[orodruin]

I am uninterested in talking about actual political positions here, but I am sitting up wondering why I can't sleep ever and watching Nickelodeon cause the Fresh Prince is my answer for everything, and I just witnessed something bizarre.  Nick ran a thirty minute infomercial about political awareness, and i noticed about it the following things, which may or may not cause my blood pressure to rise 6000 points:

1) 22 of the thirty minutes were dedicated to republican candidates.
2) For every republican candidate that had some kid schilling for him the kid's primary concern was illegal immigration
3) One twelve year old girl actually said "We need to stay in Iraq until the job is done cause when you enter a war you should always win the war."
4)  The democratic candidates were announced in the following order:  John Edwards, Hillary, Mike Gravel (wtf), Dennis Kucinich (liek 4 srsly wtf), then Barack Obama.

Once again, I don't care about your actual political beliefs.  I mean to bring this up as a meta-issue and I haven't slept in two days and think I just had an aneurysm.

[Daksuo]

Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I liked to take a minute
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called NICKELODEON

In west New Hamsphire born and raised
On the playground was where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool
And all shootin some propoganda outside of the school
When a couple of guys
Who were up to no good
Startin making "informercials" in my neighborhood
I got in one little flipflop and my electorate got scared
She said 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Republoso'

I begged and pleaded with her day after day
But she packed my suite case and send me on my way
She gave me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket.
I put my walkman on and said, 'I might as well kick it'.

First class, yo this is bad
Drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass.
Is this what the people of Repluboso Living like?
Hmmmmm this might be alright.

But wait I hear there're prissy, wine all that
Is Republoso the type of place they send this cool cat?
I don't think sow
I'll see when I get there
I hope they're prepared for the prince of Republoso

Well, the plane landed and when I came out
There was a dude who looked like a cop standing there with my name out
I ain't trying to get arrested
I just got here
I sprang with the quickness like lightening, disappeared

I whistled for a cab and when it came near
The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror
If anything I can say this cab is rare
But I thought 'Now forget it' - 'Yo homes to Republoso'

I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8
And I yelled to the cabbie 'Yo homes smell ya later'
I looked at my kingdom
I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the Prince of Republoso

[orodruin]

My version:

Now, this is a story all about how
My country got flipped-turned upside down
By a Jesus preaching fascist
who sits right there
and tells you why he should keep the troops in a town called Iraq

In central Texas born and raised
On the ranch was where he spent most of his days
Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool
And all shootin some propoganda outside of the school
When his CIA dad
Who thought he was up to some good
Taught him geopolitics which he never understood
but he managed to get elected though the electorate was scared
9 months later he said "To fight terrorism we'll go anywhere."

The UN begged and pleaded with him day after day
But the soldiers packed their suitcases and went on their way
She gave him a kiss and he looked at his ticket
and said 'i'll see you later baby if I don't kick it'.

Opinion polls, yo this is bad
he said as he stared at his empty beer glass
Kerry voted for the Patriot Act right?
Hmmmmm this might be alright.

But wait I hear they're prissy, taxes all that.
Are Americans stupid enough to re-elect this cool cat?
I don't think so
but we'll prey on their fear
I hope that they're prepared for four more years.

Well, the plane landed and when he came out
There was a dude in khaki camo shouting his name out
he couldn't get adjusted to the heat and the sand
By the end of each day he could barely stand

he whistled in the Oval Office for his mind was clear
He's made it eight years and the end is near
'If anything I can say the job I did was fair.'
'Forget the 68%, why should I care?'

He pulled up to his place about 7 or 8
And he yelled to the empty house 'Baby I made it!'
He looked around inside
but there was nobody there
To welcome him home, or to generally care.

[Itchy]

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Once again, I don't care about your actual political beliefs. 

Well thanks for sharing yours then you tease!!!!

Now can you please go live with your auntie and uncle in Bellaire? (sp?)

Until there are publicly funded campaigns the whole thing can kiss my grits.

*babies?*

[orodruin]

*you know it*

[Daksuo]

I am all for this, by the way. Brent's objection is rational, my support practical - if they make Republicanism cool for the under 10 crowd, what does the 11+ crowd NECESSARILY think?

Which one of those two constitutes a voting group.

I'm all for the Republicans associating themselves with infants.

[Daksuo]

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Both sides reach out where ever they can to express their views.  Like democrats showing little kids global warming propaganda to make them think that driving SUVs and turning lights on in their houses is killing cute and cuddly polar bears.  Bad big corporations, bad big companies, just look at Captain Planet and talk about kid propaganda.

Av... you Republican you! Our side only shows INFORMATION, not PROPAGANDA.

Also, we're at war with Pacifica and have always been at war with Pacifica, our hated enemies...

[Juggler]

Captain Planet's about recycling and anti-pollution.

SUVs pollute more than small cars.  They also carry more things, so if you're actually driving off-road and hauling sports stuff in your SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLE, sure, makes sense.

Teaching children to be responsible citizens is different from biasing children towards one side or another.  You can vote Republican and own an SUV and still carpool to work and turn off the light when you leave a room.  If nothing else, it saves you gas money =P.

[Itchy]

*picks up Orodruin by the scruff of his neck and rubs his nose in this smelly thread*

"Bad Oro! Bad boy! Outside!"

[Daksuo]

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Sorry Dak, but your side "showing" information is propaganda.

I figured someone might be dense and miss the obvious rhetoric device employed there, so I went obvious and included a 1984 reference for the short bus crowd. It seems I grossly overestimated my audience.

Captain Planet did not espouse a democrat or republican agenda - he didn't advocate Big Government (Republican) creating a tax on the poor so that some Senator's waste-management industry could $$pocket$$ a fat contract, nor did he advocate a Bloated Government (Democrat) taxing everyone so that we could create a Federal Waste Management Agency - he advocated a Liberterian agenda, if anything, of personal responsibility. Episodes went out of their way to emphasize the personal ability of each of these kids - the audience avatars - and their ability to effect change. Involved citizendom is perhaps propagandistically anti-Demorepublicancratianistism, but at the very least it was egaliterian in its bias.

Using loaded vocabulary to force a moral debate on issues is popular but vacuous. Conspicuous consumption, however, when viewed economically, pragmatically, and utilitarianistically, is just bad - or if you prefer unloading the vocabulary - sub-optimal.

However, political discussions are rarely anything more then red hats versus blue hats. Pacificia has always been our enemy. It doesn't even qualify as counter-productive - it is anti-productive. It collides with producitivty and explodes in an annihilating reduction reaction. But if we're going to talk about it, how about those Smurfs - popular in the 80's and a metaphor for communism. Seditious foreign influence or evil imported treachery?

[orodruin]

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I am generally opposed to children being used for any cause whether I support it or not.

This is the point.  I chose to unload my own views a couple of poasts after my original only to amuse myself as Dak provided a cute model for me to do so.  But the point is, propaganda is propaganda is propaganda.  Nick is actively trying to grow little republicans, and that frightens me, not because the slant is toward the right, but because someone is utilizing an ostensibly neutral semi-educational, but primarily simply entertaining medium for a subversive purpose period.

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is just bad - or if you prefer unloading the vocabulary - sub-optimal.

This clause made me smile Dak.