April 7, 2008

Mac Users = Crackpot Liberals: Kantrowitz responds to your comments!

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Wow, I’ve finally gotten people to care! No, I didn’t do it by writing a controversial political piece, what finally got me some reaction was to pan a classless advertisement. Well folks, I stick to it! The way Apple went about bashing Microsoft was classless. No matter how good its product is, I see no reason why it should be acceptable for the company to broadcast bad reviews of its competitor. The bashing does not make Apple look good, it makes them look petty.
Now why the strong response? Here’s my hypothesis: What I’ve been writing so far has been either politically neutral or in support of progressive candidates in the 2008 election. Now, being that I’m writing for an Ivy League newspaper, it would make sense that my readers are open enough not to get angry at politically neutral opinions and liberal enough to support the progressive candidates. But, when I criticized Apple Inc., the favorite child of liberals across America, boy did I hit a nerve.
Yes, I said it, Mac users are a bunch of Crackpot Liberals! Ok, the pejorative may be a bit much but you know what I’m saying. If you don’t, look no further than to a mid-January expose printed in PC world among other techie publications saying that “Mac People” are more liberal than average Americans.[img_assist|nid=29609|title=|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
The article refers to a study done by a group called Mindset Media which helps companies with strong brands develop targeted advertising towards its users. Well, Mac users got the top rating of “Openness 5” means that it is “more liberal, less modest and more assured of [its] own superiority than the population at large.” AHA! We’ve finally caught you liberal Mac users!
What the (record!) nine responses to my last blog (“Hey Apple: Get a Life!”) proved to me was that not only are Mac users liberal, but they’re a passionate group too! At first, I didn’t know what to do with all the responses but finally decided to touch on a few and attempt to defend myself from the furor. I will do so below:

Your comments:

Me, a computer geek? Clak writes:: Sorry to bring this out, but these ads work. People who don’t have a vested interest in Windows, that is, non-geeks, don’t see the Ads as offensive… So please spare us the fake Apple outrage, will you?

Thankfully, that was the first time I’ve ever been called a computer geek. What I put out there was a pure social critique of the company’s marketing policy and nothing else. So geek? Maybe. Computer geek? I take offense!

Good point on PC market share. Andrew writes:: “Yeah, Apple products are good, but Apple’s market share is still less than 10%.”
Good point, I didn’t know that.

Barack Obama divisive on race? Andrew continues:: “Obama’s already shown that he’ll be decisive on the most splitting issue in America: race.”
This I disagree with. What exactly has he said to divide the nation based on race? When Reverend Wright’s “God damn America” videos began circling I thought I might have partially agreed with you, but not anymore. I think the combination of his speech on the issue and the fact that he draws white voters (like me) out to vote in droves shows he can bridge the racial lines. If anything, he’s going to unite us on race.

Me, a technocrat? Louis writes:: “Yes, a technocrat, such as yourself, knows that Microsoft Vista stinks. You may not like being reminded of that, if you are not ready to switch. But, these ads are not aimed at you. You are not likely to buy a Mac, are you?”
Again- I am no computer expert. I was merely stating that I lost a lot of respect for Apple because the ad campaign seemed classless to me. I personally don’t enjoy seeing competing companies bash each other in public that way. Mac has so much going for it, highlight the good, my friends, and leave the nasty attack ads at home. As for me buying a Mac? If I could afford it, I would.

Can anyone make sense out of this? Anonymous writes:: “You conservative anti-UN nutjobs take the cake. You want to continue ‘white’ racism as long as you perceive ‘black’ racism… all terrorists are Islamic… anything that is cooperative, designed to promote peace, or is ‘international’ is a threat to ‘legitimate US domination’… and most fantastic of all… in your world the rich are at a HUGE disadvantage over the poor…”
Not relevant. A good rant though, down with U.S. hegemony!
You agree with me! Wait… Peter writes:: “Mr. Kantrowitz is on target for berating the Cupertino Meanos as they plaster the NYTimes site with those vicious anti-Vista ads.”
Thank you! Then again, that was just sarcasm. Hey, I’ll take what I can get!
Lastly, Tim writes:: “I think you’re over-reacting. Microsoft and Apple can look after themselves and the battle is good for consumers.”
Maybe so. Thanks everyone for your comments, I really do appreciate the feedback. As for this post, fire away!