A Word from our Captors

Famed Canadian media-savvy intellectual Marshall McLuhan once stated, “All advertising advertises advertising.” What does that mean? I haven’t any clue aside from the fact that it nails modern culture pretty good; you can’t seem to say ‘advertising’ enough anymore.

Could someone please tell me at what point did we cross through the looking-glass? When did we become so inundated with commercials and advertising that even satire as in movies like “The Minority Report” and “Brazil” seem normal? Have you seen a movie lately? Probably not as now there’s a good half-hour to an hour of advertising before a movie can even start anymore. It’s omnipresent today but it didnt’ start out this way. First, it started as the previews we’re used to. Actually, a lot of us love these previews. Often better than the movie we’re there to see, they’re sort of welcomed additions to the experience.

However, things then took a turn. Full-on advertising crept in like a one-cheek sneak.Today, you can expect a good fifteen minutes of full advertising before anything important starts. Yet, having an audience sit in the dark Clockwork Orange style wasn’t enough.We also have to numb our asses through a PowerPoint slide show of local advertisers whose ads seemed to throw feces in the face of good taste and general appeal.

So now, an 8:15 PM start time means the movie will eventually roll opening credits sometime during the second coming of Christ.Here’s an idea, next time you’re at the theater, bring along some big flash-lights. When the ads start, fire up the light and shine it on the screen. Get a bunch of your friends to do the same thing. Just blank out the Mazda ad or commercial for Glossettes with everything you can find. If anyone tries to give you a hard time about it, just say that you’re here from the Duracell company showing off the power of the copper-top