Grade This! - June 12, 2006
The latest news wrap-up: Apple cashes in on Inconvenient Truth, the Army cashes out on inconvenient policy.
Monday June 12, 2006
Apple Pays Gore to Think Different
Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth has been derided by some for its awkward detours into the former vice-president’s personal life – the teary-eyed story of his son’s car accident and his sister’s death from lung cancer. But perhaps what is really troubling are the frequent glamour shots of Apple computers. Gore has said that Tipper first suggested he convert his presentation into slides late in 2000, remarking, “Well, Mr. Information Superhighway, why don’t you put those slides on your laptop?” Forget Microsoft’s dreary PowerPoint software, Gore strictly used Apple’s Keynote. And this clearly made all the difference. The film’s coproducer, Lesley Chilcott assures us with “100% confidence” that “had he chosen to do this another way, the presentation in the movie would not be as dynamic.” In the film, Gore is shown, hopelessly contemplative, typing away at his sleek, sexy PowerBook. This Apple-love is peculiar until one considers that Gore is on Apple’s Board of Directors. He joined the “legendary” company in March 2003 – his first private sector gig. Oh, and Apple is using An Inconvenient Truth to promote Keynote sales.
Sleek, Sexy PowerBooks: A
The “New” Gore: A-
Cozy Product Placement without disclosure in film credits: C-
Microsoft PowerPoint: C
Submitted by Alex Halpern Levy, Wesleyan University
How To Fail in Interrogation by Not Really Trying
The Pentagon is revising the interrogation guidelines in the Army Field Manual. You would think that in the wake of the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha and continuing reports of improper treatment of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons, the military would want to give soldiers more stringent rules on how to interrogate prisoners. Nope. The Army has also omitted the language from Article 3 of the Geneva Convention prohibiting "humiliating and degrading treatment," from the manual. The Field Manual now has no mentions of the Geneva Convention or international law at all. Memo to Rumsfeld: pretending that international law does not exist does not make it go away!
International Law: B+
“Humiliating and degrading” prisoners: F
Morally distinguishing ourselves from the people we are fighting: A
Submitted by Julie Brinn Siegel, University of Pennsylvania
Live Free or Die
Organizers of the Manchester, New Hampshire, Memorial Day parade pulled the “Veterans for Peace” from the parade this year because the group wanted to march with signs that said “Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home.” According to the Manchester Union- Leader, police cruisers pulled up in front and blocked the veterans just as they were beginning to march. There were even some reports that the veterans were threatened with arrest. The veterans were eventually allowed to march at the end of the parade, without their signs. Shouldn’t former soldiers who have experienced war and have fallen comrades to mourn be able to share their views on the current war with the public on Memorial Day? More importantly shouldn’t people who actually risked their lives and fought for freedom of speech and assembly be able to exercise those rights during a publicly financed event? No silly! Apparently civic leaders in the "Live Free or Die" state need a civics lesson.
Veterans: A
People who threaten to arrest former soldiers for exercising the rights for which they fought: F
Fourth grade social studies: A
Submitted by Julie Brinn Siegel, University of Pennsylvania
Divide to Conquer
The Senate debated a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, again. It is a measure that, again, had no chance of passing. Here’s what boggles my mind—why did the Congressional leadership go along with the President on this? Conventional wisdom says that bringing up social issues will energize the conservative base. Just, there’s one problem. According to a May 18th Fox/Opinion dynamics poll Congress’s job approval rating has plummeted to 27%. I’m willing to bet that one of the reasons for this abysmal approval rating is a perception that Congress doesn’t do anything. The best way to fight this perception: debate a divisive proposal that has already been debated and holds no promise of approval, duh! Especially when there is an emergency $66 billion defense appropriations bill. And it’s not like delaying that could “begin to affect the conduct of the war in Iraq,” could it? Oh, it could? Well, at least we won’t have to worry about gay couples blowing up American troops and Iraqi civilians with exploding marriage licenses. Don’t you feel safer?
Congress (according to the American people): F
Playing politics with divisive, hurtful issues: F
Demagogic Senators making fools out of themselves: B (It’d be better if they just grew up, but we’ll settle for this)
Submitted by Julie Brinn Siegel, University of Pennsylvania
Got an item you’ve graded and want to submit it for the next wrap-up? Send your submissions to cpwebmaster@campusprogress.org.
Note: In the original version of this piece, the author misused the Latin phrase “quid-pro-quo” in the first item. He did not intend to imply that Al Gore was bribed by Apple to promote their products.
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Comments
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The Gore-Apple thing wasn’t a quid-pro-quo. The term means, literally, “something for something,” and for it to be a q-p-q, Apple would have had to give him the job, in 2000, with full knowledge that in six years Gore would make a movie about global warming that feature computers and software that Apple hadn’t yet invented.
Cool Latin Terms: B+
— Ezra - Jun 12, 09:25 PM - #Apple Powerbooks: A+
Apple Keynote: A+
Unfairly maligning Gore’s professional ethics: F
Thanks for the Latin lesson, Ezra. In common usage, quid-pro-quo is the understanding that something will be exchanged for something. Yes, in legal terms, both of these “somethings” are explicitly defined. But the usage in the Apple-Gore thing is perfectly correct – Apple gave Gore a cushy job, Gore shameless plugged Apple. The six year tim gap does not matter. And if you think that a harmless little Grade This “maligns” Gore’s ethics, then you need to lighten up.
— Ethan Moore - Jun 12, 09:50 PM - #Hey “Ethan” – if that is your real name – I guess I missed the National Grammar Association’s announcement that “shameless” could now be used as an adverb. Seriously, does the fact that Bill O’Reilly’s name ends in “ly” make it illegal for any flag-burning, tree-hugging, gay-marriaging liberal to affix that suffix to the end of an adjective?
P.S. Levy was write about quid-pro-quo
— G-money - Jun 12, 10:44 PM - #The insinuation’s the thing. Indeed, there’s no case for a quid-pro-quo here. Conflict of interest—you could make a case. Maybe. Quid pro quo? Simply incorrect. Q-P-Q means a bribe. If you think Apple let Gore on the board for payback in the future rather than publicity and political contacts at the time, you’re dreaming.
— Ezra - Jun 12, 10:45 PM - #