Dying American Dream - Illustrated Using LEGO

[talos]

This story popped up on me today, its about the dying American dream and they use Lego and minifigs in the video. I thought some might like to see it too. Here is the link...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-dream-illustrated-with-legos-brookings-200611923.html

[Zerobricks]

Nice use of Lego on a rather sad topic...

[K-Nut]

Very scary and sad topic, but the use of LEGO's illustrate's it rather nicely and is a great visual aid.

[Off the wall]

I would urge the moderators to pull this topic. It's about 2% lego and 98% politics. The Brookings Institute has traditionally been left of center. This video is promoting a political agenda and shouldn't have any place on a website for lego enthusiasts.

I am not offering a counter point to the political stance taken by the video since I do not want to encourage a political discussion. Suffice to say you could use lego to promote a different political agenda with a different set of 'facts'. Remember, its a big election year in the USA.

Thank you.

[fred67]

Agree with Off the wall, I could point out a lot of problems with the politics of this video, and we could argue about it all day, and it ultimately has nothing to do with LEGO. I appreciate the link and the desire to show how people are using LEGO; maybe it should be in the LEGO in Media thread.

[Mutant Orc]

I don't see how any politics interfere with this video, it wasn't screaming 'vote for this particular party' at all. As long as no particular party is mentioned/blamed/attributed with any of this I personally believe its all OK. It was a good display of facts and it also displays the versatile nature of Lego and how it can be used to illustrate what could be a lot of dense, confusing info into an easy and visual way to display/transfer knowledge and information to a broader audience.

Also Eurobricks has a few more diverse areas that don't always have a lot to do with Lego, like some of the things found in the Community section (e.g. 'The What I did today' thread), so the '2%' that was to do with Lego is more than valid enough to earn a spot here in my mind.

I thought it was a very good video. Thanks for sharing 'talos'.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Mutant Orc

[Off the wall]

It was a good display of facts!?!?!?!

See, there ya go, someone who obviously doesn't know the facts or politics of the post. Or they would know it is screaming its support of a certain party.

It's only a good video if you support the agenda pushed by, well, never mind......

Edited August 25, 2014 by Off the wall

[JGW3000]

AS LEGO MOC's go, the building techniques are pathetic, so no reason to promulgate this video

[Kintobor]

I thought the video was fine. It presents its facts and uses Lego to help visualize them. The stop motion was rather decent although the build was limited, which I can understand why. The creator of the video is trying to get his point across as easily as possible, so using simple techniques helps by not being distracting. I think if anything the inclusion of Lego is used to help people understand what it's trying to say.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Kintobor

[Off the wall]

Well, apparently facts and lies are synonymous in many portions of the world.

Go ahead, let the video stand. It's a good example of a country committing suicide.

Besides, I'm busy getting leni Riefenstahl her star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Because, after all, it wasn't about the ideas, it was about the medium.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Off the wall

[Brickdoctor]

I would urge the moderators to pull this topic. It's about 2% lego and 98% politics.

It's about LEGO until someone decides to comment on the political issues presented in the video. It doesn't matter what facts or lies are or aren't promoted or presented by the video, because EB, as a LEGO forum, is not the place to discuss that. If members want to discuss the use of LEGO to illustrate the video, I see no problem with that. It only becomes a problem if this turns into a debate regarding politics (and maybe that's what's most likely to happen, but let's give the other members a chance), in which case we will consider locking this topic. But if the discussion can be kept to the use of LEGO, I don't see a problem.

Manners and Serious Topics: Don't be offensive to other members. We like Eurobricks to be a friendly place to discuss LEGO and won't allow posts that are intended to offend or attack. For the same reason, topics about religion or politics are not welcome on Eurobricks.

[Off the wall]

No, it's really not about Lego. It's a political video where a few lego bricks are used as a visual aid. But, I suppose your paradigm is shaped largely on a blue state/red state basis. I'm fine as long as the international community realizes that lego is not being used to display facts. Lego is being used by an organization to further their political agenda. And facts are generally irrelevant to the producers of this video. Lego as propaganda.

[Pandora]

No, it's really not about Lego. It's a political video where a few lego bricks are used as a visual aid. But, I suppose your paradigm is shaped largely on a blue state/red state basis. I'm fine as long as the international community realizes that lego is not being used to display facts. Lego is being used by an organization to further their political agenda. And facts are generally irrelevant to the producers of this video. Lego as propaganda.

