Make sure it's popular

I'm a huge fan of Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Adult Swim. Been watching it for years. Laugh out loud at it.

However, I recognize that even though the show's pretty popular among a small, nerdlike demographic, it's not crossed over like, say, The Simpsons or Family Guy.

You've probably heard about this by now. A couple of guerilla marketers put up small lighted billboards featuring an ATHF character throughout Boston, effectively shutting down the town over terrorism fears. Why?

1) Because though the Mooninites are hilarious, they're definitely not mainstream. Nobody knows who the little guy giving them the finger is.

and more importantly,

2) Because we Americans have been completely wussified (not my original choice of words, but hey, this is an "official" blog). Ooooh, something that looks like a Lite Brite on a wall! IT MIGHT BE A BOMB! EVERYBODY PANIC! TERRORISM!

Get a grip people, seriously. Take a lesson from the Israelis, who live with things blowing up all the time, but refuse to lose their collective heads over it.

I've been wanting to write this paragraph for the longest time:

I grew up during the last throes of the Cold War. Even at 8 years old I and all of my friends knew the Russians had enough nukes pointed at us to wipe out everybody in the nation. We, likewise, did the same to them. But y'know what? This country never showed the collective fear that we have since Sept. 11. If this country suddenly is more scared of a few ill-educated religious fanatics who might cause some minor damage (in the grand scheme of things) than we were over the Soviets who could have frackin' killed us all, then we all need to start dressing in pink and sipping lattes.

And when Ignignot flipping the bird makes Boston freak out, I think that we may just be the wussiest nation of all.