Rose took pains to say he's deeply aware that many New Orleanians fear commercializing Mardi Gras will ruin it. He vowed the advertising will be "extremely subtle," he said, while still offering a good value for those who buy it. The firm is working closely with krewes to ensure Carnival's 150-year-old traditions are respected, Rose added.(aside: It is not lost on me that a person involved in exploiting the rich cultural heritage of New Orleans for cheap financial gain is named Rose)
The line sounds a lot like "to stop terrorism you need to give up some freedom" and it is just as bogus. Once we decide to accept this sponsorship, we relinquish control over our own celebration. All sorts of things, parade routes, themes, dates, times, not to mention whatever new "tradition" the television producers might decide to invent are now subject to "input" from your sponsors. Why are we doing this?
The nation largely views and treats Louisiana as a colony. We are exploited for our natural resources. Our oil and gas, our fishery, and recently via the tourism-plantation economy our "exotic" culture is mined and expropriated for the benefit and entertainment of the Americans. In return we are left with a polluted, used, and eroding landscape and an impoverished abandoned and insulted population. It is shameful that we continue to elect leaders who are so willingly complicit in furthering this sellout.
Update: Adrastos has more
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