Wall-E: Disney profits from peoples growing fears of corporations

[joft]

http://www.buynlarge.com/

http://www.buynlarge.com/NewsCenter.html?storyId=15
http://www.buynlarge.com/NewsCenter.html?storyId=10

This site is incredible-- it's very intelligent, it's subversive, and yet it's sponsored and created by Disney, Pixar's parent company. It's a stinging anti-corporate parody, and Disney is profiting from it. The writers on the site even anticipate and play-off this postmodern ambiguity with a few of their articles: one announces the new musical genre of "corporate punk," and another points out that "anti-consumerism groups are a demographic opportunity" that the company could try to reach.

In this all I foresee the absolute victory of corporations. They have already begun to assimilate anti-corporatism into some of their brands, like the "health drink" Odwalla which is owned by Coca-Cola. Individual people, and even entire movements of people like the organic/local food movement, simply can't compete against companies that are already powerful enough to have taken our government from us. After they start marketing to every possible demographic; environmentalists, anti-establishment people, christians and atheists alike- only paranoid schizophrenics will continue to resist.

[CoHo]

They have already begun to assimilate anti-corporatism into some of their brands, like the "health drink" Odwalla which is owned by Coca-Cola. Individual people, and even entire movements of people like the organic/local food movement, simply can't compete against companies that are already powerful enough to have taken our government from us. After they start marketing to every possible demographic; environmentalists, anti-establishment people, christians and atheists alike- only paranoid schizophrenics will continue to resist.

That's what you see coming in our future? Aren't you about 40 years late in making this announcement?

Some corporations have been marketing themselves as 'anti-corporate' since the 60's and 70's. Punks wore Doc Martens for christ sakes.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I suspect that the corporate structure will only continue to gain more power unless we fail to adopt a new, reliable source of energy (but I'm pretty sure that we'll find something, given the large number of energy sources around as well as all the promising research going on). I think that corporations really have the potential to be very useful actually, and far more efficient than national governments if they were run correctly (but that's idealism). Most of them exist solely for the reason of profit and expansion, true, and I seriously doubt that this will ever change. The trick is to manipulate the structure so that those goals can survive and also have the benefits of their existence outweigh the negative effects.

[Oso Mocoso]

Some corporations have been marketing themselves as 'anti-corporate' since the 60's and 70's. Punks wore Doc Martens for christ sakes.

Perhaps the best examples of capitalism eating anarchism I can think of.

Any project spawned by Srini Kumar. He makes a shitload of money off of Hot Topic style youth rebellion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srini_Kumar

The webzine conference series. The amount of money this project took in both through ticket sales and donations was impressive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webzine#Webzine_Conference_Series

Personally, I don't really have a problem with any of this. Anti-corporate corporations are absurd. I'm fine with that.

[mgb]

http://www.buynlarge.com/

http://www.buynlarge.com/NewsCenter.html?storyId=15
http://www.buynlarge.com/NewsCenter.html?storyId=10

This site is incredible-- it's very intelligent, it's subversive, and yet it's sponsored and created by Disney, Pixar's parent company. It's a stinging anti-corporate parody, and Disney is profiting from it. The writers on the site even anticipate and play-off this postmodern ambiguity with a few of their articles: one announces the new musical genre of "corporate punk," and another points out that "anti-consumerism groups are a demographic opportunity" that the company could try to reach.

In this all I foresee the absolute victory of corporations. They have already begun to assimilate anti-corporatism into some of their brands, like the "health drink" Odwalla which is owned by Coca-Cola. Individual people, and even entire movements of people like the organic/local food movement, simply can't compete against companies that are already powerful enough to have taken our government from us. After they start marketing to every possible demographic; environmentalists, anti-establishment people, christians and atheists alike- only paranoid schizophrenics will continue to resist.

Corporations, as much as they are a body in and of themselves, are made up of people.

I guess there is some room for subversiveness in there somewhere. Maybe it can be looked at like the Simpsons on Fox.

[Karl]

They are Liberal idealist movements that never had a chance to amount to anything. Idealist movements rarely have a chance to change the world. The principal of anti-corporatism will always be weaker than pragmatic capitalism, because there is a material base for capitalism.

[SWPIGWANG]

Fighting a force of nature with ideas is just a no go.

I LOVE THE BIG BROTHER! :wub:

[wildforlemurs]

On the topic of WALL-E, it was the #1 movie in America the weekend it opened. I never fully grasped, until then, how many idiots there are in this country.

[LowEnd]

"anti-consumerism groups are a demographic opportunity"

Ha ha. That reminds me of this.

gDW_Hj2K0wo

[wreckoning]

I thought the point of hating corporations was because they did things we don't agree with. If they want to change their ways that's great. If they want to change only some of their ways, that's a step they should be commended for.

If Disney was still releasing princess-and-prince type stories you'd be whining about that too. Now they produced what I thought was a very interesting film for children and adults alike... do you hate it because of what it says or because Disney did it?

[joft]

On the topic of WALL-E, it was the #1 movie in America the weekend it opened. I never fully grasped, until then, how many idiots there are in this country.

hey, fuck you. I loved that movie.

[distraction tactics]

Anyone interested should check out a book by the name The Rebel Sell or Nation of Rebels (http://www.amazon.com/Nation-Rebels-Counterculture-Consumer-Culture/dp/006074586X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215393345&sr=8-1) (American title). They make the same argument and say the pivotal point was when the magazine Adbusters started selling its own brand of 'subversive' running shoes (shoes are subversive?). It's a great book.

[EmmaPeel]

I enjoy watching robots even less than cartoons.

[Meliora]

Anyone interested should check out a book by the name The Rebel Sell or Nation of Rebels (http://www.amazon.com/Nation-Rebels-Counterculture-Consumer-Culture/dp/006074586X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215393345&sr=8-1) (American title). They make the same argument and say the pivotal point was when the magazine Adbusters started selling its own brand of 'subversive' running shoes (shoes are subversive?). It's a great book.

I read that book a couple of years ago. It's a good one, for sure. I really agreed with them for the most part.

[distraction tactics]

I read that book a couple of years ago. It's a good one, for sure. I really agreed with them for the most part.

I seem to recall that one of the authors (Andrew Potter) is in the process of writing a new book about authenticity. Haven't heard much about it, but I'm definitely goona pick it up when it comes out. I really enjoy reading his column in Maclean's magazine.

[Faust06]

Counter-culture is nothing new. Read the Rebel Sell, you'd probably like it.

EDIT: oops, already written.

[eyebyte_atWork]

Shut the fuck up and choose your stereo type.

Be a geek - it's the "in" thing now.

I saw the movie - it was funny - but mostly annoying.

The kids liked it.