Who's fault was it that Boston authorities mistook the marketing ploy for a bomb?

[bigtree]

Are the marketers or the authorities to blame for the hysteria?

Or, is it Bush who has allowed and encouraged the country to obsess about themselves as potential victims in a world of the threats he claims we face in his endless 'terror war'?


http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[tridim]

1. Before Bush, this ploy would have been regarded as "light news"

And would have been written off as funny and creative.

After Bush, it's TERRA! TERRA! TERRA!

It's more sad than anything.

[flashlighter]

2. Look, it's gonna take me two hours to get home tonight

I don't think it's funny, and I'm glad that when someone noticed a box with WIRES sticking out of a BRIDGE they called the police.


Not happy. :(

[Leopolds Ghost]

18. Mussolini made the trains run on time. Sounds like you need someone to do similar

[MindPilot]

3. Well, as they say, there's plenty of blame to go around

Stupid marketing ploy to unleash in our paraniod "terrorists are EVERYWHERE" climate.

Dumb-ass cops for over-reacting, but then cops always over-react.

And of course the climate of fearmongering that keeps this administration in power.

Maybe this will be a lesson to all to think, evaluate the situation and to not respond to false alarms.

ETA: The whole thing reminds me of the Caddyshack turd in the pool scene.

[Richard Steele]

4. Well, the "hysteria" belongs to the media.

Without them screaming "be afraid" from coast to coast,
this would have been nothing but the page 9 local story
it really was: "Pranksters Relocate Magnets".

[Gormy Cuss]

5. The marketers, alone.

Marketers like to grab our attention with provocative campaigns, and they live in the climate of Chicken Little Security along with the rest of us. I'd place a bet that the chance for just such an overreaction was part of the marketing strategy.

[bigtree]

6. they say that Boston is the only place where the overreaction occurred

it looks like a video game to me. Hard to say why someone reported it as a bomb. The initial reports say that no charges will be filed against the marketers.

[kiahzero]

7. The picture of the light hanging doesn't look dangerous at all.

I highly doubt that they thought anyone would be so paranoid.

[Gormy Cuss]

11. My opinion is based on years of working with marketers and

marketing analysts. Some marketers will risk such outcomes to create a buzz for the product. Even though only one city fell for it, the Boston authorities have managed to ramp up the effectiveness of the campaign. There is a chance that the marketers in this case were innocent of intent, but they're still going to love the free publicity generated by it.

[bigtree]

12. they arrested someone

should be interesting to see if they can determine if they meant for it to be a scare. I know many folks have decided that, but I'm waiting for more info. They'll definitely get more folks watching, if they can keep their show on after the uproar. It's been deafening. They're taking a lot of hits.

I personally don't think I would have thought it was a bomb. If I start looking at every appendage on 'critical infrastructure' as a bomb I'll never have any peace of mind. I know who's responsible for this. The ones who've been in charge of our nation's security. We shouldn't have to feel like the world's ready to jump down our throats. Bush has us isolated and projecting fear. I doubt most Americans fear that our bridges will be rigged with bombs. I don't think they should. Bush certainly wants us to believe they might be . . .

[Gormy Cuss]

17. I agree with you about the state of fear we live in

and how it came about.

[JackRiddler]

15. Hey, this is the jackpot

To take one example, ho here - on this thread - had any idea this campaign was running?

How many of you ever heard of Aqua Teen Hunger Force before today?

[Cerridwen]

8. Here's the part that stinks...

it will work. Those who wrote this marketing campaign will see the sales of their whatever-the-frig it is, skyrocket because now "everyone" across the nation has heard about it.

If they have charges filed against them; it works because "there's no such thing as bad publicity." It's a win/win for them and do you think they care what all this free publicity cost the people in Boston?

[bigtree]

9. I'm really not certain that the marketers expected anyone to mistake the devices for a threat

or a bomb

[kiahzero]

10. Ssssshhh!

Don't get in the way of the witch hunt!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Somebody's got to be the scapegoat.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. It's Iran's fault.

[uppityperson]

14. John Edwards house.

[HuffleClaw]

19. the authorities.

the OTHER ten cities involved didn't freak out.

[mdmc]

20. The PR firm flamed fear to boost their profits

All the snarky SouthparkDU'ers would have held the opposite opinion of this event if it was walmart instead of ATHF.

These guys obstructed the cops, thus fueled the fire.

They should pay.