Re: <nettime> So what is Otpor doing?

[Benjamin Geer <benjamin.geer@gmail.com>]

On 06/06/05, Ivo Skoric <ivo@balkansnet.org> wrote:
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1499871,00.html

The article says:

> "Our idea was to use corporate branding in politics," said Mr
> Marovic of Serbia's Otpor, which has become the model for
> parallel movements across the region.  "The movement has
> to have a marketing department. We took Coca-Cola as our model."

I wonder if they need to use Coca-Cola-style marketing just because it's the only thing people respond
to in a word dominated by consumer culture, or also because these movements seek to establish
capitalist liberal democracy in order to permit consumer culture to develop more fully.  ("What is our
goal? To hold free elections, create a free society.")  And are there limits to the analogy?  Would
they make posters promising people a happy love life if they support the opposition?  And would that
be any different from the French May 68 slogan "Sous les pav=E9s, la plage" (i.e. making barricades is
fun, like a day at the beach)?  Is the use of people's libido for political purposes dishonest,
manipulative and degrading, or (perhaps from a Deleuzian perspective) is it on the contrary the
essence of political emanciaption?

Ben


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