The Man Who Brought You Demon Sheep

[LongTomH]

The man in question is Fred Davis, who comes to politics from the world of Hollywood filmmaking.

But this filmmaker hasn’t brought tales of extraterrestrials or talking animals to the silver screen. Instead, he has brought a Hollywood sensibility to a line of work more associated with Washington D.C. than Southern California -- the world of political advertising. In one of this man’s ads, a Georgia governor is depicted as a giant rat with a tiara, running through the streets of Atlanta and imperiously telling people what to do. In another, a Senate candidate in California turns into a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And not just any wolf, but one with red laser-beam eyes -- a controversial creation political and media observers quickly dubbed the “Demon Sheep.“

The creator of these monsters and purveyor of these viral video memes is Fred Davis, CEO of Strategic Perception, one of the few political consultants to share an area code with Brad Pitt and James Cameron. Davis serves as advertising advisor to Republican Party stars, including California’s Senate challenger Carly Fiorina and John McCain. While most of the heavy hitters in his business congregate in the Beltway, Davis finds creative inspiration in a world that’s less Harry Reid and more Harry Potter.

<snip>

For the last 16 years, Republicans running for governor, senator and president have all turned to Davis for the political equivalent of the “black swan effect," rare events that capture the viewer’s attention. In 2004, the straight-laced, somewhat boring Iowa senator Chuck Grassley coasted to re-election with Davis ads that featured the senator mowing his own lawn. (These were apparently some of George W. Bush’s favorite ads, and the president asked Grassley to mow the White House lawn during an Iowa campaign appearance.) In 2006, Davis’ ads for Arnold Schwarzenegger depicted a California where everyone moved backwards -- which, the narrator explained, would be precisely what happened if Schwarzenegger’s opponent won. Davis’ ads for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign turned Barack Obama’s “celebrity” status against him, lumping him together with starlets Paris Hilton and Britney Spears as people who were famous for no apparent reason.

<snip>

Davis says these ads utilize “neuromarketing," appeals to people’s visceral rather than cerebral instincts. Davis insists those instincts play the deciding role when individuals enter the voting booth. He draws on California’s current senatorial race -- where he’s working hard to craft ads that reinforce voter perceptions -- to make his point.

Shades of the Cyberpunk classic Neuromancer! Davis' also refers to his specialty as 'Strategic Perception,' which employs "visceral, meme-ready, and very campy messages designed to propel GOP candidates to victory." (Quote from the AlterNet article.)

Yeah! I know this is dirty pool; it's underhanded and beneath our dignity. We should be appealing to reason not emotion and 'viral video.' But, is there anyone like this we can get to work for Progressive causes? I'm ready to try anything - anything not out and out illegal, of course.

[Newest Reality]

1. Wait a minute ....

That's just a more refined and now obvious tactic being elevated to celebration of its effectiveness and impact. It other words, it is nothing new, but it is improving and building on itself.

Only in recent times have larger numbers of people become more aware of how the masses are manipulated in a multitude of ways via the media-at-large. This kind of realization has tended to sound paranoid and conspiratorial to the incredulous who find such a notion preposterous when there is plenty of strong evidence as to just how "scientific" the field of manufacturing consent and appealing to visceral, instinctual and base emotions while bypassing critical reasoning and obscuring truth.

Rather than join them in this march to win a war without firing a shot and sway millions with fabricated agitprop and even malevolent deception, why not work to point a big, glaring finger at the whole process of social engineering and how prevalent and functional it actually is?

Though I don't watch television, (and that is only one example of how coercive a steady diet of fine-tuned messages can be) I have had chance to catch a block or two of it and noticed immediately how the formula works. What was I watching? Well, try watching Nickelodeon for an hour or two, (both the shows and the commercials). I think doing so as an observer will change your perspective and prove very insightful. Also note that the programming and ads are targeted towards young, more impressionable viewers. There is plenty of information out there about how persuasion and repetition are used by media.

Thanks for the informative post.

[LongTomH]

2. RE: Wait a minute.................

Rather than join them in this march to win a war without firing a shot and sway millions with fabricated agitprop and even malevolent deception, why not work to point a big, glaring finger at the whole process of social engineering and how prevalent and functional it actually is?

OK, the floor is open for suggestions on how we do this! That's a serious invitation, not a snarky one.

We can get good Progressive writers and filmmakers to work with us; but, how do we get large numbers of people to listen?

[Newest Reality]

3. I appreciate your intent

so my offering of an opinion was, of course, impersonal and I take your response as constructive.

Starting with an invitation like that is commendable.

Consider first, that you contending with a megalithic monster of conglomerations that have a self-captive audience. Also, there are already many individuals and groups who use intelligent methods to spark some awareness and thinking out there. Some do use creative and even sensationalistic tactics that assure more attention.

Get information together and form another clearing house to reveal more about media impact. I don't know, maybe a group here would be possible if you can find enough people who are cognizant of the nature of the beast. From there, you should be able to attract the media disenchanted and those who have pulled out of its grip.

That is a great great idea and you can never have enough activism in the face of the persuasive cloud of media along with the white noise and cognizant dissonance that drones loudly across the world. My initial contribution is to ask people to consider this, for now, as the number one front for taking on the wave of influence that is now so effective that it is out in the open and proud of its accomplishments.

I only wish that the French Philosopher, Jean Baudrillard was more accessible. His philosophy caught the essence of media culture, but his writing is rather heady and obscure for average readers these days. Suggesting authors and resources is also a good start.

I will add to your request: Anybody wiling to take on LongTomhH's invitation to discuss ideas and rough-out an approach?

[Newest Reality]

4. I appreciate your intent

so my offering of an opinion was, of course, impersonal and I take your response as constructive.

Starting with an invitation like that is commendable.

Consider first, that you contending with a megalithic monster of conglomerations that have a self-captive audience. Also, there are already many individuals and groups who use intelligent methods to spark some awareness and thinking out there. Some do use creative and even sensationalistic tactics that assure more attention.

Get information together and form another clearing house to reveal more about media impact. I don't know, maybe a group here would be possible if you can find enough people who are cognizant of the nature of the beast. From there, you should be able to attract the media disenchanted and those who have pulled out of its grip.

That is a great great idea and you can never have enough activism in the face of the persuasive cloud of media along with the white noise and cognizant dissonance that drones loudly across the world. My initial contribution is to ask people to consider this, for now, as the number one front for taking on the wave of influence that is now so effective that it is out in the open and proud of its accomplishments.

I only wish that the French Philosopher, Jean Baudrillard was more accessible. His philosophy caught the essence of media culture, but his writing is rather heady and obscure for average readers these days. Suggesting authors and resources is also a good start.

I will add to your request: Anybody wiling to take on LongTomhH's invitation to discuss ideas and rough-out an approach?

[MisterP]

5. The Simpsons and Family Guy have wide, inter-class viewership and appeal, and are quite left-liberal

they're not wordy or hard to understand: Marx's lessons can be taught through the figure of Mr. Burns, and also shown as neither un-American nor wickedly vile (as has been drummed into our heads by figures from Henry Ford to Harold Ford)