I haven’t cleared out my cell phone’s MemoryStickâ„¢ in weeks.

I emptied it out this morning and found the “other” shots I made while we were still in South Carolina… While I used the big camera for pretty ocean pics – I used the cell phone camera to document the small – but telling artifacts of what I’m calling pop-conservative (“Pop-Con”) culture.

In a much better time in our collective past, before culture, religion and politics got all mixed up into one big, sore, festering, polarizing force – you’d call these items: RED NECK.

But it’s not that simple anymore. Is it?

It’s not some pudgy, (albeit cute), stand-up comedian with a speech impediment standing on a stage yelling “Get UR done”…. anymore.

Nope… Our flag, (which has been hijacked and turned into a brand), has been thrown so freakily out of context in order to sell a products that… well… I guess if I wasn’t already so disappointed and morbidly amused by it all,… I’d be offended.

Look at it like this:

If you reduce concepts such as “Freedom” and/or take the flag which has always represented said “Freedom” and treat it as a brand identity – what are you saying about “Freedom” itself?

Brands are a means to and end… To sell products….

“Just Do It”â„¢ – Sells tennis shoes.

“I’m a Pepper, You’re a Pepper.â„¢” Sells brown sweet fizzy water.

“Freedomâ„¢” Is being used to sell everything from a destructive, dishonest administration to, in this case, specialty rubbers.

But what happens when a brand is no longer effective?

Look at advertising history…. They’re dismissed like a cheap hooker.

When “Freedomâ„¢” stops selling – it too will be discarded… The brand.. not the Idea…

But what does it say about the folks who chose to wrap their: political regime, contraceptives, truck-stop speed, soda-pop, roofing company, ETC in this big-concept turned short-shelf-life brand?

Ummmm – I’m doing a lousy job at making a point here.

I really just wanted to culture-jam through observation, sans-commentary… and document the things I saw while we were in arguably the buckle of the bible belt.

I really don’t want to blog about it.