Not Funny
Watching the evening news in still eighty degree heat last nght, Bush. And that was at the beach! Downtown Los Angeles temperatures at one hundred plus. Burbank--our near neighbor up in L.A.--one hundred and eleven degrees. Sherman Oaks, one hundred and seventeen. Record highs. Fires buring everywhere, including a raging blaze we could see far out to sea, on Catalina Island. It had probably been sparked by the brilliant electrical storm that we had stopped to watch on our way home last night, a spectacular natural fireworks display out over the ocean to the west. I had a none too charitable thought about the oil rigs, Bush, on our horizon...
And the heat wave has been going on now for thirty straight days, according to the news report that I was watching. Next thing I know, there's a commercial. A nerdy type guy buying tofu at the grocery store, looking longingly into the basket of the manly man in line behind him, filled with great racks of beefy red meat. Our hero watches this other guy drive off in a Hummer--and next thing you know, a car dealer is tossing him the keys to his own brand new Hummer. The tag line? RESTORE YOUR MANHOOD.
I suppose we men were meant to get a self-deprecating chuckle out of this dig at our macho self-image. Ha Ha. But personally I was too hot to find this funny, Bush. Personally I was offended by its blatant appeal to that side of us that frankly doesn't give a fuck (excuse the language, Bush, but I'm insensed by this) about any one or any thing but our self-important egos. I was especially irate when this one spot was followed shortly by a series of other commerical spots for giant SUVs, with temperatures soaring into the stratosphere, along with the greenhouse gases. A funny-cute ad to sell the most offensive vehicle on the road? At the risk of being accused of lacking a sense of humor, I'm not laughing that one off, Bush. No way.
It's going to be another hot one yet again today. And, metaphorically, a hot one in the Middle East. More violence and death on the Lebanese border. Another fifty people killed in car bombs in Iraq. Another. Fifty. And your Rice is off to Rome, to talk to the people who are not directly involved... Good luck, I say.
About Me
- Peter Clothier
- Born and raised in the UK, lives in Los Angeles, California. A writer about art and artists, essayist, social observer, daily meditator and student of the Buddhist dharma.. and a long-time recovering academic. Happily out of a "job" since 1986--but "works" every day. Father to three great kids (why don't we have a proper word for, um, middle-aged "children"?) and grandfather to four wonderful grandchildren. Even after all these years in America, he still speaks English.
4 comments:
I can see why you were up at the 5am hour, I got up about 6 or so, too hot to sleep. 113* here today Peter, so don't feel that southern Cal. is the only one getting pounded by this:). Not too sure it got out of the 80's last night. Those commercials are enough to cause a real want to throttle someone!!! Yeah, I got a real hoot out of Rice heading for 'Pope' territory instead of going where the action is:). She's a gem isn't she? I look at this administration with complete disdain... to say the least...
P: After thirty years in the ad biz, recieving pay that society pays almost no artist, except 'non-artists' like Warhol, I can tell you advertising is made by sell-out morons, working for even bigger morons, selling to even bigger morons... Except me, of course, who violently hates every minute of it.
But until society pays for real art by real artists, it's going to be business as usual. I'll take the check and paint for myself.
Very pretty design! Keep up the good work. Thanks.
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Very pretty design! Keep up the good work. Thanks.
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