Boston Mayor Thomas Menino would be a DU hero

[mdmc]

If he stood up to a Walmart (instead of ATHF) PR campaign.

If Walmart set up these devices (instead of ATHF), then refused to take responsibility for the devices when the police asked them about it, DU would have wanted that natty dread's HEAD.

I love adult swim (I am a big Boondocks fan). I think that ATHF is cool.

However, this is what happened in Boston -
- a PR / Marketing firm became aware that there was a concern about their PR devices.
- instead of working with the police, the PR firm kept quiet, which fueled the chaos.
- they let the city fall into chaos before telling the truth.

[-..__...]

1. Now the gasbag wants local movie theaters not to screen ATHF.

The antics of the two men charged with the use of a hoax device and disorderly conduct have so infuriated Mayor Thomas M. Menino that he wants local movie theaters not to show the film based on ‘the show.
“I’m not saying we are banning the movie, because I can’t ban it, but out of respect to the people of Boston, I am going to ask local movie theater executives in the city not to show it,” Menino said. “They are not deserving of our respect, or to make one penny from their movie here.”

:eyes:

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=180601&srvc=home

[WindRavenX]

2. LOL my SO told me that and I thought he was kidding

Boston: you suck. Hard.

Jesus, who knew that so many adults were so clueless...?

[mdmc]

7. But the PR firm could have stopped this all at noon, before the chaos

They chose to remain silent just to hype their product.

If their product was not ATHF, if it was walmart, DU would be :mad: at the thought of all those working poor people that were stuck in traffic, losing money, losing time.

[WindRavenX]

9. The police still overreacted

They were out there for two WEEKS.

The widespread panic, ATHF or not, was ridiculous no matter who/what was doing the advertising.

[mdmc]

19. yes they did over react - better safe then sorry

my point, if ATHF wasn't involved and walmart was, DU would have had a different reaction.

peace and low stress to you.

[WindRavenX]

20. It was there for TWO WEEKS

"Better safe than sorry"? Shit yo, it took them TWO WEEKS to notice the damn things-- what if those were bombs?

We'd be dead.

Either way, the BPD fucked up.

None of the other cities had a problem because they had a clue and weren't paranoid shitheads.

[mdmc]

23. I hear ya ..

[Breeze54]

38. What "widespread" panic? ....don't be so gullible!

Pissed off commuters was more like it!

[americanstranger]

10. I was pissed about that - but not at ATHF.

They didn't go into full-on panic mode and shut down the city.

Menino did. Credit where credit is due.

- as

And BTW - I don't think the marketing guys kept quiet to 'hype their product' - as has been pointed out often here, nobody got a glimpse of the 'devices' until it was all over.

How can you consider it 'hype' when nobody knew what the damn things looked like?

[mdmc]

21. without this event, so one would know about their devices

This is PR gold my friend. This is all free advertising. It was even on Yahoo's main page (which is mega free advertising).

[americanstranger]

24. Sure, but who drew all the attention to them?

The media and law enforcement, that's who.

Sure they got some PR mileage out of it. But only because Boston made a conscious decision to treat it like the goddamn Martians were invading.

- as

[uppityperson]

12. How did they "remain silent" once they found out what the "devices" were?You're a mindreader?

Wow, you can read my mind and tell what I would think in a hypothetical situation like this? wow. I'm impressed. Too bad you're wrong.

[mdmc]

29. At noon the cops asked the PR firm if they had any info on the devices

The PR firm didn't tell the cops that the devices where theirs.

The cops were trying to determine what was an ad, what was a pipebomb, and what was an "unknown" (OMG, I am quoting Rummy).

As far as my ability to read minds -
If Walmart placed ads around NYC, and someone reported one of them as suspicious (for whatever reason), the cops would have to investigate. The cops would need to determine the threat. The cops can see one Walmart device and deem it is not a threat. Other ads might be different, perhaps tampered with, perhaps fake to hide a bomb.
The cops call Walmart, and ask them where they placed their devices; walmart refuses to talk to them.
The cops cause the city to go into chaos as they take time to ensure that there is no threat.
There is no threat.

DU would be in an uproar if this happened. Regardless of police mishandling.

[uppityperson]

32. Did the cops tell them what the devices were so they knew they were theirs?

Did the cops directly ask the PR firm, as, from what I've been able to tell from all the confused media stuff, is that there were rumors and reports of "devices" but what exactly those were wasn't released for a while.

sorry for the snark in previous post.

[mdmc]

34. I am not sure about that, honestly

peace and low stress to you :patriot: :)

[uppityperson]

35. That is the part that would be telling, yet still unclear.

Makes it hard to have a decent opinion when the facts aren't clear.

