Podcast 302

Mass Markets and Politics. As the death rattle of the Mass Market echoes through the land, why do politicians, specifically those on one side of the spectrum continue to attempt to appeal to it? In discussing the rhetorical and organizational challenges of the politics recently, it was suggested that the reason some politicians make lurid comments is to ‘appeal to the mass markets’. If you were born at a certain time in the US, you became very familiar with something called ‘The Mass Market’. From Elvis, to the 1960 Nixon/Kennedy Debates, the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, favorite TV shows and songs and the radio stations people listened to, there was a collective experience. Millions had to wait a week for the next episode of their favorite show. You had to go to a big department store to examine consumer goods. It was an era of shared experience; one after another, from Johnny Carson to Star Trek, to All in the Family and Miami Vice. Radio multiplied from AM only to AM and FM, but all still served a mass market and provided a mass experience. First came cable television, which brought scores of nationwide channels into the home, then the VHS machine, the DVD, Netlfix and very recently, on-demand audio and video, You Tube, Google Hang Outs, Vimeo, Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, and more to come.  Now people can have the experience they want, when they want it, how they want it. They can research characters, content and what it said. Now, the experience is between the content provider, the retailer, politician, entertainer or writer and the individual. While we still have shared experiences, we may have it at different times, we may binge listen and view, we may not have the same experience as someone else. Why then, do politicians insist on lining up and yelling at each other, say ridiculous things to get publicity, why do political parties insist on mass promotional orgies called conventions be televised on the ‘networks’, when the era of Mass Specialization is upon us, and growing stronger every day? Are candidates that play to the mass markets making a mistake? What new tools are there and how can they be used to win. 1965 called, and left a message. It’s not coming back. Ever. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating. 

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Podcast 301

American Sniper. Updates for Monday morning include a review of American Sniper. What’s all the fuss about? Director Clint Eastwood says he dismayed by the controversy — most of which is being generated by Hollywood — over his movie, which he says portrays one man’s experience in war. Is it possible American Sniper and Wild are two movies which actually portray an individual’s struggle with inner demons? Is Hollywood stumbling onto something going on out here in the rest of the country it is unaware of? While everyone is fighting over the question of whether American Sniper portrays the Iraq war ‘as it should be’ portrayed, maybe in spite of itself its actually about something completely different? Are the American people turning inward to fight their own demons, after so many years of outward focus. The Bob Davis Podcasts will keep track of current movies, characters and TV shows, to see if this pattern can be detected, and report back. Another thing no one is talking about is whether American Sniper touches something in Rural America,  that Urban America does not see, or understand. Particularly touching is the end credit sequence in American Sniper which shows the respect paid to Kyle – regardless of controversy – when he was laid to rest. As the news media is starting to cover this ‘divide’ between Rural and Urban America, of course we have to be careful of story lines … we are ALL Americans … but there are different values, and ‘Sniper’ seems to touch on the values of the rural part of our country rather than say, Manhattan. Get ready, the big snowstorm is hitting the east coast, so prepare yourselves for wall to wall coverage of Snowmageddon, the sequel. If you live in the Upper Midwest the weather has been pretty good the last ten days or so … anyone envious of the east for getting all this snow? And, an IRS story you won’t — er will — believe. Sponsored by Xgovernment Cars. 

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Podcast 300

Republicans and Rhetoric. Wasn’t able to tape tonight’s appearance at the SD-61 Chili Dinner and Contest. Thanks to everyone who showed. Podcast 300, aside from being a milestone for The Bob Davis Podcasts, gives the listener an idea of what was discussed. One usually comes away from these kinds of events feeling a little uneasy, especially when hard political issues are discussed. I usually write these podcast notes in the third person, but not this time. I am either seeing things others don’t see in the political process — out in front of the vanguard so to speak — or the things I am seeing and feeling are internal issues and aren’t really there. At this weekend’s big confab in Iowa, the good news is that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was able to connect in a personal and substantive appeal to the conservatives gathered in the Hawkeye state for Congressman King’s event. The bad news is that Donald Trump and Sarah Palin made purely rhetorical appeals, which I think damage the so called conservative ‘brand’. Now, since it was a Republican get together I don’t expect good coverage from most of the media, but some of the things said were just not helpful. Aside from involvement in local politics, if so called conservatives are going to be able to argue their points, they are going to have more than just rhetorical arguments. If all Republicans are going to do is bray in an attempt to persuade, or shock, without eliciting any information, it is going to be a very long election cycle from next fall, to November of 2016. It is possible to persuade and inform. The problem is what do Republicans want to do? What do they stand for? What’s their plan for the long term? As people shift from outrage and frustration to addressing a kind of inner challenge, do any candidates in any political party understand that challenge? Mostly what I hear is a lot of empty talk about values and outrage and demands. Is that connecting with people? We talked about some of this at the SD61 event, and I review that conversation in this podcast. Sponsored by Depotstar. 

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