Dystopia? What Dystopia?

Andrew Sullivan takes time today to refer to Sao Paulo as a "post-capitalist dystopia" since the city had banned billboards. I looked at the group of Flickr photos myself and, well, it doesn't look so bad. I mean the light boxes (or whatever they call them) where the signs used to go obviously look empty, but if the boxes themselves were taken down, who would miss them? I wonder what the folks at illegalsigns.ca would say about this "dystopia?" At least no one would be suing them.

For the record, most of the futuristic dystopias produced by our cultural imagination have an oppressive amount of advertizing (see Bladerunner) or at least some kind of massive visual propaganda (see 1984). I also fail to see how this makes Sao Paulo a "post-capitalist" society either. Local governments put all kinds of restriction on capitalism - e.g.: you cannot open a slaughterhouse in a residential neighbourhood.

I do not know how any of this renders Sao Paulo a dystopia.

Corporate Graffiti Part II: Sue me, you bastards

Via Saskboy, today I find out that Clear Channel wants to sue anyone who has the temerity to point out that their signs are illegal. The reason that Clear Channel uses is that its licensing agreements are between itself and private property owners, therefore its no one else's business if the signs are in fact contravening by-laws.

This is the prevailing attitude among those who want to put up ads on every square-inch of Toronto - they think it's their God-given right to do so. Clear Channel has already ruined radio, I'd prefer that they not ruin my city.