The Tale of the Golden Shoes

When told in a class of budding Public Relations professionals that the Prime Minister was in a pair of US$1795.00 golden Louis Vuitton sneakers, I immediately pictured golden running shoes... because they've been seen around.  I was quite confused and slightly appalled as to why Mrs. Persad-Bissessar would be wearing an all-black outfit with these sneakers, seeing that she is usually very nicely put together. 

Fig. 1. Regular gold sneakers

Had I known that she was actually wearing a pair of Louis Vuitton Punchy sneaker boot in grained leather and sequins, that I would not have been shocked at all.  

Fig. 2.  Louis Vuitton Punchy sneaker boot in grained leather and sequins

Differentiation, however important it may be to know (If you even plan to go to a nightclub) is not my goal.  It is actually to look at how the public interprets and understands what is reported in the Media.

"KAMLA'S PRICY BOOTS

US$795 a pair..."

By Susan Mohammed - Trinidad Express Newspaper - Thursday 16th February, 2012.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Kamla_s_pricey_boots-139413813.html

The article, referring to the Prime Minister as Kamla in the headline, gives the tale of the boots priced at US$795.  Every girl deserves a pair of Louis Vuittons and clearly she can afford it.  Don't ask me how, I'm not her accountant.  

The Media however is a powerful tool of socialisation, producing and re-producing culture.  The apparent disrespect for not only Mrs. Persad-Bissessar but the Office of the Prime Minister has spread through local society as people refer to the current and past Prime Ministers by their first name.  Here we see the media making it socially acceptable to do so.

Also,  those who heard US$1759 in class and did not read the article would say, as the one who first said it, that the PM has US$1759.00 shoes, thus public knowledge and opinion is formed and circulated from an error.  Social media takes control of this matter though and images of the boots with the price have been circulating on many of the popular local joke pages Facebook and by individual users.  Social media in theory gives the masses the power to choose what information they receive but popular culture transcends all form of media. With the Facebook "home page", popular posts are placed to be absorbed by those not knowing how it works.  It leaves one to questions how much information is someone actually free to choose.