When I said advertising from Disney made nerd culture spread faster, I was not just pointing at them because they are a large company, and an easy source of reference for the average reader—though that was a perk. I chose them because they own Marvel. And if one franchise could bare the label of what made nerds cool, that would be it.

The Avengers changed everything. Changed how the movie industry regarded interconnected stories and franchises. It made spin-offs and connected television shows more wanted. No matter how many of the D.C. movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Suicide Squad flop critically, the amount of power and money The Avengers made makes the pull too strong to not keep trying.

The logic is this: do it right, just once, and it will all be worth it.

And, as the corporations and the money-hungry eyeball-demanders fight, we all get new stuff.

Now, the backlash is (because there is always backlash) some nerds begrudge the people who suddenly have an opinion on the argument of D.C. versus Marvel, or whether “gamer girls” are in it for some sort of popularity spike among the stereotypical hormone-jacked basement dwellers.

But I am not one of those people. I think it is fantastic when anyone gets into this subculture that’s not “sub” anymore. Because, now, seeing something like Doctor Strange or Rogue One: A Star Wars Story or Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a go-to movie for the masses.

But that wasn’t the only thing they did for the “revolution.” Another way Disney directly spread the agenda is with the amount of merchandising and branded items they let into the world. This is basic trademark building, something I’ve spoken about before, but it is still worth pointing out that for every Captain America’s mighty shield they sell, they are advertising.

Every sale. Every television advertisement. Every time someone walks into the comic book shop at Countryside, or wanders to that back part of the Barnes and Noble at Sunset Point and finds the wall of graphic novels, they are at the risk of the “infection.”

And I could keep shouting out all the examples which I think are radical, and if I had a megaphone, that might be something I’d do with it. But the point is this: Disney is big enough and wide enough and tied enough to the collective consciousness of the masses, that if they put out something, it is normal.

I say Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to anyone who is not a rather young child, and they will know exactly what I am talking about. The movie is a piece of us as Americans. And Disney can do that anytime they want with anything. Disney decided that comic book superheroes are common to us. And so, boom, they are.

And while that is scary to think about in terms of non-media implications, we nerds got picked as the target for elevation, so I’m not going to complain. I just hope they decide to further destigmatize video games next. Because that would be, again using this old silly word: radical.

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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    

Well, Carrie Fisher and her mother both passed away a day apart. And hopefully, hopefully, that marks a capstone on a year which some people on the internet refer to as a “dumpster fire,” though I don’t promote that label. But, if we can just make it to the end of the year without any more tragedies or celebrity deaths that would be good.

That would be wonderful.

And, if we can make the coming year a little more in the vein of hope than despair, that would be nice too.

In fact, that’s what I am here to promote as my final article of the year. Because 2016 has been harsh. Even for someone growing okay with Donald being the new President of the United States of America, I shed a few tears over the sheer brutalizing we all received.

But, it’s almost over. And, so, like the optimist I did not think I was (but continue to prove myself wrong), I am all for us, as people, going forward to promote a year without so much suffering.

We are not defined by only our tragedies, we are also by our triumphs. Our successes. Our striving for a new and better world.

Now, on to how to go about it—even locally. Here in Clearwater we may not have seen much direct change. We are a sleepy town, which isn’t always affected the hardest by news. But, that doesn’t mean some don’t need a little hope and light.

So, here’s what I promote. First: a little calm. Sure, the political world was loud and will continue to be loud, but that does not mean we need to listen so close. Take care of yourself, mentally and physically. And, I know it sounds a little odd, especially coming from a future-excited, technology-promoting individual like me, but you don’t have to engage with news media, or even social media for a little while if it is genuinely hurting you. If you need it, distance yourself. Shut off all connected devices.

Ignoring the news may not be a socially responsible thing to suggest doing, but there will always be something on it dire and distracting and infuriating, and you can remove yourself from it for a few days, even a few weeks. It’s not like it’s going anywhere.

And the second thing I promote is to just be kind. Dark, bad things happen in the world, an unavoidable fact, and though we can’t always prevent them from happening, we can calm people and try to keep individuals from flipping out and going into a panic.

