2.1.07

Glo Bomb Squad Glo!

Photo Credit: traviscrawford

Ohmigod it’s a bomb! No, wait, it’s a harmless but obscene lite-brite! Aaaaahhhhh somebody save us from the terrorists!

If you haven’t heard, Turner Broadcasting is under fire for a guerrilla marketing scheme involving the posting of light boxes around various US cities to advertise a late-night show called “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” Apparently, the boxes were largely ignored in all cities except Boston, which un-promptly (it took several weeks for anyone to notice) called in the bomb squads based on the observation that the boxes:

had a very sinister appearance … [they] had a batter[ies] behind [them], and wires. (source: CNN)

Of course, there are a variety of points of analysis here - stupidity on a number of levels; the concept of disaster preparedness; the nostalgia generated by the concept of a lite-brite. However, what interests me is the media’s reaction to the debacle. CNN chose to report on Sean Stevens and Peter Berdovsky, the two men responsible for actually installing the devices, as opposed to the macro level question of who hired them to do so. The answer, of course, is Turner Broadcasting, CNN’s parent company. Though the article does state that:

the scares sparked criticism of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., the parent company of CNN

in a tiny paragraph within a 1400-word article, it mostly focuses on scapegoating Stevens and Berdovsky, who were charged with creating a panic. On the upside, the judge presiding over the hearing seemed skeptical of their intent to do any harm.

My absolute favorite part of the article is this:

At a news conference after the hearing, Stevens and Berdovsky stepped to the microphones and said they were taking questions only about 1970s hairstyles.

When a reporter accused them of not taking the situation seriously, Stevens responded, “We’re taking it very seriously.” Asked another question about the case, Stevens reiterated they were answering questions only about hair and accused the reporter of not taking him and Berdovsky seriously.

To watch the video of the press conference, click here to go to Alternet.

So there you have it: glowing cartoon characters, corporate greed, corporate solidarity (or self-preservation), and hair. Four crucial elements in American culture.

All quotes from CNN. For other coverage, see the Boston Globe, Alternet, the BBC, and the Washington Post.

1 Response So Far

1. 1

   george said,

   February 3, 2007 @ 5:37 am

   We whipped up this awesome t-shirt to commemorate 1/31/07

   Aqua Teen Bomber Force

   Never Forget….

   Only available at The Cotton Factory

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