Video: When bad flash presentations happen to good causes
posted at 6:57 pm on February 3, 2007 by Allahpundit
It’s from the Terrorism Awareness Center, which apparently seeks to discourage jihad by associating the concept with headaches. The radioactive color scheme, the loop of bombastic Germanic music, and a sledgehammer of Nazi imagery from the very first frame — they’ve got the facts on their side, but it’s so overbearing that it ends up making the truth look like propaganda. No mean feat.
Imagine someone stumbling upon this who’s ignorant about Iran but has heard the left accuse the right of stirring up irrational fears about the magnitude of the threat. What would he/she conclude?
Click the image to watch.
Blowback
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Wow, did Bryan contact them and give him a price to fix that up a bit?
RightWinged on February 3, 2007 at 7:06 PM
I liked it quite a bit. But as you pointed out, I know all of this already, so it only preaches to the choir with me.
I suppose it could be to overbearing and over the top for someone new to all of this.
I wonder if they tried to measure the effect this had on a test group prior to releasing it.
Marketing majors could probably give a lot of insite to this and help in future releases.
EFG on February 3, 2007 at 7:07 PM
I that is a good, brief history of this long war.
Zorro on February 3, 2007 at 7:12 PM
I know that eating-too-much-taco-bell dump shade of green is sacred to Islam, but it reminded me too much of an eating-too-much-taco-bell dump.
Savage on February 3, 2007 at 7:13 PM
..not too bad, except for the music. It would be effective, I think, for older folks in denial or unaware of the full extent of Islamomania. For the 70+ crowd, the Nazi linkage would probably be an epiphany-inducing thing.
G on February 3, 2007 at 7:14 PM
Sout al Kuffar from MyPetJawa would be a great choice. He did that truely awesome “Flight Club” about the flying imams. Be naughty!
Seriously though, I gotta say, I just watched it for a second time and I still liked it. One of the bars in the music even had a surreal sorta Matrix feel to it.
I guess I’m just uncultured…
EFG on February 3, 2007 at 7:16 PM
I think you’re being a little too sensitive to it AP.
I thought it was done well and is very apropo to the reality of the threat we face from the bad guys.
csdeven on February 3, 2007 at 7:18 PM
I didn’t think it was that bad. Of course, it was not as good as Obsession, but it was still very effective.
That said, all these things should be aimed at an audience of Liberals who think that they are championing the oppressed.
uptight on February 3, 2007 at 7:20 PM
I agree the music is too much. It ramps up the drama when the words are enough.
Its not much different than most the moonbat BDS that we see on the internet all the time.
William Amos on February 3, 2007 at 7:22 PM
Paint me Zionist then. Heavy handed…yep….true…yep.
For the western media and left the history of the Palestinian problem begins in 1947 instead of 1916. 20 bucks that not 1 out of 100 college professors have even heard of the Mufti of Jerusalem.
Limerick on February 3, 2007 at 7:24 PM
I thought it was pretty spot on, too, AP.
At least it was made, with the facts, using the same media style that the islamic propogandists use. Maybe it will catch on.
Future releases could even have different sound tracks like “Singing in the Rain” as used in “Clockwork Orange”. Can anyone ever listen to that song after seeing that movie and not think of it?
…….. and to LImerick, no bet. A fool and his money are easily departed. You could probably increase your odds to 1 in a 1000.
PinkyBigglesworth on February 3, 2007 at 7:49 PM
So don’t listen if you don’t like the music, try to ignore the colors if you don’t like them, but by all means try to read and understand those words of truth.
The Machine on February 3, 2007 at 8:16 PM
What’s not to like or agree with?
Over the top? Since when is the Truth over the top if 49% of this country doesn’t think there is truly a terrorist threat to America or Israel. “They are just saying those things to get a rise out of Israel and America” are words I hear again and again.
How about “Never again”?
Subsunk
Subsunk on February 3, 2007 at 8:44 PM
The music is a bit strong, but the message is clear and accurate. This isn’t propaganda…for a good example of that, checkout the NYT.
stonemeister on February 3, 2007 at 8:50 PM
I agree with AP, too heavy-handed. I only got to grips with the true nature of jihad in 2005 and it was difficult for me to get my head around it. What we really need is someone like Reagan who can tell incisive jokes about the enemy and refuses to compromise with evil.
aengus on February 3, 2007 at 9:36 PM
I liked it, too. I thought it was like a shorter version of the movie “Obsession.”
The music was a little wearing, but then it does underscore the relentlessness of our enemies pretty effectively.
Good job, David Horowitz!
Jen the Neocon on February 3, 2007 at 9:36 PM
I’m a huge fan of David Horowitz, but this is awful. The music has got to go. Of course they could use it to torture, err, interrogate gitmo prisoners.
Buy Danish on February 3, 2007 at 9:45 PM
I watched without any music, forgot to turn on my speakers. Found it very effective and scary. Anyone who cannot see will find their heads rolling down the boulevard some dark night! The Left is too ignorant to understand, shame on them and their politicians. I knew almost all of this already but to see it finally put together, well that is a great thing, if, we could get it out everywhere!!
sharinlite on February 3, 2007 at 10:13 PM
I think it only seems heavy handed if you have already been aware of the islamic threat. For those that haven’t come to terms with this global war against terror I think it gives a lot of insight and connects events very well.
Guardian on February 3, 2007 at 10:30 PM
Well when talking to the left (play to your audience) you need to be melodramatic. Why do you think Al Gore yells so much? But yeah, it is rather power pointy.
- The Cat
MirCat on February 3, 2007 at 11:06 PM
I thought is was good. I learned some things, for example, I didn’t know that Arafat said:
It didn’t surprise me that Arafat would say such a thing, but I didn’t know he came right out and said it. There were many eye-opening quotes. Thank you Mr. Horowitz and God bless you.
Maxx on February 3, 2007 at 11:11 PM
Some here seem to like it, some don’t.
I’m one that does.
Very effective and very powerful.
What a superbowl commercial THIS would make! ;^)
georgej on February 3, 2007 at 11:24 PM
Paint me that way, too.
As for the Mufti, I would bet further that out of the one to two that may know of him, that they don’t know of his nephew, who assisted in his training (bonus question what country did they: 1. come from, and 2. fight for), and what effect (negatively speaking) he had upon the world.
May God continue to bless both our soldiers and the IDF.
Emmett J. on February 4, 2007 at 12:11 AM
It was awful. It was like something a 9th grader might slap together.
DaveS on February 4, 2007 at 12:25 AM
I believe this gives the right message in the right way. We need more messages like this impress upon people the seriousness of this war.
Propagana performed a major role in keeping the peoples support in WWII. Propaganda helped keep the support when approx. 20,000 soldiers died on Omaha Beach in one day (6 times the number in Iraq, over a 4 yr period).
Propaganda is what kept the people a home aware of the need to fight that war.
Where is propaganda like the newsreels of the Tokyo Raids, Battle of Midway, Coral Sea, IWO JIMA, and dozens of other battles to rally support.
In WWII the newsreels and films weren’t done by civilians, it was done by the Military. They had the control, not the America hating, Communism loving, COWARDS committing TREASON everyday in the newspapers, on CNN, MSNBC and other outlets. We need more propaganda from the Military to counter the TRAITORS AMONGST US.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH PROPAGANDA IF IT IS NOT A LIE!
Helloyawl on February 4, 2007 at 12:35 AM
If they’re ignorant about Iran, they won’t understand this either. That group will never get it, unless…
…a major attack, larger than 9/11/01, takes place – it is very likely the only event that will wake many up.
Until then, they’ve got global warming, poverty, AIDS, rich vs. poor, socialized energy and health, etc. to focus on.
Kumbaya!
Entelechy on February 4, 2007 at 12:49 AM
Yes, the presentation is way too cumbersome and overbearing. A shame, since the message is so crucial.
Halley on February 4, 2007 at 3:00 AM
I laughed out loud watching it, which probably wasn’t the intended response. Message was good, presentation was so bad it was good.
RW Wacko on February 4, 2007 at 3:48 AM
PinkyBigglesworth on February 4, 2007 at 5:48 AM
The truth does sound like propaganda. It sounds rediculous.
Think about it Allah, after Pearl Harbor who would believe that the American people would allow public figures to minimalize the slaughter of civilians in the course of a surprise attack on a civilian target? Who would believe that the US would then stand idly by as a nation proclaimed its intent to wipe the US and its alleys off the face of the earth while our politicians walk in the foot steps of those who allowed hitler to gain enough ground to nearly over take all of europe?
It sounds rediculous, but then … the only reason people think it sounds far fetched is because they’re constantly fed the drum beat of “there is no terrorist threat” by the media.
The truth sounds rediculous becuase lies have become the standard by which perception is measured.
One Angry Christian on February 4, 2007 at 11:19 AM
I saw nothing at all wrong with the presentation.
For some I guess the truth is shocking but in this case it is not.
The MSM media is responsible for lying to the American people about the threat from the terrorists and just maybe a slide show like this one will cause some people to do some research.
Just maybe they will conclude what the left is telling them is completely wrong.
David Horowitz knows how to combat the left as he used to be one of them.
ScottyDog on February 4, 2007 at 1:52 PM
I turned off the “Gotterdammerung”-lite soundtrack and put on Jimi Hendrix’s posthumously-released instrumental “MIDNIGHT”.
Much better.
Horowitz, et al, should trim the length to one minute, sharp, since the attn. span (sic) of most in the potential audience is limited by other demands, and, also, most people do not need or want to be over-convinced.
profitsbeard on February 4, 2007 at 2:53 PM
apart from being really crappy, i gotta say, if someone sent me this in an email and i opened it at work, i’d shut it down in an offended pannick the second they shoved a swastica in my face.
yea, but that stuff comes off as nutty ptopaganda too. we shouldn’t emulate that style.
why should we be talking to the left? i rather think they have their minds made up. this sort of thing should be for the undecided and underaware.
jummy on February 4, 2007 at 7:40 PM
Sorry AP, I too liked it. Thought the message was powerfully put across
Taipan on February 5, 2007 at 4:58 AM