'Peaky Blinders' Puts Ron DeSantis Campaign On Notice

[Eugene]

‘Peaky Blinders’ Puts Ron DeSantis Campaign On Notice (HuffPost)

Cillian Murphy and the team behind the hit period crime drama slammed the 2024 presidential candidate's crew over an ad.

Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign is on notice, by order of the “Peaky Blinders.”

The team behind the hit British period crime drama on Wednesday slammed the Florida Republican governor’s campaign team for sharing on Twitter a widely criticized anti-LGBTQ video that featured images of actor Cillian Murphy as the gangster Tommy Shelby in the series.

The footage from the show was “obtained without permission or official license,” said a statement signed by Murphy, screenwriter Steven Knight, Caryn Mandabach Productions, Tiger Aspect Productions and Banijay Rights.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/peaky-blinders-ron-desantis_n_64a68441e4b0e5efaad9c076

[70sEraVet]

1. I wondered why there wasnt some pushback about the images of Brad Pitt in the movie 'Troy'!

[yardwork]

2. I'm very intrigued by that ad, anyway!

It's not clear to me who the intended audience is. The video is bizarre. There are lots of unusual features, and I feel as if it's referencing some sub-culture.

Can anyone illuminate this for me?

And, would the intended audience be the same demographic that is so worried about trans people??

The whole thing doesn't compute.

[Eugene]

3. Long past sell-by date culture wars shock images.

A 1990s-style attempt to offend conservative sensibilities and show the Drumpf is a fake LGBTQ-phobe, while DeSadist is the real deal.

The old bogeyman ads featured footage of Tongues Untied and Robert Mapplethorpe. Same general idea.

The only shock here is DeBully's breathtaking inability to come up with even the faintest trace of an original thought.

[yardwork]

9. I thought DeSantis's voters are white retirees.

They would hate this ad. I get that he's trying to broaden his base, but to what?!

[reACTIONary]

18. The idea is to shock those older voters by...

... showing them images that they would consider degenerate and to then pose as the authentic cultural warrior against such "degeneracy", as opposed to tfg, who is made out to be a fake warrior.

(Didn't, and won't, watch the video, this is my presumption from reading about it.)

[yardwork]

20. You've got to see it!

It's really something. I posted downthread a link to a New Republic article that theorizes that DeSantis is striving for the young white male online troll demographic. Apparently they're fans of the protagonist in American Psycho, who's featured in the video.

[reACTIONary]

24. I'm not sure ...

... about watchimg the video, but I did read the New Republic article.. Its hard to imagine anything like that, so maybe I'll have to see it to believe it.

[IronLionZion]

8. 0 liberals were owned by this

[yardwork]

10. For instance, this liberal lesbian is fascinated - for all the wrong reasons.

I haven't seen anything this ridiculous since Tucker Carlson's gonad tanning device infomercial. (Which seems to be in a similar genre.)

I sense that this is an identifiable thing but I don't know what it is.

[IronLionZion]

11. DeSantis seems excited by images of manly men for some reason

It also feels like he's hitting Trump for being too inclusive

[yardwork]

12. Yea on both counts, but it's the bizarre style of the ad...

Why does the camera shake and the soundtrack sound like a giant walking when an image of DeSantis appears? .... Wait, I think I just answered that question.

I still can't figure out who would LIKE this ad. "People who think Trump is too liberal?"

Incels? Gamers?

[yardwork]

14. Found it!

He's going for the Patrick Bateman Andrew Tate fans. Disaffected young white men.

https://newrepublic.com/article/174120/ron-desantis-embrace-american-psycho-patrick-bateman

[IronLionZion]

15. He can have them. And lose some votes of more sensible folks.

[yardwork]

17. I guess this Hail Mary strategy is to use an army of trolls to win nomination.

And then... pivot? ... to win the GE.

[ShazzieB]

19. Good lord.

After reading that article, I just watched the video again to refresh my memory (had to turn off the sound when that awful music started), and confirmed my original impression that it's an incoherent mess!

If I understand correctly, the idea behind it is to show DeSantis as the ultimate manly man, who is going to rescue us all the oh-so-scary LGBTQ+ community that wants to do something not nice to America, but all it does is set most people's nerves on edge. Whoever made it had absolutely no idea how to convey what they presumably wanted to convey.

