The problem with being interested in something is that one tends to begin seeing that something everywhere. This is a phenomenon caused, I think, by priming, i.e. one tends to see the things one has been taught (by whatever means) to see.
For this reason I always have to be careful when I make statements such as the one I’m about to make:
Bicycles seem to be getting a lot more positive attention in the popular culture.
Just yesterday the travel section of The New York Times published two articles with positive references.
The Amsterdam of Playgrounds and Pancakes
No Squishing: Biking a Tokyo Rail Line
I’ve also noticed bicycles being used positively in television commercials lately.
I failed to capture any that I’ve seen recently. But I think I’ll make the effort because any positive portrayal of bicycling in the culture is evidence of something. I don’t want to over-state what that something is. I’ll put it this way (a hypothesis of sorts): The positive use of any particular thing as background context in television commercials could be a sign of the general acceptance of that thing, e.g. it’s normal to see adults on bicycles, therefore they make an excellent context for selling _______.
Comments 3
Regarding your “hypothesis of sorts”: let’s hope!
Posted 21 Sep 2009 at 2:46 pm ¶It’s interesting… that’s my general perception of the situation too, though certainly not the case in certain locales… like where I live for example
Posted 22 Sep 2009 at 10:30 am ¶A bike shop is featured prominently in the American Express commercials that suggest the economy is coming out of the recession. The ads also show a cake shop and a restaurant that is identified as being “downtown.”
Posted 22 Sep 2009 at 4:09 pm ¶