A few days ago, I wrote an article with no knowledge of the person I was addressing. I congratulated the new president of the United States. I stand by that article, still.

But I am shocked. I did not see the election going the way it did. All that talk about there being some media bias was true. Because the news channels I watched seemed to do a collective double-take as the night went on into the next day. Around eleven, Eastern Standard Time, Florida time, everyone knew how it would play out, Trump trumping.

There was still some swinging left for a little while, but as I was still awake at 4 a.m., I sat in stunned silence as the confirmation was, well, confirmed. I woke up to so much input and congratulations and fear and outrage and... wow.

Let me get a little personal, which is not something I usually do. I am from (though not born in) Chicago, Illinois. A vastly Democrat state. I have a lot of friends and most of my family in that state—and some, perhaps all, wanted Hillary. My opinions on who I wanted were mixed enough I did not side, but I expected her to win. Even after talking with quite a few Republicans here in Clearwater.  

But, well, you know the score. And I am still numb, curious to see what’s about to happen. What will happen. Regardless of President Trump’s actual official actions going forward, he did promote some unacceptable views and opinions of minorities and women.

And I hope, as the president, he does not do that anymore. I hope he did it to just draw attention. And now plans to give people the honor and respect and empathy that the president should to all Americans, regardless of race and gender and sexuality.

And some seem to think so, because they are happy with him.  I watch my social media fill with cheer. Though, at the same time, I watch the YouTube community—which at least from what I’ve observed is more pro-Hillary—all grow ever angrier at the prospect. Or despaired. Or incensed about the Electoral College deciding this one.

And, I guess, in the wake of it, I have only a few things to say, to promote. To tell Clearwater citizens, and all people who may find this article floating in the internet’s stream, to stay calm. Don’t divide so hard on each other. Understand about half of the country you live in wanted this to happen. That’s our government, and I know it can feel awful sometimes, but it runs the way it runs. Say what you wish about the Electoral College, but it’s the current system set in place to decide our new leader.

You can promote change, people always do. We should. Until we have a perfect world. And that doesn’t stop just because someone else became president than who you thought would.

I say this tentatively, aware my words may become a harsh echo in the next four years, but I think we’ll be okay. We still have a say in what happens to our country. He is only one-third of the political checks and balances. We can still make things better.

And maybe he will make things better. Every president is a new chance for something that we never expected.

Promote hope. Promote tolerance. Promote not giving in to fear and outrage and all the other dark emotions stirred in this first week.

That’s the best thing we can do.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com   

One rarely constructs a time capsule intending to open it only a few days later, but that is what I am doing here. I am writing this article (though you will see it later than that) on the Monday before the presidential election. I am doing the major editing to this article with no knowledge of who is the next commander-in-chief.

This is for two reasons. One, because I find it an interesting thought experiment to congratulate a person and not know who I am congratulating. Or even know the gender of who I am congratulating. And two, because it makes my words take on a different meaning depending on the outcome of November 8th, 2016—in ways I can’t even predict.  

And so, preemptively, I say congratulations Mr. or Mrs. President. You ran a thrilling race. You overcame some serious adversity, controversy, and scandal, like seemingly all political candidates before you. And the marketing you used, sir or madam, was good. You did a great job of it. I am not a big fan of the mudslinging—no matter how easy it was to use against your opponent—but otherwise, I must congratulate you on your methods. I mean, it worked. And, at the end of the day, that’s what we want from marketing and what we want from you Mr. or Mrs. President: tangible results.

What you did especially well, was you hit at the core of the personality race. You are an unmistakable figure now—if you weren’t already before the election began. If you were an animated character (which you have been on things like “The Simpsons”) I’d say you are an excellent example of “good character design.”

You are a distinct person. Like Obama before you, you are not a president we will ever mix up with another previous one. You left a mark on history just by running.

I live in Clearwater, it’s a more Republican state. We have gun shops. We’re Southern. And even still, I have no idea what this state feels about you. Oh, sure, the votes will reflect an opinion, but that’s not person to person. And with the number of people who don’t vote (which is a travesty) and who are too young to vote, I have no idea what we Floridians collectively think about you.

But, regardless of it, you might change America. You might redefine it. Twist it on its head. You might make us “stronger together” or “great again”.

Your marketing got you this far. Your savviness, intelligence, and charisma got you this far. And now you’re in the hot seat, one of the biggest chairs metaphorically in the whole world. We are all watching you.

So today. Tomorrow. The next four years. Possibly even the next eight, and for the rest of your life, in respect for all the responsibility you are taking on by accepting this role as the leader of this free country, we will call you:

Mr. or Mrs. President.    

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com   

It’s November, and if you are a writer, chances are you already know what that means: NaNoWriMo. Short for National Novel Writing Month.

But, if you’re not a writer, some quick background data: NaNoWriMo is a somewhat organized event where writers at all levels attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. This usually takes the form of around 1600 words daily. And if that sounds hard, it’s because it is. Putting that many words down in such a short time is like running the Clearwater Distance Classic’s 5k, requiring discipline and perseverance and often thoughtful preparation.

If you are wondering why this is a thing, it is because NaNoWriMo exists to promote writers to write more, and to remind creatives what it means to make commercial art at a professional level.

Paid authors and amateur hobbyists alike need to learn how to let go of their inner critics and allow words to fly from their fingers without too much self-reflection—at least until editing time comes.         

NaNoWriMo also acts as a community. Writers, by their very nature, are a bit of a hidden, private folk. There’s a reason people almost everywhere, Clearwater included, seem so surprised when they find one. Words don’t tend to hit the page while a bunch of people watch. It’s not like sports. Spectators are not encouraged. But, of course, that also leads to loneliness. A common enough issue when it comes to artists.

