by Billy Sunshine

Created on: February 12, 2007   Last Updated: December 09, 2008

I think that Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens, the two alleged perpetrators of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force "bomb scare" in Boston, are being unjustly persecuted by the media for Cartoon Network's stunt.

It is all a question of intent; These 2 men were trying to make a little money assisting in a guerrilla marketing campaign, not create a huge panic. Heaven help us if someone can be arrested because someone else perceives their actions as threatening. Considering the extremist Police reaction, I can see why they would not want to immediately announce involvement in the gag to the Bomb Squad.

I will concede that the raw construction of the Mooninite signs could be reminiscent of some cartoon depiction of a bomb, but a lot of other objects could also achieve this same look. Don't let me ruin your day by describing all of the scary ways C-4(plastic explosive) could be shaped and disguised to look like other things; The point is, if you think that seeing wires sticking out is a good indicator of whether you're looking at a bomb or not, you could be in for a big surprise. I don't know that they always have digital clocks attached to them, either, so don't base your decision on that.

To me, the signs seems like nothing more than pieces of high-tech graffiti that cost Boston nearly a million dollars, and in the end, were removed without scrubbing. And it didn't even help Cartoon Network's ratings much.

In a media world where the viewer is constantly utilizing TiVo and the fast forward button to avoid commercials, advertisers have had to come up with new methods to display their products. Product placement is one technique that is becoming more prevalent, and commercials are getting more elaborate and expensive as well. Advertisers are spending a lot of money figuring out how to get their messages to you, despite your best efforts to avoid them.

Attention grabbing tricks such as the one employed by Cartoon Network make perfect sense in a culture that is as utterly desensitized as America is. I just hate to wonder what they'll think of next.

Learn more about this author, Billy Sunshine.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.