Mooninite-gate: the road not taken

Who knew they were cartoons, and when did they know it?

Times devalues Globe. What's next?

13 Comments

• Gonz said:

  You've gone off the deep end again, Reilly. This has nothing to do with how it was spun/reported/perceived and everything to do with the fact that a bunch of morons thought it was a good idea to hide these things on bridges, at subway stations and in other heavily trafficked areas that could easily be “soft targets.” I’m all for guerilla marketing and clever ideas. This, though, was pure idiocy. Had they hung these signs from a tree, or made them less suspicious looking, then maybe you might have a real beef with the media or the city. But to place them in such sensitive locations defies reason, and there’s no one to blame but the folks at Turner and Interference Inc.
  February 1, 2007 4:40 PM

• Adam said:

  Gonz, you'll get no argument from me about the foolishness of the ad campaign. Still, given that a foolish ad campaign is all it really was, I think it's fair to ask whether the press helped people realize that ASAP or, conversely, maintained the collective agitation for longer than necessary.
  February 1, 2007 4:47 PM

• jvwalt said:

  Both sides deserve blame, but at least the folks at Turner have taken their share. Yes it was a foolish ad campaign; but the authorities have a responsibility to react proportionately to potential threats. Even if nobody in the Boston PD, FD, or city government has ever seen "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," it's hard to imagine these little Lite-Brite contraptions could be mistaken for terrorist devices. One point out of many: If someone wanted to blow up a bridge, why put a bunch of lights on the device? Why not make it as inconspicuous as possible? One of the most tiresome elements of the post-9/11 world is how the authorities refuse to ever admit that they have overreacted to a situation. Which they did yesterday in Boston. Re: the media... I'm not surprised that nobody in official ranks could recognize a Mooninite, but I'd think that somebody in one of the TV newsrooms would have done so, and raised the question. Might have brought the situation to a much quicker conclusion.
  February 1, 2007 5:18 PM

• Rick said:

  I think the most overlooked part of this is the fact these things were put up days, if not weeks, ago. Shouldn't we be equally concerned that they went unnoticed by Greater Boston law enforcement, whose job in this day and age of heightened security, as we keep being told, includes monitoring sensitive infrastructure such as roads and bridges and transit stations?
  February 1, 2007 5:25 PM

• Aaron said:

  I think Rick's hit the nail on the head. If it was no big deal for two weeks, why was it suddenly a threat to our way of life yesterday? Anyways, Adam, I think you've got a point...but at the same time, imagine this scenario. You're one man, you've got twelve bombs, and you want to wreak a lot of havoc in the city. That means all twelve bombs have to go off at the same time. Or perhaps staggered over a few hours, but no more than that. But you can't plant all 12 bombs without being busted that quickly. So you have to disguise them somehow. Granted, disguising as a Mooninite is not a good disguise; draws too much attention. But hell, we've seen terrorists do dumbass things before; lighting a shoe on fire to detonate plastic explosive while on a plane??? Not a very smart plan - too easy to be noticed, too easy to disrupt. The upshot is, until the cops know for SURE there's no bomb hidden behind the LED frowny face, they have to assume there is a bomb. And I, for one, completely agree with that philosophy. Personally, I also think this situation calls for a message to be sent. No matter what fine Turner is assessed, they'll make more money in free publicity off this dumbass stunt. So I say there should be arrest warrants issued for the entire board of directors of Turner Broadcasting. They're the bosses, so they bear responsibility for the actions of their company. They set foot in Massachusetts, it's the paddywagon for them. Menino's already on record (saw it in the Metro this morning) that this sort of hoax is a felony offense punishable by 2 to 5 years in prison. Sounds perfect to me. Let these corporate idiots know that they damn well ought to know better than try stupidass stunts like this.
  February 1, 2007 5:37 PM

• Gonz said:

