Thursday, February 14, 2013

This could make me swear off Hondas



I've been teaching Advanced Placement history for eighteen years, and let me start of by making it very clear that I am not a worshiper of the Founding Fathers.  I don't think they walked on water, and I don't believe that we should attempt to decipher everything they did and said before making a decision on anything.  As far as I'm concerned, they were just like us- extremely flawed human beings (Even more flawed than us, in that most of them owned slaves.)

This commercial doesn't show a healthy, "hey they were just people too" attitude toward the Founders.  It basically presents them as insignificant little cartoon characters available to be mocked and caricatured- and used to sell cars, of course.  There's nothing really new here- George Washington's image was used to sell cigars 130 years ago.  I used to play with Lincoln Logs ( I still think that they are the best toy ever invented by anyone, ever.)  Presidents have been selling mattresses for as long as I can remember.  But there have to be some limits.  At least, I used to think so.  Then I saw this, and realized that there is no bottom to the barrel as far as advertisers are concerned.

At this moment, I'm ashamed that my last three cars have been Hondas, and that I had every intention of making my next one a Honda as well.  Most of my family drives Hondas.  They are good, reliable cars which are also inexpensive to operate.  But darn it- I don't know if I can patronize the label after this.  I think I'll spend the next several months watching Toyota ads to see if they come anywhere close to this level of Insulting.

But, Volkswagen?  Forget it.  You are still much worse.

2 comments:

  1. I loved Lincoln Logs when I was younger. Good times!

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  2. This piss poor excuse of an ad starts out with "four score and many years ago..."

    To turn one of the watershed moments in U.S. history -- in fact, of world history, and reduce it to a commercial jingle ought to be unacceptable.

    Silhouettes of Washington and Lincoln in the furniture store window for a President's Day sale? I get it. I don't like it, but I get it.

    But this ad? Or the Bud Light one from a few years ago which also featured "founding fathers?" Those really ought to be considered unconscionable.

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