And so, besides promoting the act of writing hard and fast, NaNoWriMo gives like-minded individuals a place to talk stuff out and feel inspired to keep going toward the goal of the 50,000. Because, trust me when I say, there is nothing more potentially inspiring—though sometimes jealousy inducing—than hanging out with other creative and productive people.

And here is the especially cool part of the whole idea, National Novel Writing Month is not only a good thing, it’s a good model. Adaptable. You can set it with anything.

Among even the most oddball of groups, the strangest of subcultures, if you can get a big enough coverage and support for it, any hurdle of human passion can have a game, an event, with a month set to complete it. The amount of words produced daily during this time is staggering. If we apply the same principle to other endeavors, say perhaps things like painting, or renovation, or even growing small local business’s popularity like Clearwater’s Mano’s Bakery Cafe, then who knows what we might create out of the human love for a challenge?

Targets are an effective way to promote production. Just ask almost any successful person. And, if history has taught us anything, a lot gets done when people focus on a common goal. The weight of the masses knocks over obstacles.

But, for now, as others see what they can do with such an idea—and I am confident they will—if you are a person not already doing NaNoWriMo, it’s not too late to get into a shortened version of the game. A lot of the month is still left. Many people say they want to write a novel, and, well: this is the month for such an activity.

So, get on it. It’s November. It’s NaNoWriMo.

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Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com   

The effects of symbolism and imagery within our collective consciousness is a broad, somewhat esoteric, and well-explored concept.

So... forgive me if this is not the most detailed coverage of the topic. Especially because I will keep my focus mostly on the advertising applications of it.  

When someone says “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and “art is communication,” then symbolism—and all its close cousins—are the convergence of these two ideas.

Publix Super Markets, like the ones in Clearwater Plaza and on Gulf to Bay, use a green logo for a reason. They have a certain font for a reason. All, or at least most, pictures you see connected to a company have calculations behind their appearance in hopes of getting an idea across.

If you’ve gotten a certain vibe from just looking at a product on the shelf, then you’ve experienced this phenomenon. Those gut reactions caused by certain visual markers are the bread and butter of the technique. You can communicate all sorts of things through abstract imagery; almost any basic idea without issue.  

And this technology, if used by immoral people, can be deceptive. But it can also be used for good—like a lot of things in this world. It’s a tool only. And to wield it, you need to know two things for it to be effective.

First off, you need to understand cultural imagery. The history of the world. Various culture’s religious symbols and beliefs regarding the importance of symbols. Pop culture icons. Stereotypes, truisms, and common clichés. Things a lot of people pick up just by living within a country. Show a person wearing large glasses and surrounded by books, and the average person—or American at least—will form conclusions. Show a fridge with only one item within it (an old carton of milk is a good choice) and again, the communication is there. Mix it with context and you’re speaking without words. It’s the same trick all good movies, books, and television series use to convey aspects of narrative.

And secondly, you need to know to what type of group you are trying to talk with. If you are selling a product which you expect a certain demographic to buy, you need to aim your imagery to their sensibilities. As an example, a middle-class individual is not likely to recognize caviar on sight.

If someone says a piece of advertising is “biased” toward a specific group of people, it’s because it totally is. And while I’m not largely in favor of the implications of that practice, it is the way of the world right now.

By combining these two ideas, you can make people think, “oh, this is exactly the sort of thing I need” by matching what they expect—from a cultural standpoint—to the way you present your product.

And you can do this anywhere, with anything. Education, books, food, fuel, electronics: doesn’t matter. A picture is worth a thousand words, and a good enough picture—with clear enough communication—is worth the same in advertising.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

Three articles in the series, but this is the final one. While the first was a discussion, and the second was about videos, there is one more term which can find a home in your online marketing and advertising I want to cover. And that term is “diversify”.

Sure, for advertising online, you have your Facebook, your Twitter, your company website. And if you’ve been listening to me, then you also have a YouTube account up and running. And that is good—so far. You’ve done well. But it’s not enough. No. You can and should do advertising through more avenues. And, thankfully, I am here to lay them out for you in the most popular way possible on the internet: a list. Unranked. Because the value of each option is too subjective and contextual for me to attempt to sort them numerically.

So, with that clarified. Let’s begin.

·         Social Media Everywhere

You think Facebook and Twitter and YouTube are the only major social medias? Far from it. We live in a digitally social age, and the number of options for accounts is numerous and often free to use. So please take advantage of it.

WordPress and Tumblr for written content. Instagram and Snapchat for static images and short videos. Google Plus, though sometimes forgotten, is still a big community.

Pick which ones fit and make sure to keep them all flowing with content.

·         Sponsor Things

Not only can you post your own content on your own accounts, if you have the means, and the finances, advertisement space is available all over the place. YouTubers, a job I don’t think anyone saw coming even ten years ago, are often open to doing sponsored videos for various companies. So are a lot of podcasts. Any online creators with a decent reach can be a potential avenue of advertising.

·         Themed Products

Consider the humble tee-shirt. A lot of companies have their logo on a tee-shirt, and those, in my experience, don’t tend to receive the nicest of treatment. Often big tees end up pajamas for someone—but that’s because they don’t have good designs. So, here’s my final point/advice in this article: you can be more creative than that. There are websites which let you put any design on anything. Why slap a generic logo on clothing (or any product) when you can hire a graphic artist and make it appealing enough for someone to enjoy wearing/using it? Put your branding on things that make sense, but also make them interesting. Artistic. And then put on the logo. If done right, it could even become a mild alternative revenue stream.

