# Putin photo on front page of March 2 NY Times compared to 1984 Apple commercial **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 2, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905 "2018-03-02T17:53:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/1 "2018-03-02T17:53:16Z")
If there was a better thread to append this to, I didn’t see it in a quick scan. Times story on Putin announcing new (fantasy?) missle: > **[scan.pdf](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/03/02/nytfrontpage/scan.pdf)** > > 6.24 MB 1984 Apple ad: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VtvjbmoDx-I/hqdefault.jpg "1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial (HD)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtvjbmoDx-I) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/2 "2018-03-02T18:23:46Z")
I remember that commercial. And I bought my first MAC in 1985. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/3 "2018-03-02T18:32:25Z")
My guess is the (failing) NYT recognized the similarity and purposely used that picture. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/4 "2018-03-02T20:36:04Z")
But the Mac ad was 34 years ago. Why would anyone pick out a picture because it reminds them of a 34-year old ad? I’m chalking this up to eerie coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/5 "2018-03-02T20:40:22Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > But the Mac ad was 34 years ago. Why would anyone pick out a picture because it reminds them of a 34-year old ad? I’m chalking this up to eerie coincidence. It’s one of the most famous TV commercials ever made. It’s even more iconic than the movie adaptations of 1984. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/6 "2018-03-03T00:12:54Z")
Its a guns v. butter sort of thing. Russians are good at aggressive and invasive cyber, not so hot on graphics and vids. ---
**Author:** ![Batano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Batano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batano)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/7 "2018-03-03T05:00:09Z")
That was my first thought when I saw that photo. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/8 "2018-03-03T07:06:08Z")
That supposed nuclear-powered missile sounds like a ripoff the American [Project Pluto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto) from the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/9 "2018-03-03T07:53:25Z")
Has Russia announced the Doomsday Device yet? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/10 "2018-03-03T09:44:58Z")
I’m not familiar with the apple add but it certainly has the “Big Brother” vibe about it. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/11 "2018-03-03T22:46:51Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > It’s one of the most famous TV commercials ever made. It’s even more iconic than the movie adaptations of 1984. But somewhat less on point, since [the original](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfVszZO4nFM) was devoid of a hopeful ending. (Relevant part starts at 2:10.) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putin-photo-on-front-page-of-march-2-ny-times-compared-to-1984-apple-commercial/809905/12 "2018-03-04T03:38:01Z")
Somehow, the thought of hearing Vlad say “_We have always been at war with Eastasia_” would be slightly disconcerting.