Battleangel

Isn’t that a descriptive title for a change. Ok. Maybe not self-explanatory but still. Lets waste no bandwidth and get right to the gripe of the day then.

A while ago I discovered that the local university was handing out free newspapers. Now, how can that be a bad thing you ask? Well it can be a disaster if you exist in a system where there is a constant struggle of class, politics and ideals. Where the subsystems constantly are making colonization attempt into other subsystems. A system where every item has a sociological “charge”, i.e. it represents something more than what it actually is.

So, it turns out this paper is Swedish tabloid wannabe “Aftonbladet”. A regular rag, usually with front page stories of colossal font size and minimal newsworthiness. I can’t think of an international equivalent of this paper. Maybe “The Sun” would do it if you live in the UK. I really can’t say.
Anyway, the dilemma is clear. As nice as it is to get freebies, most things in life come with a hidden agenda, and sometimes a very dark agenda no matter how innocent the packaging looks.

(1) I was originally gonna call this little story “proletarian press”. But that is only one aspect of the problem I am facing.
And I wouldn’t want to accentuate this rift because I feel that it (“class”) is in fact a sociological construct (very much like the excessively talked about term “race”). I.e. if you stop believing in the construct then it will be no more. A bit like Santa Claus and his merry elves.
Too bad you can’t easily rally millions to think alike just by snapping your fingers and undo centuries of history. Sociological change is slow and for good reasons. But that is not the subject of this story.
Nevertheless, the political affiliation is one of the pillars that support this rag of a newspaper. It is a social democratic newspaper and this is something that no one is questioning or trying to hide, but still well worth pointing out.

(2) Furthermore, the rag in question is part tabloid. This is also something that no one is questioning.
Maybe I have it all figured wrong. Maybe I unfairly place universities on a pedestal. But I feel this act has seriously damaged the academic reputation of this rather young and vulnerable university. A university that is already hard pressed to prove itself among much older, respectable and established universities.

(3) Also, I am one of those that believe that if you are employed in public service, for example television or education, it is unthinkable to display political or religious sentiments. When you start breaking that rule we are all faced with the problem of having to balance one extreme with another just to bring back status quo. Some places in society are out of bounds for ideological and commercial competition for a good reason.

(4) As an additional objection there is the matter of unsolicited advertising. Even if I disregard all that this newspaper stands for this little campaign can’t last forever and must be seen as a product sample aimed at getting ppl hooked. Hopefully making them want to buy the product in the future. And since the target audience here is still relatively young (around 19-20) there is a chance it will change the habits of the audience. (5) Additionally, it falsifies and boosts statistics data for the newspaper in question if they subsidise the giveaway of free copies.

I bet if I started handing out Hustler or Playboy they wouldn’t be as lenient. Not that it would be that much different in theory from what is going on right now. Well, maybe that is what it takes to open the eyes of some people. Just think about it.

Now THAT was a rant! :blah: