Now, there's an attention-grabbing title for you!
Gotta work my way into this one. A while back, I wrote about how conferences make me really depressed. I often read the entire enterprise as a text when I go to these things--right down to the nylon name badge holders, bags, rubber chicken meals and freebies from vendors. My reading of the way these items weave themselves into a narrative centered on the theme of the professional gathering is really depressing: none of us is interesting, nothing we are doing here matters, and we are all going to die. Every piece of conference ephemera--note pads, conference programs, little pens, lapel mics, plastic pitchers of water--the whole depressing thing reminds me of our insignificance and mortality. The worst part is listening to people sharing ideas after sessions, getting excited about what it all means. (I'm a teacher for heaven's sake--that kind of talk is supposed to be uplifting for me; instead, I think back to Winston Smith chatting with Julia about the updates to Newspeak after a Party meeting). I've stopped sharing this observation with my fellow conference-goers, as they invariably find it off putting, annoying, or just depressing.
So... my Dad's bag. You see, my Dad was an Assistant Attorney General in a previous administration--he ran the largest department of the DOJ (Criminal Division--now you can narrow it down and figure out who he is if you're good at Googling, and you'll nail it if you are good at timelines based on historical events). So, I am sure my Dad wasn't depressed or philosophical at the "Strengthening the Public Safety Response to Terrorism" conference in 1998 while he was AAG. But check out the graphic on the bag! I mean, whoa!
Three years before 9/11, but five years after the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing, some graphic designer plopped this hastily-constructed design on a nylon bag. Not only is the bullseye on the right building--it's eerily in the right spot. Part of me wonders if that guy or gal remembered making that design on the morning of September 11, 2001. It's just freaky.
Well, my Dad still uses this bag. He did agree that the image on the bag is a little ominous. But so far I am the only one who is really weirded out by it.
[My guess is that the phrase "freaky terrorism bag" might get picked up by some Homeland Security web worm--if you're reading this, please read the whole thing and realize there isn't anything dangerous here!]
2 comments:
Might want to change the title to "...ANTI-Terrorism Bag"? :))
You're right, the design is eerily inappropriate, given what was coming in three years.
I'm in complete agreement with pretty much everything you write here, from the conference impressions to the creepy, prescient logo. On a canvas bag, for real????
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