Yes, I know that to deactivate a bomb, you defuse it, not diffuse. In a connected world, is it possible fro these two concepts to become related. Another way of looking at it, can we use the borderless and free flowing nature of the internet to disarm anti-social ideas.
I, of course, am talking about Duncan Donuts, Rachel Ray and Islamic terrorists. A scarf Rachel Ray wore in Dunkin Donuts advertisement may look similar to garb worn by terrorists. Some bloggers were afraid that this show of support would embolden terrorists.
I was thinking about it from the other side. Maybe what we need is more Dunkin Donuts in the West Bank. If we appropriate the terrorists synbols and replace their insidious meaning with banality, don’t we win? Maybe one day young men in the middle east will think that Mujahideen is a custom coffee blend. Keffiyeh patterned napkins will keep the sugary crust of their Glazed Muchkins from getting on their fingers.
I talked with one of our soldiers in Baghdad. (aside - He is living proof that we have some smart, insightful, honest, competent people trying to fix this.) He half jokingly said that if we wanted to win in Iraq, we should bombard the country with gangster rap and pornography. That might be a little extreme, but Rachel Ray hawking donuts might be a step towards hearts and minds.