It wouldn't have worked on me in any case, because of my pre-existing contempt and loathing of DeSantis and everything he stands for, but I don't see how it could convince anyone that there's anything appealing about him. The whole thing is sort of terrifying, with all the shaky, jerky images and jarring soundtrack, but nowhere did I get any sense that they were trying to show me that here's a guy who is going to save the day. I think I would be capable of perceiving such a message if it cam through AT ALL, even though I strongly disagree with it, but as far as I can see, it's simply not there,

My verdict on this:

[yardwork]

21. I know male teens who would think it was funny.

However, they don't vote. When I first saw it, I thought it was aimed at the incel crowd, and it sounds like TNR agrees. The closeted incel crowd - which could be a redundancy.

The young white men who like Pepe the Frog, for instance. I'm not sure they vote in large numbers. I don't think they're going to win DeSantis the nomination but what do I know.

[allegorical oracle]

22. It's a jumbled mess, imo. 1) For how many seconds does it air headlines critical of DeSatan,

NOT tfg, before the vibrating, cold-blooded-killer and muscled flash cuts begin?

2) What sane candidate, particularly one who's lagging behind by double-digits, elects to spend production and air time dollars broadcasting their own negatives? In political advertising, negatives stick with viewers longer than positives (think Willie Horton).

If it's martyrdom he wanted, it vaporized once the gobbledygook of images started pulsing.

[whopis01]

26. It is for the hardcore MAGA Trumpers

DeSantis can not win the primary without pulling away some of the hardcore Trumpers. The types that treat politics like professional wrestling. Your guy has to be kicking everyone else’s ass. That’s how you know he’s a winner. Issues and accomplishments are far less important to them than looking like a tough badass who kicks the crap out of everyone else.

In the 2020 election there were Trumpers out on the roads around here with giant plywood cutouts of Stallone’s Rocky Balboa with Trump’s head on it. And similar stupid BS. That is who this is being targeted by this ad.

[ZonkerHarris]

4. Sue them now

[Cha]

5. Sue deSadist's Freaky Ass OFF!

[Bev54]

6. This seems to be a constant theme with republicans

[IronLionZion]

7. Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, and Leo DiCaprio should do the same

since those are who DeSantis thinks are manly men. And I suppose the bodybuilders too.

[CaptainTruth]

13. Republicans don't respect intellectual property rights.

Look at how many times they've used music without proper licensing & permission.

The scary part of that is that in our modern world IP is an important part of our economy, & global leadership in IP helps establish global economic leadership.

Some of y'all know that in my previous engineering life I helped develop global standards that today are used in just about everything that plays sound or displays an image. Phones, computers, TVs, cable & satellite boxes, computers, video disc players, movie theaters, you name it.

Several American companies developed technology (IP) that was good enough to be included in those standards. The benefits to our country have been enormous, not just in terms of companies prospering & creating good high-paying jobs, but also in giving America a leadership position at the table as technologies evolve & improve.

IP is immensely important to our country, our economy, & our position as global economic leaders, now & in the future, & it scares the heck out of me that Republicans seem to be clueless about all of it.

[LiberalLovinLug]

16. Because they can get away with it

They just use it until either a court orders them to stop, or in some cases they comply with the artist's wishes. Sometimes they keep using it because it doesn't belong to the artist anymore. And any group can pay the record company to use it.

But even if they are forced or embarrassed by the artist to stop. Its not before they've used it multiple times. Its done its work for them. They just find some other beloved classic to abuse for their propaganda purposes...until they can't. There are no consequences.

[Cheezoholic]

23. Whats scary is this is what his minions came up with to "please" him

Lets not fool ourselves into thinking this is some kind of well oiled political strategic juggernaut of talented campaigners. Like Fat Nixons little clown car of remoras, they're spoon feeders to the one at the table in the high chair. The ad's all him and it's these spineless butt puckers he surrounds himself with that end up running the country if he wins.

[edisdead]

25. Love that show

[H2O Man]

27. Recommended.

[peggysue2]

28. Good to see this!

I've been a big fan of Peaky Blinders and its heartening to hear Cillian Murphy and the creative team have taken a stand and pushed back.



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