect sense to me. He makes a habit out ofblowing the racial Dog Whistle. Now it makes sense why di Blasio decided to enlarge the fence that surrounds Gracie Mansion in New York. I’m sure the citizens of New York now know more than any of us the value of Dog Whistle politics.

Please allow me my turn to blow the Dog Whistle. Martin Luther King’s holiday will be observed January 19, 2015. I hope that the fine men and women of the NYPD do not choose that day to protest mayor di Blasio’s blatant disregard for their lives by calling in sick. Dr King always promoted protest by non-violent means. I am afraid of that January 19, 2015 would become a date of violent infamy if the police of New York City choose that day for a bout of blue flu. I hope that will not come true.

                                                                                   Not a Dog Whistle, Cub Run Cave, Cub Run Kentucky

December 17, 2014

No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions; he had money as well. Margaret Thatcher

Sony Pictures’ internal power structure and business model is facing relentless scrutiny because a group of hackers have stolen and released all manner of internal documents to the public. Media outlets are gleefully reproducing the stolen property for public consumption. The Sony Pictures employees and the American public have been threatened. Hollywood stars and personnel have been dissed and it looks like it may get worse. Harrumph!

The hacked documents include private business emails that were not intended to be disseminated by the public. I have read them, and some of them are funny, although I have to wonder if by reading them I am breaking the law. And I wonder if media outlets that publish the stolen goods (and therefore make money off them) are trafficking in stolen goods. Not to put too fine a point on it but if you steal something and/or fence stolen goods – isn’t that a crime? I think that is a crime everywhere except in the far-east where it is called making a living through piracy, and is thought to be a birthright.

The probable hackers, usually self-identifying millennials who still live in their parent’s basements while smoking dope and not bathing regularly, are known as “Black Hats” and are the more evil cousins of the hacker family of slackers that are classified as “White Hats”.  The “Black Hats” are further differentiated into groups of “Noobs”, “Script Kiddies” and Eastern European gangsters. Or this is state sponsored hacking called cyber-terrorism. I am struck by the irony of the hats – bad guys versus good guys in Hollywood Westerns. How appropriate that.

The hackers are pissed at Sony, or they simply can’t pass up an easily done hack. Sony’s Playstation was hacked before and resulted in private customer data being lost. Sony has a reputation among hackers of being the girl who is a pushover in the electronic industry. Every hacker wanted a shot at it. In fairness, I have owned Sony Vaio computers now for 10 years and I like them. I won’t be buying another. Sony has exited the personal computer business.

Most of the media delights dishing gossip and this theft of private intellectual property is showcasing that. There are emails about Leo, Angelina, and somewhat notorious directors/producers. There were digital copies of unreleased movies stolen. And I’m confident that this hack will keep major cable/dsl companies from allowing Sony’s Playstation from streaming premium content as the Microsoft Xbox currently does with no problems (but users must cough up the hated annual fee to Microsoft).

A lot of attention has been paid in this fiasco to – in my opinion – a non-starter Sony movie starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, The Interview. I did not like Rogen’s last film Neighbors primarily due to the fact I don’t smoke dope and from what I have heard not smoking dope makes it impossible to get the intended meaning cleverly stitched into the plot. The Interview concerns a planned assassination plot of the latest leader of family run North Korea by two (stoned – I’m guessing here) media types that have miraculously scored a face to face interview with him. Hilarity ensues.

Somebody must have forgot to inform North Korea. Following in the Korean hobby of showing the world that they are petulantly pissed at all times, the Norks have insinuated that they were responsible for the Sony hack job. Hilarity ensues! But the family of Nork leaders have been comedic fodder for simply ages.

I even used the dead Nork – father of the current Nork, as a model for a type of college football fan, the bandwagon Trojan.

The latest Sony hack has really turned into a page turner. We have learned Hollywood stars/directors/writers/flacks/camp followers and known associates can be tantrum pitching experts! Who knew? After reading some of the released emails I usually feel like I need a shower. Even Obama was speculated about by these Hollywood types. But again in the words of that great actor Bart Simpson, “Those people know everything!”

As I understand it we are still waiting for a Christmas surprise from the hackers. The premiere for The Interview in NYC was cancelled. There have been 9/11 style threats from the hackers too. It may even spill over into a dog-pile of disenchanted community organizers each with their own reason for celebrating! Whatever happens, I’m sure Rogen and Franco are secretly high-fiving each other while gushing, “You can’t even pay for advertising like this!”

December 12, 2014

Have you ever wondered what Bill de Blasio and Barack Obama talk about when they get together? Here are a few hints: Remodeling their homes, and their snazzy name changes!

Cub Run Cave, Cub Run Kentucky

Gracie Mansion in New York City, the official residence of the mayor has been remodeled on the exterior. See the photo here. That, I must say, really detracts from the lines and beauty of Gracie Mansion. You are entitled to your own opinion, but I think the vinyl fence looks like socks on a rooster, and I figured de Blasio or his wife must have a relative in the fencing business.

De Blasio, was formerly identified as Warren Wilhelm, Jr until 1983 when he changed his handle to Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm. It didn’t stop there folks. In 2002, after his divorce from his Wilhelm-self he changed his name to Bill de Blasio. Quite a transformation. I can understand that if he converted to a new religion, say the religion of peace, a name change like that could be in order.  But as far as I know de Blasio only worships socialism. Here’s a thought: Maybe he was channeling Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ‘Memba him?

Mr. Obama, previously known as Barry Obama/Barry Soetoro/Baracka Soetoro, and finally(???) Barack Hussein Obama; has been contemplating a remodel to the fence surrounding the White House Mansion, the official home of the President. Obviously there are some very good reasons to do this. The small iron fence that circles the White House as it currently stands hasn’t made for a very effective nut screen lately. I wonder why? The facts are the existing fence and the mammoth security structure behind it have kept Presidents secure in the mansion for decades. 

De Blasio and Obama posture themselves as men of the people. Doesn’t this fence building detract from that image? Is de Blasio trying send a hint to the likes of Reverend Sharpton to stay away? Not bloody likely. So is the fence’s purpose to keep the average New Yorker from realizing their mayor does not share in their daily struggles? Perhaps to keep the citizens from seeing their mayor spends lavishly on himself on the city’s dime? Now that is more like it. Perhaps Mr. Obama, a lover of symbolism over substance is eager to have the new fence stand as a symbol his intransigence at compromise with the GOP majority in the Congress? I might be on to something there.

On a lighter note. I'm sure de Blasio and Obama wish they could form a basketball team with a different player using a unique form of each of their former names. Add Michelle Obama as the immoveable force in the center and they could be unbeatable in the AKA older than 50 league.