Mooninites in Boston

[eat_toast]

By now you may have heard the ruckus about Boston ... and Aqua Teen.
Here is an article I Googled, you can find them everywhere. The gist is that two guys put up several LED panels of the two Mooninites from the show, in an ad campaign for ATHF, which were then mis-identified as terrorist bombs, causing panic. The two were arrested, and Turner is apologizing. In the process $750,000 is spent, and the ad's are labeled "hoaxes". Here is a vid of the guys putting up the panels.

What are your opinions? Is it a massive overreaction, or are they justified in calling these men malevolent? Personally, it reminds me of a similar incident in Canada, where in several towns bits of the Mario Bros game series (Mostly Question mark boxes) were hung up as avant garde art. The government reacted, arresting several. Should this be happening? Please discuss.

[Assassin]

I think it was completely stupid, and a result of the fear tactics employed by the american govt and media. Its one thing for the police to be cautious and even check out the devices, but the public reaction is just ridiculous. people are scared shitless in thier own homes....its like the cold war all over again, only this time the "hide under the magic desk" option isn't there.


I dont know the whole sotry obviously, but from what i saw on cnn while at the gym, it was a company (the one that owns Cartoon Network i think) that decided to put the devices there, and they should've had the common sense to notify the police ahead of time. i dont know why anyone is being arrested, unless this wasn't an advertising campaign but a solo act by some fans of the show.

[ChaosK]

I found it hilarious, and now find the residents of Boston (even more) morons. How in the world those lights creating a messed up cartoon blob giving the finger, can strike fear in so many people leaves me flabbergasted...(I'll be honest, I just like using that word...) But in all seriousness, nobody needs to be arrested for marketing a cartoon because the general public was too stupid to realize it wasn't an act of terrorism.

[masamuneehs]

this borders on restriction of free speech...

it was not a threat, not meant to scare anyone, not meant as a hoax. it's not like they mass dialed 911 and had a recording keep saying to all the operators "you could be saving lives! but instead we feel you should go watch our animated television show!"

And i think it is outrageous that the city wants to charge them the money spent by police teams. They decided how to go about it, and clearly they went about it the wrong way. They made it into some great big scare and used clumsy tactics that crippled the city. Instead they could have done what 9 of the other cities where the "guerilla ad campaign" has been implemented in did, talk to Turner and their advertising group and get the locations of the ads, obviously turning "reports of possible terrorist bombs!" into non-factors.

[Kraco]

Yeah. The reaction seems quite over the top indeed. But on the other hand, at least over here, you should have some kind of city approval to place ads in public places. While that's not a regulation to prevent terrorists from placing bombs, it's there to prevent the looks of the city being marred by all manner of business ads and signs placed randomly here and there.

So, if there are similar requirements in the US, then both sides made a mistake.

[Augury]

"Aqua Teen Hunger Force" is a cartoon with a cultish following that airs as part of the Adult Swim late-night block of programs for adults on the Cartoon Network.

That entire article reeks of bias with the above caption being the most blatant. "Cultish following"? I've never seen Aqua Teen Hunger Force but that's a thinly-veiled way of placing dirt and blame on the series and advertisers. The article doesn't even mention detonation until halfway down, and focuses on police actions that are worded to sound inevitable and logical.

I don't care much for the story since Boston's actions were obviously an overreaction and can be compared to how other cities dealt with these ads. What is more disturbing is non-objective reporting from the media.

EDIT: Spelling... Mozilla also says that "cultish" is not a word.

[XanBcoo]

ATHF does have a cult following, Augury. Not "cult" as in hoods and Koolaid and such, but rather "cult" as referring to a dedicated fanbase, kind of like Donnie Darko, The Big Lebowski, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, or even fans of Anime. There is no bias in that word.

As for the whole ordeal, I just think it's ridiculous. I agree with what's been said so far. Boston bollocksed this up big-time by making such an issue out of it. Everything is a threat now (even Leetspeak!). Cold War indeed. I'd cut Boston a little slack if it actually did cause some sort of nationwide panic, but the 8 other cities dealt with it maturely and intelligently. The fact that it was just one city out of many that started kicking up fear and talk of terrorism just makes me laugh.

Edit: And they're calling it a hoax! The government freaks out, the news jumps to conclusions and calls it a terrorist attack, and now it's a "hoax". I can't even begin to understand the logic behind that.

I never realized some fucking Lite Brites could be so dangerous in this "Post 9/11 world". Christ.

[complich8]

Bruce Schneier says it best: "The story is almost too funny to write about seriously."

[Augury]

Ah, learn something new every day. I guess I'm pretty skeptical towards the media, but aside from my misunderstandings, if the article that eat_toast linked to is compared to the one complich8 linked to, there is a clear difference in tone and who is taking what side.

[mage]

"It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme."

All I got to say about that is EL OH EL.