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Now, sure, a lot of these require a little extra money spent, a little extra time used. That you outsource, and hire, and do all sorts of things you may not find comfortable. But small businesses often die and the market can eat even the big ones alive eventually (as an example, seen any Blockbusters in Clearwater lately?). And the best way to avoid that is to flourish and spread your marketing and advertising everywhere it can go—to adapt to the times. In the new internet age, with so many people talking, the masses will only listen to the most memorable, the most charming, and the most entertaining of cadences.  

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

Did you work images into your advertising yet? Well, I hope you did, because now we are moving on to the next step of how to rise above the sea of voices: video.

Ah yes, videos. Words, and I still bemoan this, are too labor-intensive for the average quick glance at a phone displaying some social media feed, but videos grab attention.

This could be because they move, and the human eye naturally tracks movement, or perhaps because mankind is big on finding faces in random things, and thus if a video shows a human face they will pay attention.

But for whatever reason: it works.

Now, advertising videos, such as funny/informative “sketches” or “demonstrations” showing your product, are the standard output. The usual go-to for companies seeking video marketing. And they go on YouTube. Apple has a YouTube channel. Google has one. It would not surprise me in the slightest if the Chick-Fil-A on Gulf to Bay has its teenage workers keep a well-updated YouTube channel going for the brand.

And this rampant visual recording is because, among other reasons, once you have video footage, your avenues of advertising and marketing increase. Let me put it this way: YouTube is one of the biggest and most visited websites on the planet, and if you—and your product—do not have something in that zone, then you are missing out on potential customers and precious attention. Not to mention the cross-platform potential.

So, make videos. I will keep saying that.

And, once you’ve committed to the action of marrying your product to videos, you will probably want advice and tips on how to go about making your videos more appealing.

Well, while I am not a video person by trade, I can tell you a few things that might make it easier for you to get traffic—and hopefully customers. Because that is what you are doing: customer gathering.

Now, like any media, technical quality is important, followed by consistency. Seems like basic advice, but most companies fail at this. Few people are hunting for the latest videos from some random hardware store, but several million will watch Chipotle’s newest animated short. This is because the hardware guys didn’t follow those two core ideas—along with obvious things like the difference in the business’s sizes. But my point still stands. “Goodness” is often subjective, but technically proficient lighting and camera work and sound editing (and perhaps most of all for companies: script writing and decent acting) need to all be as good as you can get them to be, or else it can put your public image in a bad spot. Don’t look amateurish.

And the second aspect is almost as important. Once you’ve held their attention with good videos, you need to reward those who keep their attention on you. Posting at a consistent rate does this. It makes individuals more likely to keep engaging and remembering you as a brand.

If you do these two things sincerely: you should see results over time. Do these two things with pictures, video, and the old staple of blogging/web content, and you may have a chance at success in the fast-moving internet world.

And if that doesn’t work, well: I’ve got one more general topic for you in the next article. But make sure you get in these fundamentals first. They shine when done right. They are the way the internet now runs. And learning a system is the best way to survive within it.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

Perhaps the greatest hurdle in advertising is visibility—especially online. The internet is huge. Big to the point even attempting to put it into an understandable measurement is an exercise in brain melting. And in that sea of noise, there is a lot of difficulties in making oneself known to the public.

It’s not like being around Clearwater and advertising a shop. You can’t walk up to people you know as they pass by and tell them about a new restaurant. Not when it comes to the internet. Attempts like that in digital spaces seem like spam, even when it’s coming from a friend. Places like Nature’s Food Patch, Kara Lynn’s Kitchen on Cleveland Street, Manos Bakery Cafe, etc. are all good real world restaurants, but because they are not huge brands with large social media followings, they are in practically the same wheelhouse as any small person or group trying to advertise on the internet.

And, so, that begs the question of what to do. If you are a physical place trying to advertise online, what do you do? Similarly, if you run an online-only business, what can you try? How can someone rise above the masses?

Now, magic bullets do not exist, but you can do the usual: make content which people want to consume, follow along with what’s trending, go for shock or scandal, or just have good quality products (a rarer thing online than one would hope). And these are all legitimate tactics, but beyond that, beyond the standard approaches or the sleazy options, other methods of advertising oneself exist. And though it might take a few articles to cover them all, I will endeavor to discuss some of the other methods of getting eyeballs in front of your stuff.

Because if we have a shortage of something on the internet, its attention.

And like money, you’ll need it to survive as a company or organization. So, the first advertising method I want to cover may sound like a strange one: but images. I don’t care if you sell tiny pieces of computer technology, you still need to spread images. To my eternal chagrin, with the speed and half-concentrated way we interact with our technology, images are way more likely to catch the eye. Reading, and I consider this a positive trait, requires one to pay attention to absorb the experience. Movies or other media require concentration, sure, but it’s more mandatory with books and articles. And people, sadly, often don’t have time to stop and read too many words. But an image will stick with them. An image will hold if it is striking. Be it funny, or sad, or visually pleasing, if it plucks a chord, it will hold in people’s minds.

So, that’s what you do first. Find something connected to what you make and sell and commit it to the visual arts. And, once you’ve completed my first assignment, we can move to the next part of this. The logical forward step from still images: the moving picture.

So, until then.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

Discipline. I don’t think many know what the word means. I think it’s ill-defined or misunderstood.

If the number of people who swear they will lose weight, write that novel, run a marathon, etc., is any indication, then people either don’t know the meaning, have it wrong, or are unwilling to accept and apply it.

Let me be clear here, the phrase: “You can do anything you set your mind to,” is basically talking about discipline. Because the result of just sticking to something is perhaps one of the most powerful things in this universe. People respect the dogged attack to one defined goal.

