Today, two videos, both well done.
Satire:
The first one mocks Trump, but in a way less likely than usual to trigger offense from Trump supporters and the swing vote Trump-curious.
It is cute, not nasty.
The first one mocks Trump, but in a way less likely than usual to trigger offense from Trump supporters and the swing vote Trump-curious.
It is cute, not nasty.
Comedian Sarah Cooper did a lip sync duplication of some of Donald Trump's comments on disinfectants. Trump's voice is paired with her face and body. She nails the lip sync so perfectly that she appears to be the speaker, making Trump's comments seem weird and laughable on their face--in this case, her face.
It is done for humor, and Cooper is an attractive young woman, which, put together, takes away the meanness, leaving just the absurdity.
I consider this to be very effective political satire.
Click, watch, be amused.
Uplift: "One America."
The theme of this ad is American unity. The ad is constructed in a familiar way, with scenes of skyscrapers, bridges, and national monuments, which then segues into hospital and other health care workers and people applauding of them.
America, can't we all get along?
Biden: "Hard as it is to believe, maybe something good can come out of this terrible crisis. Maybe this crisis will help us see how much our broken politics has cost us. The anger. The insults. The divisiveness. And maybe it will help us see the power of what we can get done together."
This ad does not project Biden as a commander, as a pillar of strength. This is not Hector vs. Achilles, two equal warriors in a contest of power. Trump wins those contests. Biden has changed the contest.
The ad risks being so soft focus nice to be totally forgettable. It is political mush, Mr Nice Guy fluff. The ad has a single simple idea, peace and unity. That's what Biden offers. The alternative is Trump.
Trump discovered that Republicans, stirred up by the Tea Party, had developed a taste for a good, hard fight. Take the battle to the Democrats. Make the libs cry. Tell the woke scolds that this is America, that we are proud to be white, or male, or Christian, or born here in America, or drive a pickup, or own a gun, or prefer the company of people like ourselves, and we refuse to be embarrassed or be called deplorable because of who we are. Republicans decided they were in a war against the dominant culture, a culture defined by financial and cultural elites, and finding themselves there, they were going to win it by backing a fighter, Trump.
The ad rejects the premise.
Biden is the nominee because Democrats chose him over Sanders. Democrats wanted unity and peace. The ad puts out there the expectation that a majority of voters want to end the civil war. The harsher and nastier Trump is--and he will be harsh and nasty--the more it may serve to prove the Biden case, that Trump is all about division. Americans may be sick and tired of that.
If the goal is unity, not victory, then Biden isn't "sleepy," weak, or a bad fighter losing a war. He would be the clear-eyed one, the Commander in Chief leading toward victory in the war we actually want won, the war to re-unify our country.
It is done for humor, and Cooper is an attractive young woman, which, put together, takes away the meanness, leaving just the absurdity.
I consider this to be very effective political satire.
Click, watch, be amused.
Uplift: "One America."
The theme of this ad is American unity. The ad is constructed in a familiar way, with scenes of skyscrapers, bridges, and national monuments, which then segues into hospital and other health care workers and people applauding of them.
America, can't we all get along?
 |
| Firefighters applauding hospital workers |
Biden: "Hard as it is to believe, maybe something good can come out of this terrible crisis. Maybe this crisis will help us see how much our broken politics has cost us. The anger. The insults. The divisiveness. And maybe it will help us see the power of what we can get done together."
This ad does not project Biden as a commander, as a pillar of strength. This is not Hector vs. Achilles, two equal warriors in a contest of power. Trump wins those contests. Biden has changed the contest.
The ad risks being so soft focus nice to be totally forgettable. It is political mush, Mr Nice Guy fluff. The ad has a single simple idea, peace and unity. That's what Biden offers. The alternative is Trump.
Trump discovered that Republicans, stirred up by the Tea Party, had developed a taste for a good, hard fight. Take the battle to the Democrats. Make the libs cry. Tell the woke scolds that this is America, that we are proud to be white, or male, or Christian, or born here in America, or drive a pickup, or own a gun, or prefer the company of people like ourselves, and we refuse to be embarrassed or be called deplorable because of who we are. Republicans decided they were in a war against the dominant culture, a culture defined by financial and cultural elites, and finding themselves there, they were going to win it by backing a fighter, Trump.
 |
| Click: "One America." 2 1/2 minutes |
Biden is the nominee because Democrats chose him over Sanders. Democrats wanted unity and peace. The ad puts out there the expectation that a majority of voters want to end the civil war. The harsher and nastier Trump is--and he will be harsh and nasty--the more it may serve to prove the Biden case, that Trump is all about division. Americans may be sick and tired of that.
