"Don't Tase Me, Bro!" and Brand Nirvana

I've become a little obsessed with the "Tasing" of Andrew Meyer. Thanks to the ubiquity and power of modern technology, I've been able to review the incident from multiple angles just like on a DVD. If you haven't had the chance to do the same, I invite you to try these variations on for size: the tape made with Meyer's own camera; a tape from the opposite angle apparently made by a reporter; a tape that seems to have been made with a cellphone; and a tape that follows him out of the auditorium.

The incident and the videos are undeniably disturbing. Although the campus police assured reporters that the Taser used was on "dry stun mode" and that there was "no external prong use, or anything," Meyer's screams are horrifying; Kerry adding insult to injury by quipping that he'll answer the question posed by Meyer although, "Unfortunately he's not available to come up here and swear me in as president," is bizarre and lame; the way people clap when Meyer is first confronted is puzzling and the seeming passivity of the assembled students is troubling, although a few freak out and some can be heard muttering, "Police brutality. Rodney King."

So what's the marketing angle? Well, aside from the fact that several people are already selling t-shirts featuring Meyer's now infamous plea, I was struck by the apotheosis of the TASER brand. Just like "Xerox" came to mean "photocopy," "Kleenex" refers to any "facial tissue," and "Band-Aid" is, well, any "band aid," "TASER" now means unmistakably, "using a TASER on someone." I know that's not exactly the same thing, but it's close! I mean, what else do you call, "subduing someone with an electro-shock weapon"?