After authorities in Belize wanted to question multimillionaire computer programmer John McAfee about the murder of his neighbor, he managed to flee the nation and return to the United States. Then he decided to run for president.
He's trying to snag the Libertarian Party nomination away from the 2012 winner, former Gov. Gary Johnson. And he has used his wealth to produce one of the most ambitious ads in the 2016 presidential race.
A teacher lectures children inside a small outdoor dome, in front of a futuristic screen displaying a solar system. The backdrop is tranquil and her words are soothing, even as she notes of threats to their society: "Now everyone can enjoy the comfort and enlightenment of true civilization. It's true that there are dangers on the other planets. Why would they fight so hard against us?"
"We meddle,” says a rebellious student in the back. "River?" says the mildly startled teacher. "People don't like to be meddled with" she continues. "We tell them what to do, what to think. Don't run. Don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads, and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome."
The teacher calmly strolls up to her and kneels down. "River. We're not telling them what to think. We're just trying to show them how."
The teacher's arm suddenly shoots towards River's head. River is not actually in a tranquil outdoor classroom, but is being held in a dark room to be brainwashed against her will. For a brief moment, we see River scream, as a laboratory technician appears to inject something into her forehead.
The sci-fi scene ends, and then the ad becomes explicitly political – if not conventional. Pulsing music plays over quick-cut images of money, tanks and communist symbols. Snippets of federal officials from Homeland Security, the Pentagon, the Education Department and the IRS speaking in government-produced video are shown, making them feel like propaganda.
Text on the screen urges voters to "Kill Politics" and "Be a Libertarian. Let Life Live," as imagery of dancing showgirls and robotic limbs are meant to convey freedom and technological innovation. Only at the end of the epic 5-minute video do we see McAfee's name, as he asks viewers to "#VoteDifferent."
The Belize prime minister once called McAfee "paranoid and bonkers," which would explain the thrust of his political advertising. The question is if Libertarian Party delegates are just as paranoid as he is.
He's trying to snag the Libertarian Party nomination away from the 2012 winner, former Gov. Gary Johnson. And he has used his wealth to produce one of the most ambitious ads in the 2016 presidential race.
"We Meddle" Says John McAfee
"Exit Politics" starts with a clip of the opening scene of “Serenity,” a 2005 sci-fi film set in a dystopian future.A teacher lectures children inside a small outdoor dome, in front of a futuristic screen displaying a solar system. The backdrop is tranquil and her words are soothing, even as she notes of threats to their society: "Now everyone can enjoy the comfort and enlightenment of true civilization. It's true that there are dangers on the other planets. Why would they fight so hard against us?"
"We meddle,” says a rebellious student in the back. "River?" says the mildly startled teacher. "People don't like to be meddled with" she continues. "We tell them what to do, what to think. Don't run. Don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads, and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome."
The teacher calmly strolls up to her and kneels down. "River. We're not telling them what to think. We're just trying to show them how."
The teacher's arm suddenly shoots towards River's head. River is not actually in a tranquil outdoor classroom, but is being held in a dark room to be brainwashed against her will. For a brief moment, we see River scream, as a laboratory technician appears to inject something into her forehead.
The sci-fi scene ends, and then the ad becomes explicitly political – if not conventional. Pulsing music plays over quick-cut images of money, tanks and communist symbols. Snippets of federal officials from Homeland Security, the Pentagon, the Education Department and the IRS speaking in government-produced video are shown, making them feel like propaganda.
John McAfee Does Not Want Us To Vote ‘Hideous Space Reptiles’
We see Hillary Clinton being depicted as untrustworthy by CNN, and Donald Trump profanely promising to indiscriminately bomb in the Middle East. We see a clip from "The Simpsons" in which both presidential candidates are shown to be "hideous space reptiles," but they fiendishly remind the voters, "it's two-party system, you have to vote for one of us!"Text on the screen urges voters to "Kill Politics" and "Be a Libertarian. Let Life Live," as imagery of dancing showgirls and robotic limbs are meant to convey freedom and technological innovation. Only at the end of the epic 5-minute video do we see McAfee's name, as he asks viewers to "#VoteDifferent."
The Belize prime minister once called McAfee "paranoid and bonkers," which would explain the thrust of his political advertising. The question is if Libertarian Party delegates are just as paranoid as he is.