Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Anarchy and Mickey Mouse

This shouldn't surprise me, but...

I'm watching the Orange Bowl (in which USC appropriately kicked the hell out of Oklahoma) and for some reason I didn't change the channel for the halftime show. So I get the spectacle of Kelly Clarkson, Trace Adkins, and Ashlee Simpson (I was hoping they'd all play together). The ultimate in American mediocrity. Fine, whatever. But on the stage with these people is a giant anarchy symbol. If that wasn't odd enough, there's Mickey Mouse dancing on the field to the music. The idea of Kelly Clarkson, Mickey Mouse, and Anarchy somehow doesn't go together. Or maybe it does in some sort of postmodern experiment showing that any symbol can be coopted for any reason and that any object, symbol, or thought can be turned into a commodity. Since the Republican Party has been engaged in America's most dangerous postmodern experiment for over 4 years now, it's not surprising that ABC and Disney would get together for one too.