Playing the game at a different level
In marketing, we often drive for major events which through their magnitude will create an ongoing halo effect, a self-generating gravity which continues to attract thinkers to them for some time to come. In our modern media age, for such an event to be effective, it needs to be really massive to garner any form of lasting halo, and needs to be well supported with a ready network to handle the load it creates. Also, it needs be somewhat controversial while having the ability to deflect some of the controversy away from itself. It’s kind of like a perfect storm, to use N. T. Wright’s favorite analogy.
Or it’s like a Mormon guy running for president who can get the most prominent protestant in the nation to back him, and get Catholic attention via his running mate. He loses, deflecting some of the controversy based on the fact that no president can succeed in this environment, and his church deflects controversy via a broad marketing campaign which distances itself from the Mormon guy by emphasizing the church’s diversity. Add to this an increased missionary force (via age shifts) ready to handle the additional load created and the increased interest because the candidates loss minimizes the anti-mormon backlash (via the right being unable to lash out and the left having no need to). Did I mention that he also defies reality by turning the RNC into a dog and pony show of church members talking about what it’s like to be Mormon?
Well played, God. Well played.
Now that’s a positive attitude. Thanks for the uplift on a sad, sad night.
Comment by Tom D — November 7, 2012 @ 12:08 am
Except God doesn’t run elections.
Comment by Dave — November 7, 2012 @ 8:00 am
Except God can take whatever He has to work with from our choices and use it to forward His work. Even an election.
Comment by Larke — November 7, 2012 @ 9:03 am
Dave, how does any of the above require God to run an election?
Comment by Matt W. — November 7, 2012 @ 1:39 pm
Yes, God does use our choices to further His work, even in an election, a storm recovery, a war and anything else we crazy humans come up with. He is in charge after all, not of our choices, but of the eternal outcome. And if we figure some things out along the way we are better off. I thank Him for that!
Comment by Claudia W. — November 7, 2012 @ 2:15 pm
Couldn’t you also apply this kind of viewpoint to Abinadi in Mosiah 17 and what Alma & Amulek witnessed in Alma 14? Two other examples of the game being played on a different level, for sure.
Comment by mondo cool — November 7, 2012 @ 3:37 pm
President Abram told me that most of what happens in a public organization is a smokescreen for a ‘higher work’. He taught me that when an apostle visits a country or land of people, most of what happens to help uplifting hearts and minds of men and women is done without public notice. Heavenly Father is allowed to bless us and then not even take credit for us. This is true charity.
Comment by Jacob Adams — November 8, 2012 @ 8:51 am
As a media buyer I’m thinking of the media spend… Mia Love and Matheson pre-empted his spots and God’s just now getting his make-goods.
Comment by Riley — November 9, 2012 @ 8:56 pm
In the end, however, Romney was a lousy candidate who lost.
Comment by Ray — November 17, 2012 @ 9:05 am
That’s nonsense, Ray. Romney was a surprisingly strong candidate who lost. I think he mostly lost because he had to tack so far right to appease the far right part of the GOP. Lost too much of the middle in the process. Plus incumbents are really hard to beat.
Comment by Geoff J — November 28, 2012 @ 11:27 am