Thursday, July 18, 2013

How do you boycott something no one reads?

You might have heard about Rolling Stone's newest cover boy, a fella by the name of Dzhohkar Tsarnaev. Predictably, a lot of people aren't amused and about half the usual places where you might buy a Rolling Stone are refusing to carry this particular issue.

Hell, I think you have to give Rolling Stone credit. I haven't had the inclination to discuss anything they've published for years, and neither has much of anyone else for a rather long time now, so this ginned up controversy is a master stroke. It's almost a pop culture version of the stunt The Progressive magazine pulled back in the 1970s, when they published instructions for making a hydrogen bomb and managed to get themselves hauled into federal court. If you're an old dude like me, you might remember this cover:

It's the bomb!
While the cases aren't exactly analogous, especially since the likelihood of Rolling Stone getting hauled into court is just about nil, the editorial thought process involved is certainly the same -- what can we do to get people talking about our publication? Giving a terrorist's self-photograph the Glamor Shots treatment and putting on the cover is a pretty savvy way to do it.

The thing is, once this issue turns into fish wrap and the next issue comes, Rolling Stone will need another sensational cover subject. So let's take a poll -- what figure of outrage should RS put on its next cover?

Who should be the next controversial Rolling Stone cover subject?
  
pollcode.com free polls 

Vote early, vote often -- it's the American way!

2 comments:

Gino said...

admittedly, i voted for myself, because its legal to do so...

3john2 said...

It's all designed,
to blow Gino's mind,
but his mind won't really be blown,
Like the blow that will getcha
When he gets his picture
on the cover of The Rolling Stone.