From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Wed Feb 10 1999 - 11:32:32 MST
newstrom@newstaffinc.com (Harvey Newstrom) writes:
> Anders Sandberg <asa@nada.kth.se> writes:
>
> > Not to mention optimism and positive memes. Have you noted the quite
> > transhuman ads for big corporations on CNN and Discovery? Slogans like
> > "Let's make things better", celebrations of technology and human
> > ingenuity (often done in a very characteristic surreal style), and my
> > favorite:
> >
> > We move because we hate the idea of standing still.
> > We create because we want something new in our life.
> > We take the next step because we want to rise above.
> > This is our mission, this is our passion.
> > Daewoo Corporation
>
> Ack! I *hate* these kinds of ads. This kind of content-free verbiage
> is becoming the new double-speak, along with "integrity" and "quality"
> programs. The are the new buzz words that can't be measured, and make
> the customer feel good without really saying anything or offering
> anything.
OK. I see your point too. These ads are not trying to sell you a
certain product, they are trying to sell you a corporation (or rather,
make it look nice and worth cooperating with). And plenty of ads are
indeed content-free verbiage. The best ads in the category I refer to
are however not content-free, but the images and text clearly suggests
a pro-tech, optimistic and transhumanist view (such as the recent BNFL
ads, which show various applications of "modern magic").
> Take the above example, for example. I still don't know what they're
> selling. I just feel like it must be good whatever it is.
(Daewoo makes heavy industry, ships, construction, motor vehicles,
electronics, hotels, well, it is a typical Korean megacorp)
However, note that the slogan is not entirely content free. It clearly
is anti-entropic and anti-conservative (whether the corporation is, is
of course another question). It is extremely general, but what else
could it be when dealing with such a diversified company?
> The reason that these memes sound so positive is because your
> subconscious fills in the lack of details and you think it totally
> agrees with your extropian position. A white supremacist Klu Klux Klan
> member would probably thing that those words apply to him. The words
> mean nothing.
Hmm, somehow I have a hard time seeing a conservative agreeing with
it, at least not without serious doublethink. Your point about filling
in is however interesting.
So, when doing transhumanist advertising, should we go for the general
"feel good about our philosophy" (lots of dynamic optimism,
self-transformation and dynamic memes) or specialize at certain points
("Legalize germline modifications", "Upload rights!")?
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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