Just Something to Think About

Dear #yesallwomen:

How would you react to Mother's Day commercials trying to sell you vacuum cleaners or stand mixers? Would you find it demeaning and sexist? Stereotypical? Dare I even say ... gender normative?

Why, then, is it acceptable to run Father's Day commercials selling power tools for dad? Or lawn mowers. Or chainsaws.

I suspect we would see many tirades screeched and many hair-shirts donned if KitchenAid ran a commercial suggesting that Mom really wanted a new mixer for Mother's Day. Or if Dyson hinted that Mom wanted something that really did suck for her special day. The thought that we should get our parental units a traditional gender-appropriate work item would be met with, at best, stony silence if it were the female unit.

Yet make it a power tool for dad and everything is right with the world. Why is this? If you really want to break down gender stereotypes, *Mom* should be getting a chainsaw for Mother's Day, right? Why shouldn't Dad get a new bread machine for Father's Day? Or, even better, why not suggest that neither parent get a gender-*anything* present for either day - if that present means doing work.

Instead, by only showing offense at one particular gender stereotype, you lessen the effect of your message.

Then again, the beclowning of "teach men not to [bad action]" rather than teaching women to own their empowerment does that just right, too...

That is all.

So, You May Have Noticed...

The advertising has changed here at MArooned...

The GunUp and When the Balloon Goes Up banners have been removed. This is in no way, shape, or form a reflection on either institution; rather it is a desire on my part to avoid any connection with commercial enterprise with the gunnie world in my personal blog.

With that said, please welcome Sledgehammer Cycles to the banner at the top of the page.

This, of course, comes at an opportune time. My #1 Blogson has a conundrum about his next motorcycle:

So riddle me this, Harley riders all: should I buy the big-ass bile with all the bells and whistles (for bis-ass $$$) or should I get a modest bike for half the price and invest $1500 on a good seal with back rest for two up, bags, and a faring? I can plausibly install these (and floor boards) by myself. 

Personally, I counseled him to get the big-ass bike. I went from a mid-sized/smaller bike (1982 Honda Magna 750) to the BAH (Big Assed Harley) and I have never, not for an instant, regretted it. The Harley is, literally, ride-all-day comfortable - I've put as many as 400 miles on mine in one day without breaking a sweat. 100 miles on a small bike is *much* harder.

In any case, it's all good - enjoy whatever you get Borepatch!

That is all.

Well Played...

Whoever the marketing guru is at Rolling Stone magazine, I hope they got a week's paid vacation in Bermuda for this stroke of marketing genius...

Rolling Stone defends cover featuring Boston Marathon bombing suspect

CVS and Walgreens Ban an Issue of Rolling Stone

'Rolling Stone' defends Tsarnaev glam cover amid outcry

Tsarnaev on Rolling Stone cover: Rock-star treatment or good journalism?

Rolling Stone cover of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sparks controversy

Rolling Stone's Tsarnaev Cover: What's Stirring Such Passion?

Well done, Rolling Stone. The only way this could get better for you is if some foaming-at-the-mouth rightwinger (Savage? Beck? Limbaugh?) bought up a bunch of magazines and lit them on fire. You've managed to turn an aging has-been magazine most notable (pre-terrorist cover) for, well, I guess that song in the 1970s into something, well, kinda relevant... Whoever dreamed this up is a marketing genius - the buzz created by this cover will sell magazines for months, if not years. The more boycotts and refusals to sell the better - this is Tipper Gore's PMRC cranked up to 11, baby.

This is the equivalent of the "What caliber for bear" or "What gun should I get my girlfriend" posts on the gun forums of yore, with "Glock vs. 1911" and "9mm vs. .45 ACP" thrown in the mix as well. It's a stunt, pure and simple - he's posed a la Jim Morrison. About the only thing missing is a Che T-shirt. They knew this would create all kinds of controversy, and they're using it to jump-start their dead tree magazine like Dr. Frankenstein used lightning, baby. This will sell a million copies, and for every chain store that drops them, their cool factor jumps three notches. You think "2 Live Crew" would have ever had national airplay if their album wasn't banned?

Who knew that oh-so-counterculture Rolling Stone was so cynically capitalist?

That is all.

Tech(ish) Bleg...

You know, with all the ordering I do from Amazon, I really should oughta have one of those buttons here on MArooned so I can get a cut of my own sales... I know Unc's got one, but he's not on Blogger - anyone on Blogger have the Amazon widget thing? If so, how hard is it to set up - I drop a reasonable chunk through Amazon in a given month/year, and figure that most folks probably do as well.

Let me figure this out and get the widget straightened out, and we'll go from there...

That is all.

Crazy Question...