Yes, protest and standing up against injustice are right things to do. I promote that too. I promote peaceful assembly and making grievances known—especially for the underrepresented. But, I mean kindness in the day to day, not the dramatic situations. Understand that people are still reeling and try to have empathy for them without yourself falling into the same emotional spiral.

Part of the reason the world seems so chaotic this year is because of the amount of screaming happening among friends and family and perfect strangers. Fear mongering media didn’t help either. On all sides, people talked about how bad it is. This time, though not every tragedy is avoidable, or even logical, we can hold together instead of yelling and breaking apart.

If 2016 is a time of anger and upheaval, then I promote 2017 as the year of understanding and love. Yeah, it sounds a little hippy-like, but I’m willing to try it. What can it hurt to strive for peace? Really all years we should strive for that, so we may as well start somewhere.

So, why not this year, so full of yet untapped potential?

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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    

Gift cards are a stroke of marketing genius. This may not be uncommon knowledge, but since you probably received at least one gift card in the last few days, I thought I would outline the usefulness of a gift card for a company.

Now, gift cards are not as beneficial to you, as they are to their creators. Cash, if you are in the right country for it to be applicable, is acceptable in all stores—barring strange outliers. It is infinitely more useable.

But, to a company, gift cards are brilliant. They do something, several things, which is ultra-beneficial to them. Elevating the simple present way above its unassuming exterior.

The first is that it cements a brand. Even if you prefer a small mom-and-pop shop, or have inexplicably never gone to the store you got a gift card from before, you must now if you want to claim the present. Best Buy on Drew Street, Target in Clearwater Mall, Barnes And Noble on Sunset Point, these stores you may (somehow) never have set foot in before, yet now you must interact with their brands and marketing. It may even make you a regular customer.      

And, though the money from the card is not new cash, the gift card also incentivizes spending more money at that establishment—especially if the card is for a smaller amount of currency.

As an example, if you are at, say, a Red Lobster and your card is for twenty dollars, and you take your family with you, you will assuredly spend more than the card’s value—just based on the usual prices at that restaurant. And, thus, you give them even more money than the card is worth. And you wouldn’t have even put yourself in such a situation without the card itself to get you in the door.

No matter how frugal you might be, it is way easier to end up splurging if you feel the reward is big enough, or if you feel the lack of a full brunt of a cost. It’s the same trick that a massive sale pulls. Macy’s and Steam and so many others use the same method. You end up spending more than you might with normal prices.  Buying more things, moving more merchandise, getting the stores out of the red. Because you perceive it as personally beneficial—as a victory. As a reward. It’s a classic trick of marketing.

Now with all that said, gift cards are still gifts—above all. Acts of kindness from someone: a friend, a family member, a significant other, who cares enough to get you one. It’s not as sinister as I may make it sound. Don’t not use it on principal. It’s just good, clever marketing. And, spending a gift card is a lovely additional portion to any holiday season’s events. Another wave of gifts after the ones you received from Santa and/or all the people you celebrate with. Even if all it is, is a little treat one day from a bakery or coffee shop.

So: enjoy. Have fun with it.        

‘Tis the season, after all.

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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 months later, back we go into the controversy of political correctness and P.R. I’ve said much on the subject over several articles, but now as we are in the winter, we have the potential for a minor P.R. gaffe which will require navigating. And since I opened the can of worms already and never closed it, let’s go right back into the maelstrom.

“Merry Christmas.”

Well, what do you say to that? Obviously, it depends on the person, but if I hear it, I go with the same response. A “Merry Christmas” for a “Merry Christmas.” Even if I did not celebrate Christmas (though I do, and adore it), I don’t mind saying what they want to hear—what is most easy for the person to accept. If I said “Happy Holidays” at that point, that would be rude, at least from some people’s perspective.

And, as I said back in September and October, the whole point of political correctness is to take other’s feelings into account while speaking. You say “bless you” or even “God bless you” when people sneeze, even if you do not believe in the connected religious aspects of that phrase, and no one bats an eye (unless some people do, in which case even I, the one promoting political correctness, think there is such a thing as choosing your battles more wisely) so, for the winter holidays, why not respond with a socially correct response?

