Selling out the L – Product Placement on Premium Networks

Capitalism strikes again and this time quite close to home.

Whoring our community out to brand names so that inhumane corporations like Nike can “improve their image” and “capture new markets” while continuing their horrendous policies worldwide is absolutely not responsible. It’s degrading and dehumanizing when actual people are reduced to mere consumers to be used, played and discarded in order for a few at the top to make profits.

I recognize that The L word is in itself, a product made for the mass consumerism, a cultural artifact that is sold to us by centrally controlled media industries. Yet, we desperately need to draw a line between mainstream exposure and visibility on one hand and making the L Word and Ourchart.com into spaces for “friction-free capitalism” that proliferates and exacerbates the problem of commodity fetishism.

Don’t be fooled that this is for the benefit of the show– it isn’t. It is simply a way for Showtime to start making $$$ through “ads” discretely but not having commercial breaks. No–they will just desecrate thecontent of the show instead. Premium subscribers to networks like Showtime have been able to escape “ads” so far and NOW they will mix advertisement with the actual CONTENT of the show putting us at more of a disadvantage than cable customers who can at least use their DVRs and TIVOs to fast-forward through them.

What’s next for us? We already have bad plots and storylines; lets turn the L-word completely into a joke and “really” start selling commodities besides the sex that we already sell.

In other news, Sharleen Spitteri’s Don’t Keep Me Waiting from her album Melody, was chosen for the soundtrack. See here.

And this is the final package art for the S5 DVDs. Go and grab!