  Adam, Not buying the argument that "a foolish ad campaign is all it really was." Perhaps, in conception, that’s all it really was. But, in practice, it turned out to be something much more damaging--maybe not in terms of lives lost or physical destruction, but certainly in terms of our collective psyche. Paul McMorrow, from the Dig, just called to tell me that he’s going on Greater Boston later to talk about this and “how ridiculous the city is.” It’s McMorrow’s contention that the “bombs” didn’t look like “bombs.” The problem is, bombs don’t look like anything anymore. They aren’t sticks of dynamite with clocks attached. They can be bottles of fluid or a finite amount of plastic that looks like a wad of gum. Hell, in Vietnam, they used to stick landmines inside of dolls. They didn’t look like bombs? Well McMorrow doesn’t look like a moron, either, but... And I’m starting to worry about you, too, Reilly. As I said above, had they put these things in less suspicious places, it might have been different. Now, could the press have been quicker to tell the public that they were in no danger? Sure. I’ll stipulate that point. But from the moment the first report went out to the moment the all-clear sign was given, only a few hours passed. How much quicker would you have them be? Not to mention the fact that the press could only report what it saw, and what it saw was guys in Kevlar trying to pull unknown objects off of sensitive locations. And as for City Hall and the first-responders, I’m glad they sent the bomb squad out. I’m glad they erred on the side of caution. I’m glad, because, the last thing we want is for them to fail to take action in a real emergency. And if they did fail to take action in a real emergency, the same people who are criticizing their over-reaction now--I’m yelling in your direction, McMorrow and Reilly--would have skewered them for that, instead. One final thing: The two jackasses who actually planted the devices pleaded not guilty a short time ago. I don’t think they’re anything more than Oswald-type patsies. But when asked questions by the press, they didn’t say “no comment” or “our lawyer has advised us against answering questions at this time.” Instead, they mugged for the cameras and glibly told the world that they would only answer questions about their hair. Their fucking hair. No remorse. No contrition. Just another middle finger to Boston. You want to talk about your hair? I’m sure the boys in the state pen will be more than happy to discuss it with you, you miserable, half-wit jerkoffs. Enjoy.
  February 1, 2007 7:03 PM

• Adam said:

  Gonz, you're killing me! I'm not saying this whole episode shows Boston is ridiculous, or retarded, or whatever Dig-esque word you want to use. I'm saying info that might have eased public concerns didn't get out as quickly as it should. Exploring that doesn't mean I think the ad campaign wasn't stupid (it was) or that freaking out an entire metro area is hilarious (it isn't).
  February 1, 2007 8:15 PM

• paul said:

  Gonz- First of all, I won't be on Greater Boston tonight. Which is fine, because I'm sure it's a lot easier for Harvey Silverglate to lampoon this whole thing than it is for me; I'm not quite sure how to ask the mayor to put his cock away in a way that won't get GBH's license pulled, but I'm confident that Harvey does. That said, I'm wondering if all this anger is because your mom never bought you a Lite Brite when you were a littl'un. These two kids were retards for putting their toys up on bridges and such, but they're absolutely right to openly mock the media scrum this morning. The fact that they're being prosecuted for what they did is absurdist, and the proceedings don't deserve to be treated with anything less than contempt. Why is it that we're the only city where these LED boards have ignited bomb scares? Because it IS possible for common fucking sense and caution to coexist, and you shouldn't pretend otherwise.
  February 1, 2007 9:05 PM

• jvwalt said:

  What was more responsible to the "damage to our collective psyche" -- the devices, or the extreme reaction to their discovery? The authorities (and the media) deserve some -- not all, but some -- of the blame. And I do think the prosecution has more to do with CYA than with justice. I've also heard, but cannot confirm, that these devices were posted in several cities around the country, and somehow only set off a terror scare in Boston.
  February 1, 2007 9:10 PM

• jvwalt said:

  Found a reference to other cities in the Christian Science Monitor: "Bloggers claim they were the first to suspect that the "suspicious packages" weren't bombs. In fact, some had been blogging about the Mooninite marketing campaign for weeks, given that similar Mooninite signs had been sighted in other cities over the past couple of weeks." So are Boston's authorities more vigilant, or more easily befuddled, than their colleagues elsewhere?
  February 1, 2007 9:16 PM

• Gonz said:

  McMorrow, I agree. It is possible for "common fucking sense and caution to coexist." No one is pretending otherwise. But you shouldn't give the yahoos behind this a pass because your default position (not to mention place of employment) dictate that you reflexively lash out at the government/the media/anyone with a pulse. Lash out at the right people, and I’ll be behind you. You can do it. I (kinda) believe in your ability to think critically. You want someone to dress down? Start, perhaps, with standing in front of the mirror and giving the what-for to the asshole looking back at you. Also, my mom got me an Easy Bake Oven. That was good enough.
  February 1, 2007 9:42 PM

• John Galt said:

  Whatever happens in the wake, as the city and state demand retribution, the international perception of Boston as a totally wussified city, and its employees as double digit morons is gelling; solidifying while the horse laughs.
  February 2, 2007 12:20 PM

• paul said:

  Gonzalez- fucking come fight me. right now.
  February 2, 2007 11:04 PM

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