What do you get when you combine Google AdSense, a hot keyword (Twitter), and an incumbent mayoral candidate who has oodles of money? Domination of social media political placement in a campaign, you say? You're probably very right.
In the next few days, take notice of websites with a heavy Twitter presence that uses Google AdSense (my site, it appears, is one of these). You will frequently see an ad for a candidate, who's name I won't mention so that it doesn't give more fuel to the campaign...however, his name does rhyme with Doomberg. Here's a link to a blog that confirms this.
So...you like the new politics...social media style? Does it give an unfair advantage to those who can overbid on keywords, or does it level the playing field? Either case, I think it's here to stay. However, it may make me rethink if I really want AdSense on my site.
Only days
remain in what may be remembered as one of the most historic runs for the
Presidency in the history of America.One would hope both candidates would present intelligent, well-articulated final arguments in their
respective wooing of the electorate, yet the politics of issues gives way to
name-calling and labeling, especially from the team that is behind. The cries
of Marxist, or he believes in Socialism or worse, the “C” word. Commmunism!!!!!
Aaaaarrrrrgh!!! The Pod People! Don't Sleep, Don't Sleep!!!! (sorry, too much sci-fi this week) Yet this desperate lunge at poking fear in the psyches of the
uninformed actually works. Hey, there may be monsters in the closet (no double
entendre attempted) but you won’t know until you fight your fears and open it.
My guess, there’s a whole bunch of younger folks that may be scared but they
really don’t know what they’re scared of; The Red Menace sure does sound like a
comic book villain, The Iron Curtin? Bad guys. The Evil Empire? Cue the music. Da-da-da-dah-dada...
What do
Communism and Socialism have in common, with let’s say, Captialism
and Republicanism? The dictionary defines ISM as a suffix appearing in
loanwords from Greek, where it was used to form action nouns from verbs (baptism); on this model, used as a productive suffix
in the formation of nouns denoting action or practice, state or condition,
principles, doctrines, a usage or characteristic, devotion or adherence, etc.
Loosely put, each ISM represents a philosophical, political or moral doctrine
or a belief system.
So, instead
of some worked-up crowd chanting BOO! everytime time a scared-for-their-politcal-career
Senator or Governor runs off their mouths and shouts out their brand of political venom, perhaps they need to understand what it is they’re chanting
against. To help our huddled masses yearning to stay free, here’s a list of 234
different ISMS, compiled by http://phrontistery.info/isms.html
They are listed alphabetically, not in order of whether they are good isms or
bad isms. In fact, let me help you out a bit – here are some of my favorite
ISMS and ISTS (can’t have radicalism with a radicalist)-perhaps they’re a favorite of yours.
COMMUNIST –
people still living in Woodstock, NY
SOCIALIST –
what Paris Hilton keeps close to her
MARXIST –
any cigar smoking, mustache wearing anarchist
ANARCHIST –
If you watch E! or Fine Living, it ain’t you!
ATHEISM
–folks who believe “there’s nothing
bigger than Phil”
AGNOSTIC –
pussy atheist
BULLIONISM –
a salted cube is the giver of life
DEISM -a belief in God but rejection of religion
DEI-O ISM –
a belief in Harry Belafonte
PANTHEIST –
believes the universe is God
PANTRYIST –
believes the spice rack is God
Now, it’s
time to put labels aside. Put down the talking points and walk away from the
teleprompter. Trust your instincts and intelligence to filter out the rhetoric.
Listen to your hearts and not your prejudices. Facts, not fiction or even
comedy, shall prevail. Only if, each of us think of all of us.
History will
be made next Tuesday. Be a part of it. You can get
busy votin’ or you can get busy whinin’…
