Brands and Circus

"Mars also owns M&Ms, which are sold as a patriotic American choice", in 'We love you [insert your country name here]', BBC magazine, 06/06/06.

This is the BBC comment about the rise of nationalist/patriotic advertisement brands are master pupetting while the football world cup is beginning. Brands and the capitalist swines are one more time betraying us, and worst than that, they are betraying the nation. Brands save the Queen and blesse America at the same time. ouch. Big mistake.

These kinds of comments reveal two things.

First of all, the idea of patriotism is not over and some BBC journalists take it for granted as if they would die tomorrow as loyal soldiers to their nation. As if this had really any meaning in 21st century Britain. I am not going into the post-national discourse once more, but let me just remember you that the civic and social national frame has no meaning when citizenship can be exercised out of the national borders and when the threats to the national territory have themselves no territory. The national football teams themselves are representatives of today's post-national nations: players acquire the colours of England or France even if they are from Angola or Bresil. Who cares! As ever before, patriotism best friend is ignorance.

Second of all, if sports stadium are the last battlefields, they are before anything else sport stadium, meaning the place of a GAME, a theater. It is a place where the battle is played and acted like in Caesar's Circus (it is also a place of catharsis for hormonal troubles but this is another topic...). Then what do brands do? Not only they become one element of fragmentation of our exclusive and anachronic loyalty to the nation- would I die for my holly soil or for a Gucci bag? (mmm...). But they also take over the national colours. During the world cup, Mars turns you into a red and white believer and Coke testifies your love for England. They might do the same for France. And what? Shocked? Not really. Brands are the real thing and we have all become aware of the 'spectacle'. Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and enjoy the game.

http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/