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Chrysler is marketing a special edition Jeep based on one designed for gameplay in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.  Goodbye Hummer, hello Jeep.   This is an interesting reversal of the usual mimetic logic of war and video games.  And of course it begs the question of what this metaphor implies about our highways and cities.  May I suggest a slogan: “Jeep: Driving the world happily and headlong into the apocalypse.”  I think it would go nicely with the visual backdrop of 9/11-style destruction. What did Walter Benjamin say?  Something about consuming our own destruction as an entertainment of the first order?  Some real copy from the ad below:

You’re a grizzled veteran.  A survivor.  One of the elite – and you’re looking for a full immersive experience.  You know who you are.  Of the millions of Call of Duty fans that (sic) will carry the Call of Duty theme into their epic day-to-day campaigns.  Only one vehicle is tough enough to play in your world.  Built on the mighty Rubicon, this fearless hero stands ready for deployment.  The ultimate Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 achievement.