Lakehead Comes to its Senses – Anti-Bush Promotion Pulled
September 1, 2006 · By H. Cameron
Lakehead University launches a bone-head ad campaign that pokes fun at President Bush in an attempt to attract new students.
A small Canadian university has sparked controversy with its recruitment drive by using posters and a website mocking US President George W Bush.
Lakehead University in northern Ontario set up www.yaleshmale.com in a bid to attract potential new students.
Boneheaded and ignorant is about the only way I would describe the campaign, however, the Lakehead University brass apparently disagree,
The university has defended its campaign, which also includes prizes of a car lease and handheld computer games consoles, saying it has had a positive effect.
“It was literally a tongue-in-cheek way of getting attention,” university president and vice-chancellor Frederick Gilbert told Reuters news agency.
The website had received more than 7,000 hits, he said on Monday, and online comments had been 95% positive.
However, if you take a look at the website now, it appears they’ve had second thoughts. However, they seem unwilling to yank the campaign completely. “Be Smart” – is that the best they can come up with?
Heh.
Lakehead pulls back?
Even the SU president criticised this ad campaign.
Here’s the text of my email sent on Aug. 30 to the Vice-Rector, Fred Gilbert:
Dr. Gilbert,
You have been quoted as saying «It was literally a tongue-in-cheek way of getting attention.»
If truth be told, isn’t what actually motivated Lakehead University, and you in particular, to belittle George W Bush a form of compensation neurosis?
«Compensation neurosis:
The development of symptoms of neurosis believed to be motivated by the desire for, and hope of, monetary or interpersonal gain. “Striving for superiority” over other people represents a mistaken compensatory
striving to relieve a haunting feeling of
inferiority.»
Making up for shortcomings, hmmm?
(signed my first name)
Given that they’re in Canada, they could probably do better with a similar campaign featuring NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman (Cornell alum) and NHL Players Association leader Bob Goodenow (Harvard). There’s two Ivy Leaguers who have caused more pain north of the border than the President could ever dream of dishing out!