I've been staring at the blinking cursor for a couple minutes now because I don't even know where to begin this post. By now, you've probably heard about the guerilla marketing campaign gone wrong in which a couple of guys who planted some Lite Brite-type devices depicting characters from the Adult Swim show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" around Boston were arrested for "placing a hoax device in a way that results in panic," according to this CNN article.
The light board displays had been placed across nine other US cities with little disruption. While it may not have been the smartest move ever, what bugs me most is how just about everyone involved with this event are acting like a bunch of children.
Assistant Attorney General John Grossman called the light boards "bomb-like" devices and said that if they had been explosive they could have damaged transportation infrastructure in the city.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis called the stunt "unconscionable," while Boston Mayor Thomas Menino called it "outrageous" and the product of "corporate greed." Democratic Rep. Ed Markey, a Boston-area congressman, added, "It would be hard to dream up a more appalling publicity stunt."
At a news conference after the hearing, Stevens and Berdovsky (the men charged) stepped to the microphones and said they were taking questions only about 1970s hairstyles.
So not only are the powers that be overreacting like whoa, but the perpetrators, who could've garnered a huge sympathy vote for the absurdity of the charges, are acting like total jackasses in response to the whole thing. I guess their actions are only mirroring the insanity of the situation, but still. Grow up.
Anyway, if there's one winner here, it's the show. Ten bucks says ratings go through the freakin' roof after this. I know I'll probably catch it tonight.
And by the way, you can buy a fantastic T-shirt about the whole mess here.
The police and politicians are posturing to cover up their extreme overreaction. People are mad at being inconvenienced and the media are misdirecting their anger at these two bottom rungs on the ladder instead of where it should lie: toward the overreacting police and politicians who love having an axe to grind.
A terrorist doesn't even need to bother with real weapons anymore, because the media and police will go hysterical at the potential of a terror attack no matter how innocuous the "unknown device" may be, including such threatening devices as a Lite Brite.