And I understand how complex life is, how much people must make allowances for things. How family, or friends, or significant others are more important than hitting the gym every single day—at least to most people. But, regardless, let’s go back to what discipline means.

The definition readily available online speaks about a pattern or rule set ingrained, often by punishment. And while I do not think punishments are necessary, the rest of the definition is sound.

Discipline is doing something regardless of how you feel, or what your whims are. Getting that gym visit in regardless of everything. Sticking to pattern even if every molecule screams against you.

Hard to do? Yes. But the other option is things staying the same. And you can decide if that’s worthwhile. Chasing a goal takes focusing on the goal every single day, sacrificing some of the things you like: I’d recommend cutting television time as an easy sacrifice.

Let me illustrate here the sheer power of the “doing something every single day” model. Let’s take Starbucks. The Starbucks on Cleveland Street. Open every day, isn’t it? Marketing relentlessly, right? And it flourishes. They make so much money. As a brand people trust, yes, but also because they are there—they show up. They put in the effort. If Starbucks closed for even a little while, then others would take customers. They’d lose some footing. Momentum.

Never underestimate momentum, in the literal, or—in this case—figurative sense. Momentum is energy that makes stopping or slowing less possible. Sure, momentum can be hard to build up at first. But do something every day and you will find the difficulty lessening. Your willpower skyrockets, and your habits are strong enough to make people around you respect what you need to do.

Now, clearly, marketing this idea is beneficial. And though I may sound like an infomercial or some self-help book or motivational speech, what I am saying is not easy or something even most people will do—but still deserves marketing to as many as possible. I am not promising glory. I am simply saying people have the capacity for incredible personal change. Your business, life, or general health (barring obvious outliers and exceptions) can improve, if one is willing to put in the day to day to endless day of effort toward a goal.  

It does take heart. But, if you desire something, it’s kind of the only way.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

Despite words being simply the vocal sounds we make to express ideas, they themselves over time have come to hold those same ideas intrinsically. Becoming linked in a way that would not be easy to understand to a life form without language. And, though, I wish I could say all words are equal, that is not the case.

Some words hurt. Some words offend. Some raise up people. Others squash people down. But some words, some words are so special—so ingrained—that they have power.

Deep power. The ability to spur thought in the single instant of the reading/hearing of it. Some of these words can, and do, get tossed around in common parlance, and yet when invoked with the right intonation they have the same oomph as any fantasy spell shouted with a wand.

You can think of a few of these on your own, I’m sure.

“Love.”

“Hate.”

“Fire.”

“Truth.”

Context is everything. But these words, in the right moment, at the right volume: are immensely powerful. And today, I am talking about the one which any fan of Braveheart knows:

“FREEDOM!” 

What a contentious word. The republicans and the democrats and the libertarians and the communists all argue about it, and what it means. From person to person, of all stripes, from the librarians at Clearwater Public Library to those who purchase guns at our ranges, from servicemen and servicewomen who fight for us, and to the criminals behind bars: the word has a unique, personal meaning.

Freedom from things. Freedom to do things. At a bar, you can drink. At a hookah lounge, you can hookah. At a library, you are free from loud noises. At a shelter, you are free from the storm. Anarchy is absolute freedom, but so is a void.

But the sweet spots between those deep extremes, those we chase. We desire them above all things. Humans, even beyond our biological needs, grasp for new freedoms. Freedom from suffering and all things we despise.

And marketing knows this. Marketing is the art of knowing what people want and trying to supply it. And though, like I said, freedom is a thing unique to all people in its meaning, that does not mean advertisers and marketing executives do not try to bottle the essence of it into products.

“Freedom from” is the most common. “Freedom for” is the other. Labor-saving and timesaving devices are the hallmark of our modern age and what we want out of our consumer goods. And then, as it became a necessary supplement, we also wanted, and still want, freedom from the crushing boredom that results in not enough things left to do.

Freedom is the most powerful force for changing the world. And for defining human endeavor and creation. So, in all you do, if you sell, or market, or just seek to understand the whims of the people—even when it seems counterintuitive—remember the core desire of freedom. Know that though some may see the camera as a warden, others see it as a protector. When people feel they are in a box, they want a ladder out. And when people feel like they need to hide, they want somewhere safe to go.

And remember, perhaps most of all, how powerful a single word can be regardless of whoever wields it.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

And now: our conclusion. I’ve spent a long time typing/talking about the importance and relevance and idealness of the political correctness situation. I’ve endorsed and argued.

But, now, for those still opposed and wanting me to address the elephant in the room: may I present the very real problem of the political correctness movement. A problem which, while I don’t think dismisses the system by its existence, does—in fact—exist.

And it’s when people use it as a weapon.

Now, let me clarify what I mean with a little preamble. We all have at least one aspect of language we use which is not politically correct, but for most of us, that is simply because we do not know. We live our routine lives, and for whatever reason haven’t come across the knowledge that the particular word we spoke is “problematic”.

Even within the political correctness mindset, this should not be a big issue. Bringing it to someone’s attention in a calm, informative manner without hostility should be enough to dissuade. I’ve told people basically “oh, don’t use that word, use this one if you want to refer to that nationality,” and they thanked me for it. They did not know what word to use. They did not mean to offend.

However, not everyone does this. And here’s the problem: sometimes us political correctness supporters go overboard. Use the ideals as a weapon against others. Political correctness gets its bad reputation, its bad P.R., from someone blowing up and publicly attacking.

When someone gets triggered and attacks, they trigger others right back. And it goes wide. Because of the world we live in, with permanent records of everything and live streaming of events, arguments between a few spread to many. Look at political arguments for premium examples. Even small business disputes over this sort of thing can end up on Clearwater’s news. And sometimes even on major country-wide channels.

