The Great Schlep

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

The Great schlep is possibly the most creative way to increase voter turn out that has been employed this election.  It presents a simple question:  do you grandparents love you? Answer: yes, if your grandparents do not love you just play along after all in a normative family they do.  Now, use that love to guilt them, into voting, for Obama.  It is absolutely brilliant, and a beautiful step towards the convergence of policy and popular culture.  What is surprisingly covert in this message is the understanding that families all vote along the same partylines.  Sarah Silverman, a cynical comedian, presents absolutely no information on the policy of Barack Obama unless you count he loves Jewish people and isn’t a Muslim as policy.  The comparison between a black man and a Jewish grandmother plays off of many stereotypes that would be unacceptable outside of the area of comedy, but allow the piece to demolish the image of “otherness” that John McCain has attempted to create for Barack Obama. She even uses the name Barack as a way of creating a connection.  Then uses the name John to imply that he is an excrement receptacle and hires prostitutes.  A name is not policy.  It is worth noting that The Great Schlep is funded by the Jewish Counsel for Education and Research an organization that discloses in its mission statement, “The Jewish Council for Education & Research (JCER), a federal political action committee, was created to develop and disseminate information to voters in the United States around issues of concern to the Jewish community”(About Us). The other sections go on to explain more of Senator Obama’s policy but it does include as a talking point that  “Obama’s thoughtful approach and even temperament will dramatically increase America’s influence with other nations” (Talking Points).  Temperament is still not policy.  The Jewish Council for Education and Research is no guiltier of appealing to the emotions of voters instead presenting policy than any other organization, including both campaigns, but does claim to disseminate information.  This nation does not vote on a leader that will create policy for the betting of our nation, but creates an emotional relationship with a demagogue based on the personality that we perceive thought the mass media.

Works Cited:

 The Jewish Council for Education & Research. "About Us." The Jewish Council for Education & Research. 28 Oct. 2008 .

 

--- "The Great Schlep Talking points." The Great Schlep. The Jewish Council for Education & Research. 28 Oct. 2008 .