The internet is the new Papacy.

Thanks to Bob Garfield, I've joined the Facebook Group "Comcast Must Die." While I think Garfield's focus on just Comcast is too limited--they suck, yes, but they are only one of dozens of companies that don't deliver on their promises--that don't provide even a modicum of customer service.

Putting that aside for a moment, I realized when looking at Comcast Must Die dot com http://comcastmustdie.com/ that getting excoriated in a high-profile way such as Garfield's is the 21st Century of the Papal Codex.

The Codex was a list of thousands of books banned by the Papacy for the turpitude and lack of orthodoxy they would visit upon their readers. Should the edicts of the Codex be violated, you risked excommunication. Excommunication was tantamount to complete banishment, which was just a smidge less horrid than being burned at the stake.

Today the Internet has the power to excommunicate brands. And there's little advertising can do to stop the power of people talking.