One of the things that was pretty hot at SHOT Show were morale patches - companies were giving them out as schwag, some offered humorous or military or LEO-themed patches for same, and I saw a few bloggers with custom patches made for their online soapboxes. One such blogger was my friend Richard over at BlueSheepdog, who was kind enough to give me one of his patches:

Pack with patch

Here's a close-up:

Patch alone

So here's the deal. I would dearly love to get a run of MArooned patches done. I'm thinking of the same general format as the above, only with the Robb Allen header cropped and text edited slightly (basically, remove the info text on the sides and have the full URL over my head). It'd be pretty cool to have *my* patch on my sling pack walking around the NRA convention...

Forgive the crappy editing, but this is a rough sketch:

Basic idea...

It's a VERY rough sketch - Robb has offered to help and will undoubtedly do a much better job - but that's the basic idea. I'd rather see "www.MA-rooned.com" over my head, but it could stay simply MArooned... Now, though, here's the tough part...

It's a lot of cash to drop, and things are a little on the tight side right now. I've talked to the folks that made Richard's cool patch - the good people at MilSpec Monkey - and they've got a special price for a minimum order of 50 units. I'm wondering if there's be enough interest in patches to at least cover part of the cost - if a couple dozen folks wanted patches at cost ($5 shipped), that'd be enough to cover more than half the cost.

So, I ask: Is there any interest in a MArooned morale patch?

That is all.

Like Another Can of Beans...

So I'm checking my Sitemeter stats (I'm not an addict! I can quit any time!) and the ad at the top of the page catches my eye. It's for the newly redesigned Porsche 911:

They've done a pretty decent job with the styling over the years; giving it just enough of an update now and again that the look doesn't look outdated, yet maintains the same basic shape and signature cues of the 911. But what struck me was that Porsche was advertising on a webpage banner like so many online lonely hearts groups or weight-loss programs. Porsche banner ads.

Now, Porsche has advertised on television for years, and in print magazines, but to see them advertised like every other commodity, well, I guess it's a sign of the times. The 911 especially - they've had "entry level" Porsches for decades, the 914, 924, and the Boxster, to name a few; the 911 has always been the flagship.

I suppose it could be a good sign; that online media is mature, established, and here to stay that a company that has traditionally been reticent with their advertising dollars is confident enough in the return on investment to pony up for online advertising. Or it could be that the economy has affected even Ferdinand Porsche's upscale sports car company to the point where they have to pinch pennies.

In any case, if anyone from Porsche happens to see this and would like to arrange a T&E 911, I'm receptive to the cause...

That is all.

New Ad!

If you'll cast your eyes rightward, you'll see a new MArooned supporter in the list. Michael of the eponymous Michael's Holster Site and I have done some horse trading, resulting in a new ad on the sidebar for Michael and something shiny in the mail for me... Yes, I'm being coy, because Michael has created a one-of-a-kind holster for me and I'm waiting to receive it before I say anything else. I've reviewed Michael's Executive II here at MArooned, and it has become my go-to holster when I'm carrying the Snubbie from Hell™ or the Ruger LCR IWB...

So go check out the many fine offerings from Michael!

That is all.

AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Alternate title: Things that should not be, part II.

Watch this commercial, then tell me what's wrong with it:



Got it yet? Yeah, that's Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down". Being used to sell a goddamned Jeep. Government Motors Lite is using Johnny Cash's song about redemption - or lack thereof - and how it comes to all men, the great and the small, the sinner and saint to sell a friggin' POS Jeep. Unreal.

I'm partial to this version (embedding, unfortunately, disabled). The celebrities in the video have all struggled with their own demons, and it's amazing to see the lives Johnny Cash touched. Much better than seeing the song appropriated for a company that can't even ship their products with matching fenders.

Gah. It's too early in the morning to start drinking, isn't it?

That is all.

Welcome to MArooned

Just taking a moment to draw your attention to a new sponsor here at MArooned:

Hunter Safety

They've got online Hunter Safety Courses for numerous states, and free prep courses available for others. Pretty neat stuff, and they've even got a test rifle, shotgun, and archery range - which are pretty addictive, so be warned.

Gotta get the MA and NH Hunter Safety Courses set up there and I'll be in good shape!

That is all.

Little Tip...

If the "advertisement" you are using on your web page is one of those bloody "pop-over" types that takes up the entire page and has a "Close" link that's two microns tall, I will leave your page so fast it leaves digital vapor trails, and I will make a mental note to never visit again. Look, I of all people understand the need and want for advertisement on one's web page. However, it doesn't have to be obnoxious; it shouldn't dwarf the actual content; and it DAMN well better not freeze up whatever computer I'm using, even if it's an archaic terminal PC. When you annoy your customers (readers), you lose them.

Just a free piece of advice from someone who does marketing for a living...

That is all.

Please Note!

Sportsman's Guide has renewed their advertising spot here on the right sidebar, but with a new promotion:

Find 380 ammo at SportsmansGuide.com

It wasn't all that long ago you couldn't find .380 ACP ammo anyhere, but now it's in stock at Sportsman's Guide at very reasonable prices!

That is all.