Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Is you is or is you ain't?

Advertising agencies like to categorize people. So-and-so is a traditional person, a TV guy, a print guy, and interactive woman, a long copy person, a promotions woman.

This reminds me of how white people used to categorize dark people. Depending on one's lineage, people were called mulattos, quadroons, octaroons, quintroons, and so on. This was an entire taxonomy created to discriminate, to put people in boxes so they're easier to deal with. Not nice, not fair, not honest, not good.

Life can be much simpler. Someone is either good, creative and vital or not. Those attributes aren't contingent on the media or medium you're working in. You either do intrusive, impactful work or you don't.