Advertising and the Myth of the Meritocracy

Purchase the Proper Boots With Which to Pull Yourself By the Bootstraps by Kameelah Janan Rasheed. Photo by Luna Park.

This past week, we've seen the myth of American meritocracy on full display for the lie it is. Politicians and their wealthy donors are about to overhaul the tax system to give their children even greater inheritances, while simultaneously increasing the costs of higher education and health insurance, all further cementing existing structures of privilege.

With that tax bill on the horizon, it feels especially fitting to install this poster by Kameelah Janan Rasheed, who says "'Purchase the Proper Boots With Which to Pull Yourself By the Bootstraps' is one of four posters from the 2014 project How to Suffer Politely (and Other Etiquette), a series of satirical gestures. How to Suffer Politely (and Other Etiquette) examines how expressions of anger and resistance to racialized violence are regarded as 'impolite' in order to maintain social order. Informed by etiquette guides that advise one to prioritize the needs of others before one’s own, these satirical sayings command the performance of exceptional self-control and triumph under traumatic circumstances. Inserted into public spaces in the place of advertisements, 'Purchase the Proper Boots With Which to Pull Yourself By the Bootstraps' acts as a not so polite intervention of traditional ad signage."

Advertising is deeply intertwined with American ideals of selfishness, consumption, and debt, and the myth of a meritocracy. From an early age, we're taught to buy more, to buy for ourselves, to judge others on the things they own, and that we all start out on equal footing. That doesn't come only from advertising, but ads both rely on and reinforce those concepts. Beyond that, as Rasheed points out, advertising reinforces the worst of our prejudices.

Purchase the Proper Boots With Which to Pull Yourself By the Bootstraps is a satire in the vein of the billboards in They Live. But, with the way we cling to the myth that "anyone can make it in America" and define ourselves by the things we buy, you've got to wonder... if Timberland stole Rasheed's language and added a logo, would it sell boots?

Your Friends Have Got Your Back, Ads Don't

Artwork by Alex Krokus. Photo by Luna Park.

Plenty of ads prey on insecurities. They say, "If you buy him a Coke, he'll be your friend," and "If you wear that shirt, she'll think you're cool." But Alex Krokus' comic turns that around. He told us, "Advertising preys on the depressed, the hungry and the unfulfilled. I made this comic for Art in Ad Places proposing an alternative to how to reach out to those individuals. What if instead of struggling to buy happiness alone, they had a community that gave them a sense of belonging and support? What if instead of advertisements, a billboard's only intent was to make us laugh? Or think? Or have a conversation?"

And there's something that feels just a bit absurd, in the best way, about having this comic in a pay phone, in a space normally reserved to grab your attention and make you feel bad. It's incongruous. It doesn't shout at you. But, for the curious who stop and spend a moment with it, there's a gift.

Artwork by Alex Krokus. Photo by Luna Park.

Surveillance is Everything

Metal Eye by Chris "Daze" Ellis. Photo by Luna Park.

At first, we thought that Chris "Daze" Ellis to participate in Art in Ad Places would be exciting because it would be a tie to historic New York City subway graffiti, but his poster, Metal Eye, also turned out to reference the (likely) future of NYC public space.

He told us:

"On a day to day basis we are all inundated with an endless stream of advertising. Every space seems to be utilized to see or promote something. Many times this creates a state of sensory overload. It's like several people screaming for your attention at the same time. I enjoyed participating in this project because it gave me the opportunity to invade a space that normally would be devoted to advertising. The image of the metallic 'Eye' is perfect in today's society where surveillance is everything."

We couldn't agree more. And, as more and more phone booths are replaced by LinkNYC towers (eventually, they will all be, that's why the folks behind LinkNYC also manage the payphone infrastructure), that urban surveillance is only increasing, and getting more deeply tethered to our consumption of advertising. The folks at Rethink LinkNYC want us to better understand what these towers are bringing: Advertising, microphones, bluetooth beacons, and video cameras, all for the benefit of Google. What do we get in exchange? Free wifi, for those who choose to use it. Because, apparently, NYC doesn't have enough coffee shops with free wifi. Let's press pause on LinkNYC, at the very least, before this new surveillance system is everywhere. And check out Rethink LinkNYC for more.

And yes, we still got a photo with a train in the background. Had to.

Metal Eye by Chris "Daze" Ellis. Photo by Luna Park.

Whose Faces Do We See?

O Ka Mea Ho'ōkahi Iwi (Portrait of Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu) by Ian Kuali'i. Photo by Luna Park.

Art in Ad Places is, at least in part, about the question of representation. Whose faces are we seeing in public space? Some of the same questions being asked across the country about monuments celebrating racism and racists, or just a single group of people (mostly, it seems, white dudes on horses), apply to the other ways in which we take in other kinds of information in public space. For example, through advertising. And also through street art.

This week, we have two posters by Ian Kuali'i. While Ian has made plenty of beautiful papercuts, these two seem particularly appropriate for public space, because they highlight amazing who haven't been celebrated in public monuments (yet). Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu and Chief Vincent 'Eagle Spirit' Mann are the kinds of people whose faces should be gracing billboards. Instead, we get ads for butt lifts and beer. But, at least for a few days, we get them instead.

Here's what Ian has to say about Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu:

"Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu or simply Kumu Hina is a Mahu/Transgender Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian/Chinese teacher, cultural practitioner and community leader whose boundless love and mana for her people has helped empower the Mauna A Wakea and the Hawaiian Sovereignty movements through dance, chant and the mele/song she composed 'Ku Ha'aheo E Ku'u Hawai'i' which serves as the rally song for the lahui. The struggle to project our sacred mountain and our identity as a sovereign illegally occupied island nation still carries on till this very day."

And Chief Vincent 'Eagle Spirit' Mann:

"Chief Vincent ‘Eagle Spirit’ Mann of the Ramapough Lenape Turtle Clan spearheaded efforts to force the Ford Motor Company to renew remediation at a 500-acre site it had contaminated in the 1960s to the early 1970s. Chief Mann continues to serve as a passionate advocate for his people and the environment. Chief Mann and the rest of the Ramapough Lenape Nation have erected the Split Rock Sweet Water Prayer Camp in Mahwah, New Jersey to protect their ancestral homelands and educate the public on the impending crisis of the AIM and Pilgrim Pipeline that threaten the water supply to millions of residents in the New York/New Jersey Area."

We're glad that Ian have given us the chance to celebrate them both.

Portrait of Turtle Clan Chief Vincent 'Eagle Spirit' Mann of the Ramapough Lenape Nation by Ian Kuali'i. Photo by Luna Park.

Just Wing It

Artwork by Yok and Sheryo. Photo by Luna Park.

Simple question: Why do we need permission from a state bureaucracy to modify public space? As members of the public, don't we have that right? Plus, as Yok and Sheryo have pointed out, isn't it just more fun to carve your own path? Not to sound all libertarian, but public space is a place for the public to define and develop, with assistance from the state. If the state has made a mistake, sometimes the public just has to make it right. The thrill of taking action isn't bad either.

Here's what Sheryo and Yok have to say about it all:

"Ads invade our public spaces and make us feel less about ourselves. Why do they get the right to tell us what to do and how to feel? Our piece for Art in Ad Places is a cheeky public service message that might inspire people to do what they want without waiting for permission to do it. Sometimes it's just more fun to do things without permission. No guidelines, no boxes to check. Just wing it."