Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Psyched to Promote Environmental Consciousness!
Who is Fall Out Boy? All I know about them is that their bass player is a rubbery-faced sort of punchable-looking guy* who shows his penis on the internet. Anyways, they are "psyched to promote environmental consciouness" by shilling the Civic Hybrid for Honda on the new Honda Civic Tour.
I tried to find out more about environmental consciouness and/or Fall Out Boy by going to the Honda Civic Tour website, but there was surprisingly not much there. So I went to FOB's website, which was also surprisingly free of content. Then I was directed to a site called www.absolutepunk.net. "Finally," I thought, "a punk website that is absolute! I abhor the partiality, nay the very fragmentaricity of all of those other punk websites!"
Well, absolutepunk.net was a big letdown. It didn't even seem to be about punk music at all. It is owned by "Indieclick," and owned by "3jane digital holdings, inc" which has "built many of the addictive community and social networking sites driving the second boom in Internet media including the original SuicideGirls site, Grab.com, Makeoutclub and many more." None of these sites promote environmental consciousness either, unless paeans to the awesomeness of the Nintendo wii system or the opportunity to play Diner Dash or Diner Dash 2 have some secret green agenda I cannot detect.
Okay, I know that this is sort of beating a dead horse, but can we just make a mental note to remember that when those "poptimist" people call us snobs for believing that there is something at stake in distinguishing between musicians who are stooges for capitalism and those who at least try not to be stooges for capitalism, we should point out: some of these douchebags actually play tours that are all about loving the Honda Civic, and that is, not to put too fine a point on it, I don't know... fucking lame?
* It occurs to me that much of my life has been spent sorting out various types of punchable-looking men. The Fall Out Boy guy is in the same category as the swarthy guy in Fast Times in Ridgemont High who gets Jennifer Jason Leigh's character pregnant, or maybe halfway between him and the unctuous noneck date rapist-vibe of a Joe Francis. But then he has that psychopathic thousand-yard blank stare of a latter-day Jared Leto, which is always a tip-off that I am in the company of someone who is going to start talking about their dreams for 55 hours, but also a bit of the shit-eating grin of JC Chasez, which always makes me think that someone is going to be molested before the evening is over, and somehow I am going to have to watch football.
I tried to find out more about environmental consciouness and/or Fall Out Boy by going to the Honda Civic Tour website, but there was surprisingly not much there. So I went to FOB's website, which was also surprisingly free of content. Then I was directed to a site called www.absolutepunk.net. "Finally," I thought, "a punk website that is absolute! I abhor the partiality, nay the very fragmentaricity of all of those other punk websites!"
Well, absolutepunk.net was a big letdown. It didn't even seem to be about punk music at all. It is owned by "Indieclick," and owned by "3jane digital holdings, inc" which has "built many of the addictive community and social networking sites driving the second boom in Internet media including the original SuicideGirls site, Grab.com, Makeoutclub and many more." None of these sites promote environmental consciousness either, unless paeans to the awesomeness of the Nintendo wii system or the opportunity to play Diner Dash or Diner Dash 2 have some secret green agenda I cannot detect.
Okay, I know that this is sort of beating a dead horse, but can we just make a mental note to remember that when those "poptimist" people call us snobs for believing that there is something at stake in distinguishing between musicians who are stooges for capitalism and those who at least try not to be stooges for capitalism, we should point out: some of these douchebags actually play tours that are all about loving the Honda Civic, and that is, not to put too fine a point on it, I don't know... fucking lame?
* It occurs to me that much of my life has been spent sorting out various types of punchable-looking men. The Fall Out Boy guy is in the same category as the swarthy guy in Fast Times in Ridgemont High who gets Jennifer Jason Leigh's character pregnant, or maybe halfway between him and the unctuous noneck date rapist-vibe of a Joe Francis. But then he has that psychopathic thousand-yard blank stare of a latter-day Jared Leto, which is always a tip-off that I am in the company of someone who is going to start talking about their dreams for 55 hours, but also a bit of the shit-eating grin of JC Chasez, which always makes me think that someone is going to be molested before the evening is over, and somehow I am going to have to watch football.
// posted by the sad billionaire @ 12:44 AM 
Comments:
<< Home
yes, fall out boy is a generic boring band. but isn't it good that they're promoting a hybrid? obviously they're wrapped up in a bunch of corporate bullshit, and we may be talking about "lesser evils" here -- but the civic hybrid is way better than public displays of penis and suicide girls. And it's even better than jay-z pimping out a new gmc gas guzzler yukon.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/07/ap/entertainment/mainD8MGDRK00.shtml
on the other hand, these passive and clueless approaches to "environmetal conscious" are bordeline deceptive. the whole idea that one can buy consciousness is especially pernisious and disabling. I hate this idea that the main way people can express their point of view is by spending. so it seems that the thing your post ultimately highlights is the distinction between "buying green" and "environmental consciousness." While it is true that the honda civic hybrid is a "green car," it seems doubtful that the members of fall out boy are conscious of anything. And of course honda isn't losing any money on the hybrid.
In a capitalist economy, buying green and supporting businesses that make an effort to minimze their impact on the environment is an option, and I personally try to do this when I can. However I don't think anyone would argue that this strategy is nearly as effective or radical as activism or even buying nothing . Ultimately, we have to ask: can capitalism and "environmental consciousness" coexist?
Post a Comment
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/07/ap/entertainment/mainD8MGDRK00.shtml
on the other hand, these passive and clueless approaches to "environmetal conscious" are bordeline deceptive. the whole idea that one can buy consciousness is especially pernisious and disabling. I hate this idea that the main way people can express their point of view is by spending. so it seems that the thing your post ultimately highlights is the distinction between "buying green" and "environmental consciousness." While it is true that the honda civic hybrid is a "green car," it seems doubtful that the members of fall out boy are conscious of anything. And of course honda isn't losing any money on the hybrid.
In a capitalist economy, buying green and supporting businesses that make an effort to minimze their impact on the environment is an option, and I personally try to do this when I can. However I don't think anyone would argue that this strategy is nearly as effective or radical as activism or even buying nothing . Ultimately, we have to ask: can capitalism and "environmental consciousness" coexist?
<< Home
