Too Much Earnestness

The "bomb scare" hoax in Boston leaves nobody looking good. Initial press reports of circuit boards with batteries strapped on disturbed me. Who would be so stupid as to plant these devices around the city?

But then I saw what they look like. If this is a bomb, then the Riddler has teamed up with Al Qaeda. Granted, we expect the authorities to err on the side of caution, but its absurd that the Boston police considered this a threat. And after inspecting one, wouldn't it be clear that there was no need to raise the alarm? (Unless the Riddler had planted numerous devices, only one of which, hidden in a dark tunnel deep below the city was wired to explode...)

Sadly, a society so terrified that harmless pranks can shut down a city is probably one that will need to do some self-confidence building before continuing the project of building democracy overseas.

Turner Co has behaved disgracefully allowing two Gen X chumps to take the wrap. Somehow corporations enjoy a mystical status that protects the individuals running them. That's illogical. Whoever OKd the campaign should be on the stand, not these two.

Next, the press conference held by the two 'suspects' was a farce. No doubt they were instructed by their lawyer not to discuss the case with the media. So turning the interview into a performance art piece could have been funny and clever. Instead, it was embaressing to watch. They had neither anything provocative to say, nor a direction to take it in. Performance Art doesn't have to be synonymous with extemporized narcisstic fatuousness (although it often is). It requires either careful preparation or an Ali G-like talent for spontanaity.

The Press made me weep. The questions by the Press Corpse suggest that modern journalism has become a division of accounting. What a bunch of humorless bores. Perhaps the media was humiliated that their campaign to scare the public into watching more news was based on a handful of diodes. Perhaps they take themselves a bit too seriously.

I'm perplexed that an Artists Collective would rent itself out to a major media conglomerate to advertise a TV show. Apparently they got $300 a piece for their trouble. Cooperating with a Mass Media company to encourage people to watch cartoons is not subversive, its being-subverted.