I'm an inveterate NPR listener, but on our way to the movies this afternoon I put on a popular music station for a change. It wasn't too long before the best hits of the 80s gave way to the commercials of today. "Listen to this ad!" Heidi said with irritation. " It makes me really mad every time I hear it." (She is more eclectic in her radio taste than I.)
A woman was telling how relieved she was to be able to take her sick child to the hospital without delay then a man explained how, as a firefighter, he needed to be able to barge into burning buildings without worrying about extraneous things. Next a woman said how pleased she was to spend a carefree week at the beach, and a man told us how he liked being ready to play sports, any sports, without restriction.
As I listened, I was mystified. What was this product they were all hawking? I really couldn't say.
Turns out, it was laser surgery to correct myopia that freed all this people to save lives and enjoy their own. "Do you know why I hate it?" Heidi demanded when it was over.
Because it's stupid and confusing didn't seem like the right answer. I shook my head.
"Because the women are only concerned with their children, but the men are saving lives and having fun. That infuriates me!"
That's a very good point! The content of that 30 second spot reveals an essential division in how the general public conceptualizes the difference in women and men.
And it's also a really dumb commercial.
A woman was telling how relieved she was to be able to take her sick child to the hospital without delay then a man explained how, as a firefighter, he needed to be able to barge into burning buildings without worrying about extraneous things. Next a woman said how pleased she was to spend a carefree week at the beach, and a man told us how he liked being ready to play sports, any sports, without restriction.
As I listened, I was mystified. What was this product they were all hawking? I really couldn't say.
Turns out, it was laser surgery to correct myopia that freed all this people to save lives and enjoy their own. "Do you know why I hate it?" Heidi demanded when it was over.
Because it's stupid and confusing didn't seem like the right answer. I shook my head.
"Because the women are only concerned with their children, but the men are saving lives and having fun. That infuriates me!"
That's a very good point! The content of that 30 second spot reveals an essential division in how the general public conceptualizes the difference in women and men.
And it's also a really dumb commercial.
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