And for this to die down as a problem, we need to adopt the calm, collected correcting method I outlined. Because being civil is the whole point. Angrily shouting will not make someone more inclined to monitor their language.

Going forward, and for the future of this movement, the main thing we need to keep in mind is that we are still trying to teach the world. Not rule it.

We are not fighting a war here, is what I am saying. We are trying to inform people that old ideas might be wrong and that language can be wrong, and that racism and sexism and homophobia et cetera is wrong.

It’s supposed to be a peaceful movement. A Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi style endeavor.

We cannot just ban words and then not offer a reason or an alternative word to use. That is banning communication. And if you look at history, making a group silent does not result in friendly discourse. Sometimes, we do need to refer to people with specific words for clarity of speech—and as long as we use kind, non-offensive ones, we are fine.

We need to teach, to inform, to promote empathy. To show, through peacefulness and kindness, why these words are not to be spoken, instead of putting muzzles on people.

If we could do that, if we could educate and not enforce, then the P.R. for this movement would not have the same stigma as it does now, and we could move into the future with confidence.

And maybe, even, finally, make a future where humanity is at least, at least, a little more kind to itself and all of its people.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

I am a millennial. And as a person born to modern times, I have little issue with the ideas of “safe spaces” or “trigger words.” And if an individual finds he does not identify as the gender his body is biologically and wants me to use a different pronoun, well, I am okay with that idea.

Because in the still growing stages of political correctness, I am cool with not saying any words which might be upsetting to people nearby.

I consider it an act of kindness. Of P.R.

I can only begin to imagine the constant turmoil of being in a body that is not the gender I feel I am. Or being forced to defend the right for my relationship to even exist because of my partner being the same gender. Or to have other’s instant dislike thrown at me because of the variation of human skin tone I was born with.

But I can imagine some of it. So, if mentioning a certain word brings back harsh memories or a feeling of uncomfortableness in a person, then I would not want that word spoken in my presence. Never. So I follow the “golden rule”.

Though it is hard to remember as we pass so many faces on our daily grind: we are all complex people. The woman who serves you coffee in the drive-thru at Starbucks, the random people milling around in Target or Best Buy, the fellow students at a school like St. Petersburg College, all have rich internal minds.

And though there is merit to being able to keep one’s cool in the face of slurs and insults, I don’t consider it a real burden to monitor my language. Being a modern social person on planet earth—if one desires to not have terrible P.R.—already requires not being rude or nasty, so it is just an extension of that.

The real problem of political correctness, and it does have one, comes from its enforcement. I am of the optimistic view that if people were to think about how others might want to be treated, even in language, and empathize with those feelings, then political correctness would police itself like any form of manners in our world.

But this is still an establishing time, and the problem comes when the enforcement of those manners makes the rules feel arbitrary. When a person perceives an inability for them to say anything at all, communicate anything at all, that is the point where problems come into the equation.

And going forward, for the future, that is the main issue we must solve. And what solutions I have, I will cover soon in the final article of this long series.

So I’ll see you then.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

This is a tentative article. Because I am going to skirt along the lines of seriously loaded historical issues here. But this is not, at the end of the day, a discussion specifically about the nature of racism. That is a discussion that needs to continue to happen on the world’s stage, and I encourage people talking about it, but that is not the purpose here with this article.

No. the purpose here is to talk about political correctness as it existed in the past.

Because, well, before, words were harsher. Perhaps not viewed as such by the people who said them: but to our modern ears, some of the terms are brutal and derogatory to the point I am unwilling to write them on this digital piece of paper even for the sake of example.

You know which words I mean anyway. It seems that every culture at one point or another had a word tied to it which nowadays is enough to get you fired from a job. Words so venomous they sicken.

Back then, as near as I can tell, these words were not as charged on their own merits, nor detrimental to the speaker. If what media we have from that era are anything to go on, then back in “ye olden times” you could refer to African American individuals, a member of the Jewish faith, a homosexual individual, et cetera, with words now so hateful and not many would bat an eye. You could saunter along the old streets of Downtown Clearwater and shout complaints about groups of people with little recourse (assuming you were a white male landowner.)

But then, something changed. I know not if it was gradual, or realized in chunks, but with the hindsight of the history of culture and wars and interactions, we looked back on such days and shuddered. Or, at least, some people did.

As we grew to stop treating people as the “other” (a growth to which we are still trying to acclimate), we began to shun the words shouted at people beaten and abused. For rightful reasons.

As a white male American, I feel what is colloquially referred to as “white guilt” for the actions of my past genetic predecessors. And with the internet connecting us, a big gathering of people with similar guilt all came to the conclusion we mustn’t use even the language of the past’s hate—or anything which might connect to it.

And from there, it cemented as a P.R. thing. Even though certain people bemoan the necessity of the “neutering” of language for the sake of avoiding offending, it is not without precedence.

There is a reason we don’t, unless for the immediate disregarding of someone’s argument, tend to quote Hitler. And political correctness is similar in intent.

And while detailing the history of hateful language could, and should, be a large-scale documentary on a major television channel, it is the time of the present that we get to the interesting growing pains of the political correctness “movement.”

But that is the next two articles to come.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

The words to spark controversy are numerous and varied. Even the words for not saying those controversial words are themselves controversial words.

If that sounds confusing, don’t worry: it’s because it is.

I’m talking about “political correctness.” A way of speaking based on friendliness and respect that somehow sets people’s teeth on edge.   

Oh, did I show my bias there? Did my preference come across? Did the fact I said “friendliness and respect” give away my opinion? Well, I’m glad to say there’s more to this article than just my thumbs up for verbal etiquette.

