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Your Ass Is Grass - Astroturfing in Ontario

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  ASTROTURFING: YOUR LYING ASS IS FAKE GRASS   This article is based on an exam answer I submitted to my University of Windsor Poli-Sci Media course on June 20th 8pm Even though the root of the word  Astroturfing  has largely disappeared from our current vocabulary, here in Ontario it is a term that is very much a part of the political lexicon. Back in 1968 the  Houston Astrodome  became the first NFL stadium to install artificial grass on its indoor football field. First called  ChemGrass , the phony turf soon was dubbed AstroTurf by sports announcers. Fans watching the first game on Astroturf liked what they saw, a perfect green field with clearly marked yard lines and unsmudgeable advertisements. What they didn’t see was the concrete and dirt underneath.   The players hated it: despite looking like soft turf it was all a lie - it really hurts when tackled on the Astroturf. Injuries abounded. Makes sense that now in the 2020’s the term  Astroturfing  refers to a rather nasty, expensi