Feb
01
2007Guerilla Advertising Shuts Down Boston
01
2007
Wow, what a weird, weird day in Boston. My coworker John got in two hours late due to one of those… things. And we all had a great view of the insanity from our Hancock Tower office. It’s very strange looking straight out your window at news helicopters.
Anyway, what’s pissing me off about this whole situation is that the media keeps refering to the light up viral advertisements as “hoaxes”. Hoaxes of what? Bombs? They contain batteries, as might a bomb. They contain a light-up cartoon character, as might a… oh, wait. Bombs don’t usually consist primarily of a light up cartoon character.
These guerilla ads are not hoaxes. Perhaps they are graffiti. Perhaps they were poorly planned and executed, but there is absolutely nothing “hoax” about them. A hoax is something designed to look like something else. These were battery powered illuminated signs designed to look like battery powered illuminated signs.
On the local news, they showed a local art student, who placed some of the signs, doing a “perp walk” into a police car. Mayor Menino threatened perpetrators with 2-5 years prison time for each device placed. I wonder how much time someone would get for scattering throwies.
Sure, it’s natural to be suspicious of unusual devices located around a city, but are you telling me that not one bomb squad member at any of the 28 locations was capable of realizing that the device (again, consisting primarily of an illuminated cartoon character) was not a bomb? Apparently, 9 other cities had no problem doing this.
Gee, could all the indignation of the local authorities just possibly be redirected anger at their own foolishness?
Weird, weird day…
Oh my God, seriously.
I’ve heard people still insisting that the city’s reaction was correct and that people can disguise bombs as all kinds of things, including lit up LED signs.
Sure, I guess they can. Maybe we should blow up every object in the city with batteries. Or every object that could be a bomb or contain a bomb. Maybe everyone should walk around naked carrying see-through plastic bags.
This IS America, right? And for the record, yes, I’d rather be more free and less safe. Honestly.
Jenn 2/1/07 @ 11:02 am“A hoax is something designed to look like something else. ”
Uhh, correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t this mean that all bombs planted in the city must be large iron balls with slowly burning sparkler fuses on top?
Eric 2/1/07 @ 1:00 pmYes, and they must be placed by guys in black and white striped outfits wearing black masks… or wearing top hats and curly mustaches. Either or.
Jeff 2/1/07 @ 1:06 pm