Pogs, a reference you might have to think hard to remember because it was the 90’s after all. But out of all games from Hungry Hungry Hippo to Don’t Break The Ice! Pogs had to have been the one I most loved, even if it took me a while to find the purpose of the game and how to play it- kind of like politics. You see the slammer, or heavy piece is the media and the stacks of caps (cardboard pieces with characters and designs) are the politicians. There are the skeletons, which represent the evil politicians and the poisonous 8 balls, which represent the super evil politicians. There are also nicely designed soft characters, but they rarely get noticed; I don’t remember my sister yelling “Yes, I got the lion pog!”
She was more like “Your going to f@*#ing die, I’ve got the skull with flames shooting out of it’s eyes!”
Perhaps these small items we so desperately needed introduced us to the real skulls and fire, challenges that are unwinnable and the inevitable of losing to the higher power who holds the better Pogs. Because even in the game the one with the most points is the winner and in life as an adult, the one with the most money and the most friends is winner. But that isn’t the point. The media does a good job embarrassing people- it is the slammer after all, so strong and unforgiving. At times it can be entertaining, just ask Anthony Weiner and his…well, weiner. But when media is twisted to serve a purpose to obtain voters is where the game should be abandon. Yet, there are always players.
I’m talking about the mudslinging, gun pulling, meet me at high noon behavior during presidential elections.
The past is good example of this.
“(Obama) is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," said by Sarah Palin during the 2008 Elections. Unfortunately, her mouth ran quite a bit in 2008 and soon after though no one really pays much attention anymore.
But even words are not enough, the use of campaign ads as a tool to destroy or at least discredit the other opponents is still relevant, in 2011! Haven’t we learned anything? No- sadly we haven’t.
This year I came across an Obama campaign ad for 2012 elections, bashing McCain (of course by a voice actor and not himself- he wouldn’t want to look like he would be winning by playing dirty). Below is a link to the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK3Y1KPzW9k
In the video it is mentioned of the quotes said about John McCain and his mudsling. So Obama approved a message of mudslinging another opponents past mudslinging? Makes no sense, right? Right. Instead of listing his accomplishes and wining on his own merit, he has resorted to the one thing he wasn’t going to do, which is be exactly like everyone else. Another failure for Team Obama.
Negative campaign ads have sprung like an infectious disease, making and breaking promising runners. Its media at it’s best and worse. In 1992, Clinton approved a message attacking Republicans, showing the high unemployment problem. But even then it wasn’t as nasty as it has been in the past few elections. It detailed his accomplishments, and his plans, also in a subtle way talking about George’s Bush Sr.’s negative views on Clinton, pre-Monica Lewinsky of course.
Perhaps it’s the sinister voices and sound effects that are enhanced that make it seem like the opponents are murderers on Law & Order. Maybe it’s a genius way of winning.
How do they get away with this? We allow the loudest fool win the prize of driving us into the dirt. Not only are the morals during these important times missing, but they make it seem like a dirty soap opera, entertaining only themselves and the uneducated who do not know any better. The American people deserve better. The less mudslinging, the better the candidate.
Because we are not playing a game, and they shouldn’t play with our lives.
Below: Some campaign ads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsQmS1OcXTQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6pgoqZpfUU&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHoXkCprdL4&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34pQsHwN9iI&NR=1
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