If the goal is unity, not victory, then Biden isn't "sleepy," weak, or a bad fighter losing a war. He would be the clear-eyed one, the Commander in Chief leading toward victory in the war we actually want won, the war to re-unify our country.
4 comments:
Not funny.
I, for one, see no humor in the plague. It's tone deaf and and self serving promotion at the expense of healthcare workers and victims. Making fun of Trump serves no purpose, if it ever did, and undermines the seriousness of the crisis. Quarantine is not a joke, it is devastating families and the economy, and the situation is not improving.
There is reason to believe this administration willfully ignored the pandemic for perceived political advantage, and has used the power of the federal government as political leverage in swing states.
Trump learned public relations from Howard Stern; be shocking and controversial, including outrageous lies, to get attention.
Not funny.
The Biden ad is overkill. We get it.
Pick a solid VP, like Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris and get them speaking out. Start naming cabinet members, especially those with responsibility for health and welfare. Democrats need to start showing the country the alternative to the Mad King and his Jesters. We need to see that the Biden administration will be ready to take over instantly and with policies that will benefit those most affected by the plague, starting with UBI, and a testing strategy. The Republicans have failed, and Democrats must project competence and a plan, including taking back international leadership. In other dysfunctional countries we see parallel governments and this is what must be a priority for Democrats, starting with vote by mail.
“Peace, Love and Unity.” Joe is going for the hippie Bernie Bro vote ...
Consider the recent controversy over calling COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus.” The right likes it because they think it's an accurate description. The left hates it because they think it's "racist." So we have a classic conflict between freedom of speech and political correctness.
Beneath that conflict lies a deeper one about modes of social control. How do we keep people from doing bad things?
The right resonates with physical deterrence: if you do a bad thing, society will do something physical to you (e.g. lock you in a cage) that you really won't like. The left resonates with social deterrence: if you do a bad thing, society will express disapproval and destroy your social standing.
This difference plays out in many different arenas: gun rights/control, criminal justice, national security, etc.
The left thinks that if people and/or the President utter the phrase, “Chinese Virus,” deranged/hateful people will be motivated to attack Asian folks who they think are “Chinese.” The left wants to implement social control by limiting speech to prevent bad ideas from infecting damaged minds. The right values free speech and would instead attempt to control the deranged and hateful via physical deterrence – commit assault, go to jail.
The right favors policing to control crime. The left favors eliminating speech that could motivate crime.
The left is convinced that there is a direct causal chain from Donald Trump saying “Chinese Virus” to an attack on some random person of Asian descent. The right is not convinced of that, and there is scant evidence in either direction. So it comes down to a matter of personal inclination. Folks on the left believe in the causal chain as a matter of faith. Folks on the right are skeptical as an expression of their faith.
From a different perspective, this looks like a conflict between levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy. Are you more concerned with physical safety or with love/belonging?
There are studies that show that folks on the right tend to be more concerned with physical safety, and those on the left with love/belonging. There is no way to adjudicate this difference. "Science" is of no help.
The only way out of this polarization would be honest conversation leading to some sort of compromise. Or we can continue the polarization and the resulting political war. Trump will continue to fight the war. It remains to be whether Biden will be willing to compromise with "the other side."
Biden ad will work really well... in 2008; the whole "hopey-changey" thing. "Can't we all just get along?" Rodney King asked. Biden better ditch the Larry Summers types and get Elizabeth Warren onboard fast, otherwise he can kiss the Bernie supporters goodbye. The conservative folks in the hinterlands, contrary to elitist views, are not complete idiots. They know how the professional class rolls (over them). NAFTA, the Wall Street bailouts, now giant handouts to Boeing and banks with crumbs for the little guy. Are well-heeled liberals all that different from well-heeled Trumpists? Maybe on social justice issues...certainly not on economic issues.
Andy Seles
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