Because you know what “political correctness” really is?

It’s P.R.       

People might think of P.R. as an extension of a business’s image, but it can and does go deeper than that. You, as a person, as an individual, both separate and connected to your existence as a religious, political, corporate, and romantic identity, have your own P.R.

How you dress, how you look, how you speak, how you treat people—whenever you are at any place with other humans like Clearwater Mall or around downtown—that’s P.R. It is how your “relations” to the “public” are. And the “public”—in this sense—is everyone who is not you.

And thus “political correctness” exists as a measuring stick for how you might be perceived by your public. And your public is not only white, cisgender, heterosexual, American standards of attractiveness males. There are other groups to keep in mind. Groups marginalized and discriminated against—if only to name some of the milder injustices in our world’s history.    

And the idea of making people try, at least try, to monitor what words they use to refer to a living breathing person with thoughts and ideas and dreams, is I think a good step forward for everyone. Good P.R. for everyone.

Now—before you say it—I am not pointing fingers at the comedians and the artists who want to make a statement. Nor anyone who has a genuine, reasoned, and respectful point to make. Art and argument both exist to expand ideas.

But, that’s not the usual situation where political correctness needs to be invoked anyway. No. It’s the casual racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, religious intolerance, et cetera, that someone defends with the idea they should have the right to insult people that political correctness was invented to prevent.

Sure, free speech is something to uphold. Someone can be rude if they must—they have that right. But people also have the right to not talk to that someone anymore.

Bullying is bullying.

But kindness is also kindness. And political correctness need not be a totalitarian system. It is just respecting the “public” to your P.R.

We are living in an interconnected world with a growing awareness of the sheer variety of human existence and experience. And that is bound to cause a shift in language. Which may startle or confound people for a little while, but language evolves and changes all the time.

And, you know what? So can we.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

Enjoy the relative calm. Because it is on the horizon. The sweeping cultural oddity. The looming economic demand. The strange and some would call annoying event that is: “The Holiday Rush”.

You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? Once we hit October, the holidays do not quit until the year is done.

The Halloween candy is still in the bowl and already it’s time to plan for Thanksgiving. And once finished with the turkey, Christmas shopping spurns forward on the backs of Black Friday and Digital Monday. And even when you think you have a moment of peace, as you sit in a comfy chair after opening all the presents, family and/or friends surrounding you, there is still one holiday left.

Because the year is about to end. And we have one more party to throw. One more gigantic event.

It really is a “rush”.

And I can’t even imagine what it’s like for people who celebrate multi-day holidays like Hanukkah.  

But, despite my dramatics, I like this situation. It makes the end of the year one giant bundle of things. And I’d rather be busy than bored.

But there are some who are not as fond of “The Holiday Rush”, who dread this time of year. People who don’t like shopping or cooking, for instance.

And for those people, and just for the curious, let’s speculate on why this happens. Why it feels like once it starts it does not stop.

The answer is, as you can guess from the article title: marketing.

Now, the calendar does have something to do with it--those holidays all fall close to each other after all. But the reason it feels like there is no stop, no gap, is because companies do not want it to feel like there’s a stop or gap.

As soon as they can, as soon as one holiday wraps up, they will immediately switch gears. I suspect worker elves at the Target in Clearwater Mall for what they manage for seasonal shopping. They erect trees for goodness’ sake.

And this is because companies and stores want you to just be prepping constantly. You are more likely, at least from my experience, to want to buy the next holiday’s necessities as soon as possible if it is presented--because the holidays season can be a stressful enough time without last-minute shopping.

And, among the ways a product can go about marketing itself, claiming a reduction in stress is always a popular prospect. If it works for insurance, it works for pumpkins.

And we, the consumers, make it so attractive too. The constant rush of it all. The holiday spirit compels people to put up all sorts of flashy decorations, which means you can’t go down the street without either ghouls, turkeys, or lights--depending on the time--reminding you, yet again, that it is the holidays.

You quite literally can’t escape it (unless you desire the lifestyle of a hermit) so it always feels prevalent. And this gives the impression of it barreling down on you as soon as it begins.

And your only choice is to embrace it, or ignore it. So mark those calendars, because starting October, Clearwater is going to get...festive.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

Whether it is true or not, being “learned” is perceived to tie to how much one reads. It is a stereotype with a long and established history. The bookish genius. The well-read business man. The literary professor.

You can picture the guy sitting there in tweed and smoking a pipe, can’t you?

It’s a powerful image to be sure. The well-reasoning literary master. And one every bookshop under the sun, on some level, emulates. Quiet atmosphere. Chairs and benches set up for reading sessions. Paintings and piped in classical music. Everything smelling of coffee, tea, and the vague vanilla scent of old paper.

Go to Barnes and Noble on Sunset Point and they have an entire wall devoted to writers. And writers are almost always readers.

But now, how does this tie into marketing? Well, it’s a matter of perception. Selling based on intelligence—regardless of whether they are intelligent. If a man with a lab coat and a clipboard tells you something will work, you are more likely going to trust him. And the same logic holds in other contexts.

And that other context--as I am finally getting around to saying--is political.

I am going to ask a controversial question. One which I do not know the answer to, nor will I attempt to speculate on an answer. And that question is: who reads more?

Who is more well-learned in general?

Democrats? Or Republicans?

Wait, before you send me angry messages, I am, yet again, not speculating on the actual answer—if there even is a concrete one. All I am talking about is what people try to project. How they go about marketing themselves as a member of a political party.

Because, from a marketing perspective, the Democrats present themselves as the more bookish of the two groups. The thinkers. The careful considerers.

