Good Press, Archetypes, and
There’s a saying in showbusiness that there’s “no such thing as bad press” (which of course is false, look at Michael Jackson but I digress.)
Being that this is not (entirely) showbusiness, in what cases would press NOT, be “good press” in your opinions? I’m speaking outside of the obvious such as accidentally destroying public property or somethin dumb like that.
My voice is VERY easily recognizeable and I specialize in dealing with crackheads, gang officers, etc…to bring down operations that terrorize neighborhoods in key spots of Chicago. These organizations are usually spread over the Chicagoland or Illinois area, or nationwide, and in some cases WORLDwide, consisting of hundreds of members in the city limits. My “codename” being mentioned in the media someday would be one thing. But I take certain risks to get the job done that could easily put an end to my work.
I realize awareness and “spreading the word” is important. But if you play it the way I do, or anything close…you might want to consider these points and evaluate the EXTENT to which you will “draw the line” when it comes to publicity.
I have no idea how Angle Grinder Man hasn’t been caught, but he’s lucky. Should “superheroes” only be neighborhood watchmen (and women), or is there a place in this “age of heroes” for people like Terrifica, Angle-Grinder Man and others who take that extra step?
There is a hero here in Chicago who only works alone because he works much along the same lines as me. I wont even mention his name right now, but suffice to say he has hits out of him.
As I was in the chat room tonight, I got the chance to talk to a few of our fellows, and the topic of Press came up. I’m not sure, but it seemed to me that after talking for a while, my stance on personal coverage not being something that each one of us should hunt down, the conversation quickly ended. I hope this was not the reason why.
Teams AND individuals might want to consider the corny slogan “What type of hero are you?” When teams are being constructed. There are different “specialties” for us to choose from.
We COULD stick to picking up litter and helping old ladies cross the street, but personally I see the potential for “SUPER” actions from Real Life “SUPER” heros.
The first time I designed a uniform, donned a mask, started a neighborhood patrol alliance and fought urban terrorism in this city was when I was about 15. My “legend” didn’t make it past the South East side ghettos but more than 10 years later it was surprising to find out that 2 friends of mine had heard about me (my codename) wearing the uniform and fighting for good in the middle of a 3-way turf war. They had no idea it was “a kid”. I look back upon the memories of the times that my missions went exactly as planned, the times I learned from mistakes and my heart racing when I was almost spotted doing surveillance 15 feet away from a drug spot…neighborhood thugs putting out a hit on me because I became a threat to thier dirty money, and the look of hope in the eyes of citizens who were made part of the neighborhood watch.
I always realized it, but I feel that it should be addressed that there are different archetypes at work in our community, and it’s probably in everybody’s best interest to pick one if you are starting out.