[DDBen]

Ok lets change this context a bit so your looking at what took place in abstract. Simply put people in a major population center wake up to strange electronic devices placed all over the city in heavy populated area's. I personally have watched ATHF and would not have recognised the figure. The cops getting calls reguarding these devices and being told they are all over the city. Consider that 38 of these were placed overall according to that artical and if any one of them was a bomb considering they were on busy bridges and in subways I don't think it was a over reaction at all.

Its very easy to say after the fact that it was a harmless advertising scheme cooked up by a few students looking to make some extra cash. Honestly they should have contacted the police about it ahead of time instead of just doing this and considering it was bankrolled by Cartoon Network making turner broadcasting pay for is very reasonable. Remember they got a lot of press out of this and the only actual people being charged are those in Massachusetts.

Overall it was a reasonable reaction and if they had found a bomb then they would have been geniuses in foiling a terror plot.

[masamuneehs]

Ok lets change this context a bit so your looking at what took place in abstract. Simply put people in a major population center wake up to strange electronic devices placed all over the city in heavy populated area's. I personally have watched ATHF and would not have recognised the figure. The cops getting calls reguarding these devices and being told they are all over the city. Consider that 38 of these were placed overall according to that artical and if any one of them was a bomb considering they were on busy bridges and in subways I don't think it was a over reaction at all.
Overall it was a reasonable reaction and if they had found a bomb then they would have been geniuses in foiling a terror plot.

you forgot one little tiny detail that makes your scenario implausible: According to the guys that were arrested in Boston, the ads had been in place for almost 3 weeks before anyone freaked out. That and 9 other cities, including NYC, didn't freak out at all. It's not like anyone "awoke suddenly to a world full of strange blinking lights in weird/potentialy threatening places"

edit to below:
many of the costs were from calling in extra police officers to block off areas while on-duty ones did normal duties. Lots of overtime paid as well. If they try to factor in the "damage" to the economy from shutting down some of the bridges and making major traffic, it's way more than $1 mil.

[woofcat]

It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme,

I hate people like this, first of all its a post 9/11 America. Most of the world did in fact carry on after 9/11.

Second. What the hell? The signs were there for weeks with out causing any problems. Also after removing one could they not have been like "Ohh its not a bomb, well fuck this shit lets go home"? But instead they continue to remove them and then bitch about the $750,000 "Emergency Services" bill.

Just a question. Out side of a few explosive charges to dispose of the glorified light brights, what was disposable that was used? If the bill is from all the police etc that were there, were they not already getting payed to sit in a patrol car? Does that mean when i police officer pulls me over i cost the city money for the requirement of that police officer?

This video summed up a lot of what i thought.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G-D0F4Q9yk

[Assertn]

My friend put it best: A real bomb doesn't look like a bomb. It looks like a car parked along-side a street.

[Assassin]

lol, well said. i think you're friend may be part iraqi

[mage]

I was listening to a radio show this morning on the way to school (Mancow in The Morning), and he was talking about this incident and said that the people that put up the lights actually CALLED IN and said they were bombs in order to get more publicity! This is, of course, blasphemous! Now, everyone in the media is treating this as if it were an actual hoax, when it clearly was not. They were up for three weeks before this thing blew up, as Masa mentioned.

The problem is not how the police responded to the claim that they might be bombs, as they have every right to investigate anything that may be a bomb (within reason), but how the media is twisting this and trying to turn lies into reality to save face for the police for messing up, and how the people that put them up are going to be sued for an exorbitant amount of money for someone elses screw up. This is all just really, really stupid. Thankfully, I lost faith in all media many years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2ytr2Oyv4 <-- Gold.

[SK]

These days I can't call the reaction an overreaction, especially since the 9/11 attacks were launched from Boston. But I don't think charges or anything on that level is really needed.

[woofcat]

Sk, America has had

One Terrorist Attack
from an outside source in its history.

Why do they feel the need to shit bricks at everything, congrats the terrorist have won. You fear every every fucking thing.

You have a 1 in 88,000 of dying terrorist attack, and 1 in 20,605 chance of your clothes igniting and killing you.

You are 4 times more likely to burn to death from your clothing igniting then from a terrorist.

[SK]

Sk, America has had

One Terrorist Attack
from an outside source in its history.

Why do they feel the need to shit bricks at everything, congrats the terrorist have won. You fear every every fucking thing.

You have a 1 in 88,000 of dying terrorist attack, and 1 in 20,605 chance of your clothes igniting and killing you.

You are 4 times more likely to burn to death from your clothing igniting then from a terrorist.

I'm sorry, but I'm not seeing the relevance of your post.

[woofcat]

Not to turn and derail this thread.

These days I can't call the reaction an overreaction, especially since the 9/11

I was making the point that any "reaction" was pretty much a overreaction because the odds of something like that happening are well slim to say the least.