While, on the other hand, we have the Republicans, who always seem to go about marketing themselves as the doers and the product-based people.

Now, these are just one man’s interpretation, and I am attempting to remain unbiased on the whole thing. I consider all of the qualities I mentioned to be positive aspects of a person or group.

All I am asking is which one presents themselves as more scholarly? If you look at the “intellectuals” in an academic sense, which political party seems more prevalent? I think the Democrats.

And, as a marketing method, this is effective. For those who consider themselves more high-minded, opinions can sway with the threat of making the “ignorant choice.”

What we perceive to be true, what we connect our own identities to, these are what matter to many people. And, I hope, in however small a way, I made you, the reader, reexamine this idea. And question whether the P.R. of a political party’s proclivities actually match the attitudes and aptitudes of members within it.

But perhaps not. Perhaps I have changed no one’s mind. Perhaps I am, at the end of the day, simply words on digital paper.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com        

When traffic cameras became a thing around America, I heard people talk about 1984 by George Orwell. When people talk about the newest technological gizmo, I hear things brought up like Star Trek. If you are in favor of human and robot interactions, you might point at I, Robot by Isaac Asimov as a prime example of it all being okay. If you don’t agree though: The Matrix and Terminator.

Notice a pattern? I’m sure you do: they are all science fiction stories. Different sub-genres of course, different authors and creators: but all science fiction. Arguments for and against technology coming from the same birthplace. The same talking points.

How could a genre do something like this? How could it promote advancement, of robots helping out our daily lives, of automatic cars and devices making life easier, and yet turn around and spout the opposite? How could it say from its various mouths that we could see a Clearwater of hoverboards and holograms like Back to The Future or a nightmarish city like District 12 in The Hunger Games?

Well, I have an answer. It’s by its very nature. Science fiction is perhaps the most important genre of art we have in terms of societal and technological progress. If most art forms exist to describe what humans “are” and what that means, then science fiction functions as a way to show what we can be—depending on how we move forward in the coming years and decades and centuries.

They are dreams of a future. They say to the audience “here is a way it could be,” and if the viewer, if enough viewers, agree to it, then well: Star Trek had cellphones before the real world did.

If you are a believer in an infinite number of alternative universes, then we can think of science fiction stories as making windows into possible worlds. And like any time you list all potential possibilities, some are not pleasant, good, or wholesome.

So, science fiction delivers both warnings and goals. It is saying “you can have a robot butler, sure, you should try to do so, but if you don’t think to make sure they cannot hurt us—well, don’t go crying to John Connor.”

Because the stories warned us. Moderation. Foresight. Ethical Choices. Equality. These and others are at the core of the themes of most science fiction stories. They are a method to promote morality for hypothetical outcomes.

Because, going forward, some won’t be hypothetical. And thanks to a sub-group of the most creative people we’ve had the pleasure to share a planet with, we have a chance to be ready. We have a chance to not make the same mistakes as those fictional characters in print and on the screen.

We get to choose a future. From staggering amounts of options, we can mix, cherry-pick, and curate to promote to the scientists and the creators and the industrialists and the politicians and the businessmen what we want to exist.

And I hope we pick something astounding, aspiring, and astonishing.   

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com     

Gyros: a food few Americans seem to pronounce right. But not a food one forgets once you’ve had. A combination of various meats, and served in strips, it is a staple of any American Greek restaurant.

And, as I am sure you can guess from my positive words, I am a fan of this food. And in Clearwater, there is only one Greek restaurant that has my patronage on any given day: The Hungry Greek.

For when I am a particular type of hungry, I go for the Greek. So, their name is apt. And their gyro meat is good. Everything I’ve had there is good. From the platters, to the soup, to the Greek salads I ritually consume, they create nice, varied meals. If you like Greek: they’ve got you covered.

And, if I may praise it more (because, after all, that is the point of this article) I’d commend the staff, who are always willing to deal with my specialty orders. And are prompt when making the food.

Now, when I say “prompt”, I am not claiming they will rush it out like a McDonald’s--because better food takes a little time. And you can watch them take that time, as they make it behind the large counter, as they assemble and cook with a spinning rotisserie of gyros, a stove, and sets of vegetables in trays--among other things.

As to the atmosphere—a large draw for any restaurant--it is...well: Greek. With music and décor giving the place a better feel than what you would receive at a random sub shop which only dabbles in the same themes.  

So, if you’re in the neighborhood of Clearwater Mall, and want something different than the standard roulette of Chipotle, Panera, and Five Guys, well, might I make a recommendation?

And if I may make one more: as you leave Hungry Greek, be sure to ring the bell on the wall. Because trust me, the results are fun.  

Opa!

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com  

And now, to the final chapter of this article series where I promote the evolution of mankind through social technology.

This time around, I think I may get into the realms of science fiction. Or, at least, it seems that way sometimes. If the purpose of science fiction is to dream the future, then those dreams are popping up in the real world.

Because, with this spreading idea of interconnectivity on a cultural level, we are seeing its oddball adaptations along with its more expected ones.  

Where once was simply communication for the sake of learning and socializing, groups, like all good cells in a larger mass: specialized.

Uber and Lyft showed you can use the urge for people to help— along with a monetary incentive—and circumvent the old systems. Asking a question and getting an answer is the power of the collective search engine, and now more and more the same could be said of any request.

“Who wants to buy this?” “Can I get a ride?” “Who wants to party?” “Let’s go out on a date.” “Let’s hang out.” “Get drinks with me.” “Let’s play a game.”

All of these, if a person is willing, now have avenues to answer them. No need to search around town if you are without an option: ask the void and it echoes down the connected lines with usually at least someone willing to answer.

