I thought the topic for this week was really interesting - I especially thought the Barbie Liberation Organization Organization was awesome - of course I had noticed that kid's toys are very gendered, but what the two talking toys say really reinforces certain cultural values - Barbie: 'i love shopping,' 'can we ever have enough clothes' is a pretty blatant advert for capitalist consumption and the G.I. Joes promote and glorify war even more through their speech. I think hearing the words coming from the wrong mouth [ie. hearing a Barbie promote violence and war] could also have the effect of highlighting this. I found this clip about the BLO - if anyone else finds other news items, or any interviews with parents from that time, they'd be great to see. Listen to what the kids say about the G.I. Joe.
Another site about pranking and culture jamming was also interesting to explore.
And given that we haven't had much [haha, ok, any] discussion this week I thought I'd put the link for adbusters here too - it is definitely worth a look.
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I found the clip from youtube great! And before this article, I has never even heard of this kind of pranking, especially with mainstream products like Barbies. I think it was a positive step in dismantling the steroetypes that are instilled in us from such a young age. However, products like barbies are still feminised today, while action toys are marketed at young males. So despite the efforts of Barbie Liberation Organisation, we still live in a society where products are marketed based on gender.
The idea of branding in this article was also very interesting. Harold draws attention to the way in which "contemporary commercial culture depends on consumers having somewhat routinised responses to words and images, however these responses need not be completely homogenous". Obviously marketing is a very lucrative industry. Therefore, much research is conducted to see how companies can coerce consumers to buy their product. Some advertisements can evoke a number of emotions and feelings. Although most people are exposed to some form of marketing in the western world, I wonder if people feel manipulated? And if so, to what extent is it a defining part of our lives?
i agree. i think we can also thank The Simpsons for playing such a major role in mocking/culture jamming/playing with current world issues in a way that educates kids and entertains adults.
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