A statistically improbable polymath's views on politics and culture.

 
During the school year, I was (mostly) blessedly free from political commercials--and thus did not see the "Pessimism" spot from the Bush campaign until last Sunday. I've seen it three times, and I'm already sick of it. Especially the "1.4 million jobs added since August" voiceover over a Spike Jonze wannabe video of a guy working at Foot Locker. What the ad doesn't tell you is that the guy working at Foot Locker is either a laid-off union industrial employee whose job was outsourced to Thailand or a laid-off tech industry employee whose job was outsourced to Malaysia. Yeah, I'm sure he feels really good about working at Foot Locker. I mean, the employee discount's sweet.

Then there's the final line of the ad: "One thing's for sure: Pessimism never created a job." It sure as hell created a job for Tom Ridge and everyone at Homeland Security. Pessimism is directly responsible for the pharmaceutical industry, the nation's law enforcement agencies, fire departments, EMTs, ambulance service firms, hospitals and independant medical/healing practitioners, divorce lawyers, insurance companies, bike helmet manufacturers, sprinkler system firms, the EPA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Armed Forces, the Armed Forces Reserves, social workers, and psychotherapists. I'd have to say that pessimism and worry is one of the greatest supports to the American economy.
posted by Maureen at 12:43 PM