[rumori] What's True

rumoriatdetritus.net [rumori] What's True
Fri, 18 Dec 1998 12:36:58 -0500 (00914002618, 852566DE.005DE4AA.00atnatsmtp.nish.org)


> thus you have beavis and butthead (supposedly the
>anti-role models) endorsing whatever's supposed to be cool like white
>zombie or ween or whatever the programmers probably like. am i, the
>consumer supposed to buy white zombie thinking i'll be cool? or am i
>supposed to think that i'll be a loser like beavis or butthead?

I don't think B&B are a marketing scheme, I thought Mike Judge still had creative control. I think Mike is an artist. B&B are commenting on youth culture today. B&B reflect those kids who already like White Zombie, but sometimes I think Mike speaks directly through them because B&B sometimes say stuff just too out of character for their two-dimensional archetypes.

MTV's objective is making money. They are in the Art of Business. They can
make money both by lambasting and supporting Spice Girls and Hanson as well
as with Beavis and Butthead. Its up to you to see what you want to see
(brower mentality?)

"Cool" is kind of a classification for an elite group, basically. It designates a portion of the population as being special and better (?) But
it depends on how you define cool. Big companies trying to find mass
appeal have used cool as a marketing device by altering the original
definition of "hip" to suit their needs.
Originally when someone was "hip" or "hep" it meant they smoked MJ or generally, had some kinda counter-cultural views. But you can't sell Levi's
to millions of upstanding American citizens if you endorse That. Marketers
like to talk the talk.

The Message in the nineties seems encourage individualism ("its cool to be an individual," and I think that's a good thing), but is that being lost on some people? Is marketing "cool" a contradiction?
-dan



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