Three Comments On the "Is McCain Filling His Ads With Subliminal Racist Imagery?" Controversy

Jesse Walker | August 6, 2008

1. Even if someone intends to insert hidden messages into an ad, that doesn't mean any viewers will actually assimilate them. History is filled with political propaganda and marketing campaigns that fell flat.

2. Even if someone doesn't intend to insert hidden messages into an ad, that doesn't mean viewers won't absorb them anyway. History is filled with inattentive audiences, unexpected effects, and pop-culture images that escaped their creators to take on a life of their own.

3. If you want to see what impacts the ads are having—intended and otherwise—watch how they're received, reused, and discussed outside the pundit class. You can be sure that's what the people who actually made the clips will be doing.

Bonus fourth comment: Could we retire the phrase "the race card" already? It rivals only "throw [X] under the bus" as the most annoying cliché of the year.