Saturday, August 13, 2016

It's 2016, AT&T. Time to shelve the sexism already



I'll admit I did not get through this entire ad.  Twenty seconds of condescending Whaddayagonnado That Helpless Man of Mine smirks from Smug Mom and Stupid Helpless Dad ("where's your school?" SERIOUSLY?  THIS GUY HAS NEVER BEEN TO HIS KIDS SCHOOL?) was more than enough.

He doesn't know where his kids to go school.  He forgets to- what?  Leave the door unlocked for the dog walker?  Whatever.  And most of all, he forgets that his wife can spy on him whenever she wants from her phone, because before she left she had cameras mounted in every room and all over their property?  Um, seriously?

"Piece of cake, huh?"  Yeah, you're right, Supermom- knowing where the kids go to school, remembering that you've hired a dog walker, staying awake to get the kids in bed on time (because you haven't raised them to do this themselves)- all of this adds up to Being A Mom Is Much Much Tougher Than You Imagined Stupid Clueless Man-Child.  What was he thinking?

As I said at the beginning, I did not get through this entire ad, so I can only guess it ends with Dad kind of learning his lesson (not completely learning it, because after all he's Dad and there's only so much that can fit into that tiny non-female brain of his) and Mom continuing to be the All-Wise, Long-Suffering but Accepting of Her Fate martyr that Only TV Moms Can Be.

Look, I know that for decades advertisements portrayed women as silly, foolish, flighty, chirpy and totally empty-headed little girls who couldn't make a cup of coffee without first taking classes on the subject from The Man of the House.  But does that mean we need to even things out with decades of Men Are Children in Adult Bodies garbage like this?  And if the answer is "yes," would someone please just come pick up my television before I put it on Craig's List?

Xfinitysends a strong message, but it isn't the one they planned on....



Message Xfinity wants you to hear:  Your kids need high-speed internet available at all times, because their ability to do anything that has to do with school absolutely depends on it.   No schoolwork is possible without a tablet or a smartphone.  Paper no longer exists.  And all this means that if the internet connection gets cut off or is slow, well, it's basically the equivalent of cutting holes in their parachutes.  Want your kid to crash in front of everyone as they attempt to bleat their reports from their electronic devices?  Then I guess crappy connectivity is just fine.  Just be prepared to be hated- and for your estranged kids to fail miserably at school in their competition with the Kids Whose Parents Get It.

Message I hear:  Xfinity just assumes that kids are absolutely incapable of doing anything that doesn't involve a glowing screen.  Never mind that NONE of the kids in this ad are doing ANYTHING that kids weren't doing a hundred freaking years ago by spending an hour or so at a freaking library with a notebook and a pencil.  I mean, they aren't showing even showing power points or graphs- they are just reading text.  But even that is not possible unless that text is on a screen (because as we all know, there are no PRINTED versions of FDR's Second Inaugural Address available anywhere*.)

Personally, I think this is a really good advertisement for breaking your kids' dependence on electronic homework "help."  But that's a bit much to expect from an ad which celebrates a situation in which everyone in the family is online, at the same time, on their own devices.**  Yuck.

*Holy crap, she couldn't even be bothered to print a hard copy?  Come On!  Not to mention, why is the ability to read someone else's speech impressive to anybody?  What is the kid learning with this "assignment?"  What the hell?

**I wish I had a dime for every one of these commercials that showed "Dad" needing a tablet to tell him how to chop up vegetables or sprinkle seasonings on steaks.  I swear, 90% of the time adult males are shown "enjoying connectivity," that's what they are using it for.  Bizarre.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Stupid. Drunk. America.



Other than the disconnected images which I guess are supposed to invoke feelings of patriotism and pride and desire to watch the Olympics, the only thing I really get out of this blatantly manipulative crud is that it starts with someone apparently determined to shake up his crappy cheap beer so that it sprays in his face when he finally pops it open.

Meanwhile immigrants pledging alliegence flags Olympics beer yay America.  I guess. Remember when this used to be subtle?  I miss those days.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

What hasn't been going on this summer: Binge Parenting



Or, apparently, any parenting at all.

Seriously, if your child spent the entire summer slouched on the family couch sucking down gallon drums of soft drinks while watching television, you've got problems that bringing home a backpack are simply not going to solve.  Because the fault doesn't lie with the child, Mommy.  It lies with you and your "I can't do anything about it so thank goodness the school bell is about to ring" attitude concerning the proper care and feeding of your daughter.

Because after all, there are still going to be weekends and holidays and all you've taught your kid is that when there's no schoolwork to be done, it's perfectly ok to get a jump start on that adulthood dealing with Type II Diabetes.  Not to mention her obvious lack of social connections (sorry, I mean FRIENDS) or physical activity or pretty much anything outside of television in her life.

Your child is in trouble, lady, and school isn't going to save her.  Because her real problem isn't a lack of school-imposed deadlines.  Her real problem is a lack of parents who actually give a damn.  Good luck to both of you dealing with that.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Oh just kill eachother. You know you want to.



Why is the kid in this ad carrying a huge toy truck through the store?  Are they going to buy the truck along with the glue, figuring that it will be broken in no time so they'd better go ahead and plan on repairing it?  Is the truck already broken, and they figured they'd just take it to the hardware store, pull some glue off the shelf, and repair it right there in the aisle, treating the store like a hospital for toys?  Or does the kid just carry that thing around with him everywhere, like a security blanket?

In any case, anyone else think that this kid is a little too old to be playing with that truck?

And anyone else think that if this couple gets into a fight over "brush" or "nozzle" on their glue bottle, they are experiencing a truly hellish marriage that probably should be ended before someone gets killed?  How drunk were they when they conceived that kid anyway?

I think they are all better off if that gorilla just turns on them.  A quick burst of pain, followed by the blissful eternal sleep of death, beats decades of suffering, doesn't it?

Monday, August 8, 2016

Could have gone my whole life, Lexus.....



...without seeing an ad featuring entitled douchenozzle owners of your LookAtMeMobile complacently singing "Blue Skies" to themselves as they cruise through their perfect lives.  yeah, you've got no worries.  Money makes your road smoother.  Tell me something I didn't already know.

Seriously, who the hell wants to see this?

(Though I admit I did find the "anyone have a link to this song?" comment by one YouTube monkey pretty funny.  Or maybe sad.  I'm not even sure anymore.)

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Oh really, Verizon



I am supposed to believe that

A)  The adults who live in this freaking palace are deeply concerned about the price of phone?  Or anthing else?  Or

B)  The "family" in general is living a lifestyle than anyone would want to emulate (except for the ridiculous house, of course.)  I mean, really- anyone want their kids to be zombies wandering or laying about the palace like this?