Close Reading Blog 11/10

Dynamic Marketing Firm Seeks Greatest Mind of Your Generation (Unpaid).

Article: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/dynamic-marketing-firm-seeks-greatest-mind-of-your-generation-unpaid

Author Chris Partridge creates an entertaining and amusing "ad" geared toward the tech-savvy youth of today in his article Dynamic Marketing Firm Seeks Greatest Mind of Your Generation (Unpaid).  This whimsical ad creates a string of qualifications that even a social media obsessed generation could have trouble meeting; the resume one would have to complete to apply for the internship in itself is farcical. In addition to his immense creativity, Partridge uses language, syntax, and detail to help create and illustrate the cockamamie nature of the article and society's reliance on social media/technology.

     One of Partridge's most utilized techniques is that of language. Metaphors such as "alchemists of innovation" and "the Rumpelstiltskins of branding, spinning the straw of conventional digital marketing into paradigm-shattering gold" give the ad a magical, fairy-tale twist while metaphors like "the Faulkner of Facebook" give an educated feel to the piece. The contrast of the allusions to magic and intellect add to the absurd feel of the article as most writing pertains to one or the other; rarely are the logical and illusory seen in such close proximity. Despite being a form of figurative language used for comparison, Partridge uses similes much like he uses metaphors, to show contrast. In the line, "as smart as Stephen Hawking, and as organized as a cyborg on the autism spectrum" one can once again see the contrast of logical versus fictitious, this time through the intellectual and literary genius of Stephen Hawking and the science fiction imagining of a half human half machine. Partridge's final use of the language technique can be seen through his use of hyperbole. Mainly used for mocking the reliance of a technologically obsessed youth, phrases like "[waking] up after a two-day Twitter-bender in an unfamiliar hotel room with bleeding thumbs and a shattered iPhone" and "jeopardiz[ing] the closest relationships in your life for just a few more minutes browsing Pinterest" illustrate the ridiculous importance and reliance placed on technology over the past few generations. By using figurative language, Partridge is able to emphasize the ridiculous importance society has placed on social media and technology while also creating a whimsical feel to his article.

     The use of syntax in "Dynamic Marketing" is very interesting. Partridge breaks up his entire article into short paragraphs, that is, if they can even be categorized as such. Most of the "paragraphs" in this piece are really just long, almost run on, sentences. The point of using these short paragraphs and long sentences is two-fold. First, Partridge is breaking up his ideas, pairing like ideas together and showing the movement to a new idea by starting a new paragraph; this helps the audience keep the intricate parts of his ad straight. The second reason for such organization is that it keeps the piece moving; seemingly fast paced, the reader gets hooked and wants to know more about this internship created by Partridge. In its own way the structure of this article adds a whimsical flair, you never know what is coming next.  Another interesting use of syntax in this piece is through the repetition of sentence starters. In one paragraph, Partridge starts two neighboring sentences with the word "if", and later on once again starts two neighboring sentences with the same word, only this time it's "after". Seems insignificant right? Wrong! A stroke of genius on Partridge's part, he uses parallelism to portray the change from uncertainty to certainty as the piece progresses. "If" is uncertain, it is questionable and unsure; something could happen or it couldn't. "After" is certain, it affirms that something has happened and that one is now past that occurrence. Partridge uses this parallelism to show how the reader was considering the position in the beginning but in the end he is certain that the reader will apply for this internship. His strong tenet that the audience has been convinced to apply can come across as cocky; a bit ridiculous considering that he has no idea what the audience is thinking. Though not the most ridiculous things in the article, Partridge's use of parallelism and his interesting breakdown of the ad give the article a whimsical touch. 

     Detail is one of the most important things in this article. Chocked-full with specific details, Partridge is able to clearly show the extent to which society has come to rely on technology. To fill this intern position, Partridge says that one must be "a multi-talented ninja dynamo with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterst, Friendster, Grindr, Craigslist Missed Connections, Pennysaver musings, Goofus and Gallant comics, and even Google+." In this one line, Partridge details nine different forms of social networking (or social networking related things), ridiculing not only society's reliance on such forms of networking but also the number of social networks that have been created. The line, "we need a digital media Rain Man proficient in CSS, XML, HTML, SEO, Drupal, WordPress, obfuscating jargon, Spanish, Esperanto, and semaphore" also ridicules the importance placed on technology as to get the internship position, a person would have to excel with all of these programs and ways of speaking. In a final stroke of mockery, Partridge details the necessities of applying which include: "six (6) professional references, three (3) personal references, and four (4) references to '90s pop culture (no Heavyweights references, please), two (2) writing samples, two (2) history-making ideas, something of your grandmother’s that cannot be replaced, and a cover letter addressing the following questions: Why do you want to work at Cataclysm? What aspect(s) of Google AdWords gets you physically aroused? Is it pronounced gif or jif? (We are, of course, referring to the peanut butter here.) How are you? No, really, how are you? What were the causes of World War I, and how did the Treaty of Versailles seek to rectify these issues for the international community? As a follow-up, tell us about a time you had a conflict with a co-worker and how you resolved it." Though not specifically poking fun at the reliance upon social networking and technology, Partridge pokes fun at the process of applying for internships, which can also be seen in the final paragraph of the article (Partridge basically tells anyone applying that after uploading a resume they will have to manually fill out an online application with the same information and after its submission, an error will occur). By using specific details relating to social networking and technology, Partridge satirizes society's dependence on technology and social networking.

     Dynamic Marketing Firm Seeks Greatest Mind of Your Generation (Unpaid). is a highly entertaining article that ridicules society's dependence on social networking and technology. Author Chris Partridge expertly crafts his satire by using short paragraphs and long sentences to give the article the illusion of being an ad, while using details and figurative language to give the ad its substance. By using the techniques of language, syntax, and detail, Chris Partridge creates an entertaining article ridiculing the importance placed on social media and technology by society while keep a whimsical feel throughout the piece.