Brand Destruction Research and My Irish Ancestors

[Who Were Probably Enslaved By My English Ancestors But Nobody's Talking]

I'm trying not to reprint every bit of Mike Wagner's How Bloggers Can Save Civilization, but it's so good I'm really having a difficult time holding back:

Bloggers remind me of the Irish. Traditional mass media types remind me of the Romans.

When the Romans first encountered the Irish they had no idea what to do with them. The Irish stripped before battle, rushed their enemy naked wearing only sandals and a torc – a twisted golden neck ornament.

Urged on by the annoying sound of their pipers, the Irish fanatics looked less than human. They even had a name for this transformation – it was called the “warp-spasm”. Howling like demons they charged the Roman Legions.

Bloggers are not much different. They confront radio, TV and print journalists along with broadcast advertisers. They can be stripped down to their pajamas (or maybe less – you never know), seated before their computers, muttering unrecognizable utterances. Urged on by the prolific postings of their champions: Robert, Seth, Steve, Doc, Guy, et al, they charge into the blogosphere shaping opinion, building brands, and transforming business...

As it turned out, the Romans were the one’s about to disappear. Their poets were deliberately unoriginal, their thinkers were cynical, their leaders were corrupt, and their institutions top heavy with bureaucracy. The brutal fact was they had lost touch with the people.

Mike closes with a series of questions, including one that speaks directly to the inspiration for Brand Destruction Research:
Will the blogosphere keep creativity alive while defending idealism against “bottom line only” thinking?

Though folks may not see it yet, that's exactly what I'm trying to do in my own counterintuitive manner.

My apologies to Mike for jacking so much of his excellent post.  I won't make it a habit.  Please do click through to his post for the live links as well as the complete discussion and related comments.

Mike Wagner blogs at own your brand

Comments

[Michael Wagner]

Clyde - honored that you liked the analogy so much. When the connection between bloggers and the Irish hit me it was just too tasty not to write up.

Take all you want, any time you want.

Thanks for enlarging the conversation!

[Clyde Smith]

Thank you for not bashing my oddball project!

[Michael Wagner]

Love this project. There is power in creating discontent. And some walls need to be brought down. You can't get "saved" till you are sufficiently lost. And you're not ready to learn till you are sufficiently confused.

You're on to something here.

Keep at it Clyde! And thank you for your encouragement toward my work as well!

[rafi]

nice find.