Fight Chaos

Here are (back-to-back) two of the much talked about new ads for the Canadian Armed Forces.

These ads have been heavily criticized by the Opposition in Ottawa and various other media observers. They are very successful at attracting young working class males, and that is precisely where the problem lies : this ad campaign is similar to the actual American recruiting approach, making war look like a videogame and offering a quick solution for young people of low socio-economical background.

Then again, others have praised the ads for presenting a more "realistic" view of what the CAF are, in comparison to the more "optimistic" ads we've been used to in the past.

What do you guys think ?

Obsessed by Visuals

Hey contributors. Just letting you know that I've set up an image-hosting account for the class. You can already go here to view a few ads that Yasmin found.

I'll send an email to all of you detailing the instructions on how to upload images of ads onto Photobucket. (Ironically, it's an ad-supported host. Ah well... it's free...)

Product Placement

Here is a URL for product placement that you might find interesting.

http://money.howstuffworks.com/product-placement.htm/printable

A Living Wage

In class last week I mentioned Barbara Ehrenreich's 2001 book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America because I think it nicely illustrates how lax labour laws in the United States are allowing large corporations to squeeze out extra profit by underpaying their workers at home, not just those working in sub-contracted factories in the third world. Ehrenreich is an upper-middle class journalist who spent 3 months posing as a middle-aged, uneducated homemaker entering the work force for the first time. She traveled to three American cities to see if she could feed, clothe and shelter herself while working full-time and earning approximately minimum wage. She worked as a waitress, a maid and a Wal-Mart "associate". Her findings significantly challenge the central assumption of American welfare reform - the belief that a job, any job, is the ticket out of poverty. Her writing is witty, compassionate and compelling. I highly recommend you borrow this book from your local, non-profit lending library.