Amazon, the megastore of the new generation, plays on this idea. No more shall we struggle to find some product we need, now we only have to make the request with cash and it is brought—often cheaper than another way.

Some may call this lazy. I call it the future. As long as we can find bigger problems (and the world certainly has them), then we can use all the labor-saving we want--as long as it does not contribute to those same problems.

And, though it may seem like fanciful thoughts from the futurists and the dreamers, I believe we will see a country where we can all live connected and help each other by our connections.

One man or woman can walk the sandy beaches of Clearwater and broadcast the beautiful sunset, and then when it gets dark, begin a party that everyone knows about and all find impromptu new social interactions at. The ones unable to drive, driven by others. Food delivered in mass at a whim. And anyone who cannot attend still can be there in digital and treated like they are there in the flesh.

That doesn’t even sound like the far-flung future anymore.

It sounds like 2016.

And that, at the end of the day, is what I can promote. A culture of people. Not of class. Not of exclusivity. Not a monolith corporation. But people. Helping and creating and celebrating with other people.

I can promote it wholeheartedly.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com  

Since I’m talking about evolution and the ever-changing nature of the world’s interconnected technology, I can think of no better measuring stick or example of the abounding shifts as the social gaming idea and phenomenon.

Remember, that as near as the last human generation, a video game consisted of a single block and lines.

Now, we have, among other things:

• An exploration of radical capitalistic political ideology. (BioShock)
• A dark comedic take on the instant bending of physics to create blue and orange portals. (Portal)
• And a simulation where a nuclear war left our country in a strange, mostly destroyed, alternative history version of an idealized 1950’s. (Fallout 3)

And, let us not forget, how astonishing games you can play with each other even when you are not in the same place really are. Beyond correspondence chess, I don’t think such an idea was even in the forefront of anyone’s mind for centuries.

But now we have it, and it is a revelation of what can be accomplished. When you break down the world, it is already game-like, and now, for the sake of learning about each other, for the sake of competition, for the sake of entertainment, we can work with each other in wholly new ways.

Never before this could I, or you, at any given time, see how we might match intellectually against a world of other brains. Some people become so enamored with this concept, they do not feel the “real” world offers enough mental stimulation, and much prefer the digital space.

And, while I do not condone that, I will readily admit that at least until Pokémon Go became a thing, you could not go to places like Countryside Mall or Clearwater Mall or Pinellas Park and see magical monsters and capture them.

But while it may block some people off from the rest of the world, and limit them to their avatars in things like World of Warcraft, there are so many games that improve relationships, not destroy them.

And that I can promote. Multiplayer games, or one-on-one games like Words with Friends, Overwatch, Team Fortress 2, Clash of Clans, and the aforementioned Pokémon Go all do a great job of promoting friendships.

If playing a sport with a team builds trust in each other, then the same could be said of being on a digital team fighting off hordes of zombies or Nazis.

Or, in some cases, Zombie Nazis.

And that, is a good thing. It is social. When a person you never knew before can become a friend purely on an activity—no matter the geological location, or even being able to meet in person--that is a positive thing.

And sure, it can lead to problems. Some stranger-danger. But nothing is perfect and if we continue to promote all people are equal, then getting people interacting in an entertaining environment might just help cement the fact.

Because it is a fact.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com  

Was life ever simple? I don’t think so. With wars and cultural shifts and ideological upheavals and blurring relationship standards, I don’t think—even as some people may bemoan right along with certain politicians—the world was ever simple.

Nor do I think the world was ever an uncomplicated landscape of social interactions either. Sure, perhaps it was more private. Okay: not “perhaps”. It was. But we’ve gained and lost so much since our current technology came to be, it is difficult to think about how the world functioned before it.

A highlight of this was when I once lost my phone for a single day. Or rather, I was deprived of it due to an error (it got locked into a drawer overnight) and for that day I felt like a hermit.

We, at least in “First World” countries, are so interconnected that being unable to call someone or text someone, anyone, even without plans to do so, is traumatizing.

People say all sorts of things about phone addiction and social media addiction, but here’s the rub: it is one of the most miraculous technologies in the history of our society and, with humans being social creatures, we are drawn toward the idea of interconnectivity.

It is, in a sense, a success of “evolution” for us to be more linked and connected. What is the internet if not a more incorporeal version of the reason we formed cities and towns and businesses?

Everyone, besides certain fringes, desire to be around others at least sometimes. And we now have the means to do so more than ever.

The days of going to Starbucks, to a game shop like Shortstops in Palm Harbor, to a bar like Mr. Hookah, are not gone. Far from it. We now have the capacity to know who is where so we might be with them. And even when people are apart, they are but a phone call away.

A text away. A snapchat away. A message, poke, picture, video call away.

We are never alone. Not anymore. For better and for worse, you need not be lonely.

We can almost always hear a living person’s voice. And recording technology even lets us listen to old words from the one’s lost.

So, I promote the social evolution. I think it’s worthy. I think it will go forward.

I also think there is no way to stop it. Not unless civilization as we know it ends, not unless a dystopian society springs up and pulls it away. And even if such a thing would happen, if we as a species survived, we’d only end up connecting all over again.

The linking of human endeavor allows for swift communication. Which is power. Which is both fearful and joyful. Both a tool and a weapon.

And I promote that it exists. And for the next article or two, I will talk about how it all ties together into so many interactions.

For I believe that much like the Cyberpunk fiction of the yesteryears and the new ideas of virtual spaces posited by Science Fiction, our world has a series of dropping and blurring layers which are already pulling all aspects of human life into its maw and changing in a dynamic way the future and present of human existence.

And I’d rather promote this evolution than live in fear of it.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com