Another quote from the Site Guidelines:

Staff: The staff are here to help you. Do not debate staff issues with them. Feel free to make suggestions as we are happy to hear them, but if you are told that something is against policy, the discussion is over. Similarly, if you're not staff don't act like you are. Telling new members site rules from time to time is one thing, but don't make a habit of being a mini-modder. Use the "Report" button instead.

You have made it quite clear you don't agree with the politics, that stance does not need to be repeated. Continuing in this vein is distinctly unhelpful when Brickdoctor has already said this should not become a political debate. Additionally, please don't argue with staff when a decision has been made. Please consider this a warning, thank you.

[Off the wall]

Just to clarify. If someone did a MOC of, say, the democratic national convention with the building, the crowd and minifigs as the nominees/speakers (or a combination thereof, if not all) well, it would be hard to say the political intent outweighed the MOC lego art aspect of the creation. I would find that totally acceptable.

When a few simple bricks are used as the background for questionable figures and questionable facts, and the video is almost totally about a political viewpoint, it's really a stretch to say its about lego and not politics. What is there to comment on as far as lego goes? Seriously. The minimalism? The color?

What if I post a swastika make out of lego? It wouldn't be about politics, it would be about lego...now,wouldn't it?

[Brickdoctor]

No, it's really not about Lego. It's a political video where a few lego bricks are used as a visual aid. But, I suppose your paradigm is shaped largely on a blue state/red state basis. I'm fine as long as the international community realizes that lego is not being used to display facts. Lego is being used by an organization to further their political agenda. And facts are generally irrelevant to the producers of this video. Lego as propaganda.

Whether or not you agree with the position taken by the video and whether or not you consider the information presented in the video to be factual is irrelevant. EB is a LEGO forum; the discussion should concern the use of LEGO, not your opinion regarding the stance that the LEGO was used to promote.

When a few simple bricks are used as the background for questionable figures and questionable facts, and the video is almost totally about a political viewpoint, it's really a stretch to say its about lego and not politics. What is there to comment on as far as lego goes? Seriously. The minimalism? The color?

I know that the video is about issues beyond LEGO, but that doesn't mean the discussion has to be. In this case, talos noticed that this video was illustrated using LEGO, so he posted a link thinking that other members might be interested in watching it because of the use of LEGO. (I would understand it if you think he's posting this topic to promote his own views, but I don't think he's anywhere close to blatantly doing so, so I would give him the benefit of the doubt.) I realize that there really isn't much notable use of LEGO in this video, as far as things like building techniques, but if you don't have anything to comment on as far as just the LEGO element is concerned, then you could simply not post a reply at all, and the topic will fade away behind other topics...

[Off the wall]

I love Art Deco design. Some in the art world attribute part of art deco's decline in popularity after WWII to it being a favorite style of many 30s totalitarian regimes, especially in their propaganda (posters). I certainly hope that lego doesn't share the same fate now anti capitalist and anti personal freedom organizations are using it in their video presentations.

[Herky]

use of Lego to illustrate his points, I give that a 10, very cool showing the speeding up of the building and use of the Lego to illustrate his point...totally inaccurate use of facts to get his point across though and a very sad commentary using the Lego medium cause it's a crock, I know a guy who came from poverty and is a multi millionaire, don't tell him he has to stay down, but I digress...I see what everyone is saying, but if you read into TLG history, they were toy makers who came up from nothing and now are billionaires, it kind of goes against the whole Lego story in itself.

I guess we would need Talos to post what his/her original intent for posting was, if it was to just call out the Lego illustration, great, if it was political in nature, then I would lock or delete the thread, we had enough politics on the military theme thread as it was.

[talos]

use of Lego to illustrate his points, I give that a 10, very cool showing the speeding up of the building and use of the Lego to illustrate his point...totally inaccurate use of facts to get his point across though and a very sad commentary using the Lego medium cause it's a crock, I know a guy who came from poverty and is a multi millionaire, don't tell him he has to stay down, but I digress...I see what everyone is saying, but if you read into TLG history, they were toy makers who came up from nothing and now are billionaires, it kind of goes against the whole Lego story in itself.

I guess we would need Talos to post what his/her original intent for posting was, if it was to just call out the Lego illustration, great, if it was political in nature, then I would lock or delete the thread, we had enough politics on the military theme thread as it was.

I had no agenda when I made the post, my original comment made no attempt to make one. I just wanted to share how LEGO was used to illustrate a point. Sorry to have sent anyone off the deep end.