Now, for the flip side, since I’m trying to codify this, if you are in a position where you want to initiate the festive greeting: then go “Happy Holidays.” Unless, of course, you know from previous experiences that the person you are speaking with is a person who celebrates a certain holiday. In which case, go ahead and use the appropriate greeting.

It’s not so hard to apply. If you need to put it up in writing, say you’re an employee at a local little café like Angie’s Restaurant on Cleveland Street, and you want a festive sign, then go with both the holiday that is most common in the area and a “Happy Holidays” for safety’s sake.

Again, it is simply an act of respect. Some people do not celebrate Christmas. A huge number in America do, but some don’t. And even if one cannot be bothered to learn all the alternative methods of celebration in the world, it is not hard to stick to the generic “Happy Holidays.”

Now, sure, this can backfire, oddly enough. Some can become offended by the lack of “gumption” one possesses to not choose a holiday. But, really, again, pick your battles. The fact people can become mad about people trying to be nice, and become offended by efforts to prevent offense, is too twisting a paradox to dig into now, but again, for the sake of P.R., I would err on the side of the politically correct. If uninformed to an individual’s preference, only respond with the specific holiday they said first, or stay generic.

The winter holidays, all of them, unless you observe some rather fringe traditions, focuses on things like generosity, love, family, kindness, and remembrance of the past. Be it gathering around a tree one morning, or celebrating over eight days, or seven, or any other way, the intent is the same: to bring people together.

So, as we enter this time of year, I wish you a Merry Christmas. A Happy Hanukah. A Joyous Kwanza. And for all I might have missed: HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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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 article came as an idea because of the company Carvana. Carvana delivers cars to you. They allow a person in search of a vehicle to, without going to a dealership, purchase a car. Like Amazon and eBay with, well, everything, the world now has another place which promotes the usage of digital services instead of a physical store.

Now, to my mind, this promotes two things. The first is customer power, and the second is a breakdown of normal concepts of errands—of normal ideas, quick to be outdated ideas, of what it means to go shopping. Which is another sign of the world changing in new and exciting ways due to the internet.

Let’s go over the items a person can purchase online. Actually, let’s go one further. Let’s examine some of the things the internet now seeks to expedite for maximum convenience among the users of it.

In no significant order:

Amazon and eBay, which, if you are willing to wait for the product to arrive and not have the instant gratification of ownership, can allow you to purchase pretty much any standard item for delivery.

Etsy. Which is full of many handcrafted items.

Netflix, Hulu, and all the other similar groups, satisfy people’s media needs.

Match and OkCupid and Tinder and such give people a way to find someone to date.

Lyft and Uber now make getting a ride possible on a mass scale without relying on taxi services.

There are even services which allow Publix and other local stores to deliver products to a person in under an hour, and of course:  fast food delivery of the Chinese food and pizza variety has been a thing for a long time.

Now, I understand the potential concern all of this can cause. Because the more this sort of thing expands, and the more services one can obtain without leaving their house, the less reason one would have to go out in Clearwater and see the world.

And, yes, perhaps that is what might happen. But, I don’t think so. I cannot predict the outcome this will have on real-world brick-and-mortar for-profit industries—as that model may phase out of existence. But, that threat is only for the retail organizations unwilling to go fully digital.

Restaurants and fairs and concerts and bars and lounges all exist as a social location, not just a place to buy things. Sure, you might get a coffee delivered. Sure, you might even get food on par with Carrabba’s Italian Grill on Gulf to Bay brought to you. But those do not have the much touted “atmosphere” of a real physical experience. The smells and sounds and touch of a real coffee shop or bustling restaurant is not easily replicated.

If I may make another prediction, I see people not becoming shut-ins, but instead becoming more free to explore. At the beginning, I mentioned the boost of power in the customer, and that is what they will have. This is what the new system will promote. Errands would no longer be all-day affairs, as traveling all around to stores would no longer be necessary. And the purchasers would have more control of their own time.

Which is more time for people to go and party at concerts, go and meet people for drinks, go and see the world. Sure, some might find it as an excuse for the lifestyle of a shut-in, but the majority will, and already are, getting a liberation of time and effort, which can find usage toward creative and positive outlets. Volunteering, charity work, time with friends and family.

Browsing the shelves may not be the same, but the urge for a human connection doesn’t die. No matter how convenient things get.

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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