[Breeze54]

37. Reports say that they also found two pipe bombs

I don't care really, if the BPD knew they were "just advertisements" at noon or not!!

Fuck Turner and the PR firm!!

They're paying now!! :rofl: I think Menino PLAYED them!! :rofl:

Serves the Cartoon network right!

A Million $$$$ for Boston PD and surrounding towns sounds good to me! :rofl:

[americanstranger]

5. Translation: I'm embarrassed over freaking out

so someone else needs to suffer economically.

What an ass.

- as

[mdmc]

8. If the PR firm admitted that they placed the devices, there would

have been no incident.

They kept quiet just to drive the hype and chaos.

[americanstranger]

11. I'll repeat myself.

'Driving the hype and chaos' did the marketing company no good at all, since nobody knew what the 'devices' looked like.

Face it - Seattle and 8 other cities handled this correctly. Menino botched it about as badly as it could have been botched.

- as

[Breeze54]

13. Menino didn't call the bomb squad!!

Get over it!!

[americanstranger]

16. Oh, I'm over it, all right.

My city didn't freak out. Neither did Seattle, Philly, LA, and a few other cities.

Menino saw a chance to be 'tough on terror.' He screwed up.

Period.

- as

[Breeze54]

25. Baloney!

[WindRavenX]

18. yup

Boston acted like a bunch of scared chickens.

[mdmc]

31. ATHF got free publicity from this - this worked out great for the toon.

ATHF was on the main page of Yahoo!

More people know about this Beantown situation then actually watch the cartoon.

The PR was made by the overreaction of the cops. The PR firm enabled the cops to overreact.

[Breeze54]

6. "The Herald" SUCKS!!!! n/t

[originalpckelly]

3. Oh get the fuck over it. ATHF doesn't exploit employees in China...

Yeah, corporations suck, but that's no excuse for the Boston Pee Party.

[mdmc]

14. No, inconveniencing poor working people to sell your product sucks

I love ATHF.

What I don't like is when corporations privatize the profit (the PR firm hyped up their advertising. In this case the product was ATHF) and maximize the risk to the public.

When this PR firm failed to work with the police to resolve the confusion, they inconvenienced a lot of working poor people.

The corporation willfully withheld their involvement from the police to cause this situation. Poor people lost time and opportunity when the city was forced to shut down.

I have no problem with the advertising. I have a problem that the PR firm refused to clarify their involvement when the police asked them for information. That is where they crossed the line.

If walmart did this, DU would have gone nuts.

It is funny when progressives give corporations props, because they like the corporations product.

Where do you think ATHF is colored and animated, by the way. Do you think that this cartoon is union made?

[originalpckelly]

22. It's from the USA, the studio where it is made is located here as well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_Street_Studios

[mdmc]

33. that is awesome!

Thanks for the link.

I love the show.

This is why I posted the OP -

The other day we had our local Dem meeting. Our local is divided between rich liberals and working poor black people. All the rich liberals thought that these ads were awesome. All the poor people thought that it was all terrible nonsense.

Only poor people got hurt by this event in Boston. Some people got inconvenienced. But some poor people lost work and time that they just couldn't afford to miss. It makes me :mad:

[Breeze54]

27. Agreed!

[Breeze54]

4. Walmart in Boston? NOT!

Hey?
Those fuckers tied up traffic and made people late for work, by their silence...
Turner's cutting a check. Screw 'em!
And nobody will boycott the movie, who really wants to go see it.

The Herald?? :wtf: RW rag! :puke:

[-..__...]

15. Does it matter what the source is...

if indeed "Mumbles" actually said that?

The cartoon however, is from the Boston Globe...

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/wasserman

[Breeze54]

26. Yeah! I don't quote Faux Sux or The Herald...eva!

[mdmc]

17. As long as Turner cuts the check, all is good

Peace and low stress to you my friend.

Now, off to watch the Simpsons!:kick: :)

[not_a_robot]

28. blah

If walmart did this, DU would have gone nuts.
If walmart did this, DU would have gone nuts.
If walmart did this, DU would have gone nuts.
If walmart did this, DU would have gone nuts.
If walmart did this, DU would have gone nuts.
....

Sorry COINTELPRO only worked for a while. We know what it is now, whether run by PR shadows, government thugs, or obsessively loyal employees it's all the same thing.

My issue with the whole boston absurdity was the obvius nature of the devices, the panic of the local organizad crime... um i mean government, and of course the willingness of citizens in this country to live in fear of all thing different or out of the ordinary. The idea that everything needs to be looked at as a threat and feared is exactly what the terrorists want, and as long as the terrorists are still holding high level positions in our federal government we have to resist not comply.

[Breeze54]

30. blah, blah, blah....

:crazy:

[TheCowsCameHome]

36. He was lost for words.

anything translatable, anyway.