A fascinating juxtaposition in the new Levi's ads is the poetry of Walt Whitman sandwiched with the consumerism of "We're funky; buy our duds!"
An even more fascinating element of the choice of Whitman's Pioneers! O Pioneers! as the audio track to gangs of mænads galloping over verdant landscapes, or rushing with torches through the night like some deconstructed Sturmabteilung.
In particular, I wonder how much flak Levi Strauss will receive for the use of the stanza:
Come my tan-faced children,
Follow well in order, get your weapons ready,
Have you your pistols? have you your sharp-edged axes?
Pioneers! O pioneers!
Whitman of course is now a darling to some because of the homosexuality that has been deconstructed from his work. However, given the intent of the Levi's ad, and its obvious political connections, one cannot help but wonder at the apparent advocacy of the ownership of firearms and melée weapons....although I approve of it.
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