> >If it can be done, who better to do it?
>
> Ah, if only such were the case....
>
> And where to start? With some phantasm-mongering, like Brodie's
> subliminal influence crap?
Now you shame me. I employed one the long unseen Brodies's most favoritist
subliminal influence crap techniques myself in the first few messages of
this thread.
And you, of all people, Wade, were seen to strangely find agreement with
those same points.
;-)
But more to the point, as you ask, "Where do we start?" Well, you yourself
(in one of your lighter, more Mary Poppins moods) offered the following:
> We probably do need some attractive ritual thingee, some pop-up video
> thingee, some catchy phrase- and some way to throw it into things like
> the mass media.
I think the first three thingee's success will all but guarantee ease in
penetrating the media. There was last summer, hope of a TV interview about
CoV by "Strange Universe" with our own Richard Brodie, but alas the deal
fell through. My suspicion is that the prospect of a talking head spouting
on about memes was just not "good TV". Not glitzy enough. Not enough
quick edits or slow fades from close-up of crying child to artists
rendering of Alien of Bigfoot. No T&A.
But if we were to create some "attractive ritual thingee" and package it
correctly, you and I both know that the newsmagazine shows (schlock and
otherwise) would eat it up.
Why not try to compose the script for a CoV commercial (or more insidious,
an *infomercial*) here on the list? It would make for interesting
discussions on the role of influence and belief (both the submission to and
suspension of). And if *we* can't create an infectious idea here, in this
forum, we should hand in our papers and disband the church right now. How
can we rule the world if we can't even compose an advertisement? :-)
(Com'mon, Wade, you talk like an elitist (in the non-pejorative use), let's
see if you really have the moxy to take the huddled masses by the arm and
steer them to the promised land!)
> Children's programming?
Yes, children's programming would be part of the first five-year plan :-)
But I think that should wait until we have honed our skills. There is too
much at stake in that venue to risk making the inevitable mistakes.
> Does anyone here have any influence with the media at all? Does the media
> know what it's doing? Where it's been? What's out there?
Actually I have several friends that are reporters.
I can tell you this--the media is a hungry machine. A story that comes to
the reporter in a format that is nearly complete, that requires little
investment of time on the reporter's part but has a good chance of inciting
interest in readers, ALWAYS find their way into newsprint. It is basic
human nature: small investment, large return. I assume you are aware of
how much of the news is simply a rewritten press release with a phone quote
added?
> I just don't see a hell of a lot of hope anymore.
Try Jesus.
-Prof. Tim (running for cover)