The Washington Post has a good roundup and discussion of some of the funnier Rick Perry “Strong” ad parodies. To those, I would add this (NSFW) ad from funny or die, and the Bad Lip Reading ad:
The article points out that the ad is aimed at the Christian conservative base, and acts as a “dog whistle” to those voters, but it has inspired countless parodies at the hands of the “Millennial generation, showcasing their expertise in creating new media and their education in the use of humor as politics by years of watching Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.”
I’m not sure if making political video ads is confined to the Milennials, who, as the article points out, are overwhelmingly politically progressive, but I do think it marks an interesting shift in the ways these things get disseminated, as well as a difference in political strategy between left and right.
The right has long had talk radio and other news outlets, and the mode of rhetorical attack has been Rush Limbaugh-style derision and ridicule, and an appeal to “traditional” values, which usually refers to a particular (evangelical) Christian ideal of a simpler more homogenous past that never existed.
The left has never been able to harness the same sort of passion, as progressive issues don’t lend themselves well to yelling, talking over callers, or ostracizing others. Parody and satire have become the tools of the left, led, as the article suggests, by the likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. How else to counter the claims and rhetorical devices of the right than to make fin of them and point out their flaws?
This is nothing new, but the participation of anyone with video editing software and a microphone changes everything. In 2004, when Howard Dean’s campaign essentially ended after the awkward scream after the Iowa caucuses, it was the mainstream media that started the meme.
This was an instance of pure appeal to affect. His downfall had nothing to do with policy or politics, but with this endlessly repeated scream broadcast on every channel, and then on the internet. Parody videos work the same way. There is no way to counter Perry’s stance on logical grounds, as his is an appeal to emotion. Parody works the same way to belittle the message and the messenger.
Eight years later, the internet leads the charge. The Rick Perry ad was made for television and aired on major networks. The parodies are distributed via Youtube and other video sharing sites. Where in 2004, parody videos existed but were on the margins, in 2011, they have much greater potential to undermine well-orchestrated policital media campaigns.
As the campaign season continues, I would expect to see many more of these, probably from both the right and left. With the Supreme Court demolishing any limits on campaign financing, we will see unprecedented tv and radio spots. Given that environment, I wonder if we will see the mainstreaming of parody such as this, if a political group decides to air these sorts of ads instead of (or in addition to) the straight attack or advocacy ads we are used to.
