Commercials: Let’s Look Between The Lines

I was going to start this off by quoting a Minutemen song called "Shit From An Old Notebook", but the quote would be only marginally relevant. Commercials, or adverts for you Brits, send out messages. This we all know. The message is usually, "Hey, buy this and you will be happy / get laid / be super cool / fight the terrorists / stimulate the economy / lose weight", or something along those lines.

That's all well and good, but the REAL problem is the OTHER messages commercials send. Mainly, I am talking about the message that bad manners and poor social skills are totally fine. Example: A recent Subway commercial has some jackass come in to the store. The girl behind the counter says "Welcome to Subway", and naturally, this dude's response is, "I'll have..." before being interupted by singing idiots.  Oh no, why bother saying hello or please or thank you. It's saying you don't need to know how to properlly speak to people, just make your demands, it's all good.

Another example: In a commercial for some shitty sports bar (I forget the name), the people don't want to leave so they yell across the room to the bartender, "HEY! Send this into overtime!" Demand. THIS IS WHAT I WANT. DO WHAT I SAY. YOU OWE ME.

Now, the worst thing ever is the idea that the service industry is your bitch and you can do or say whatever you want. These commercials illustrate that this is learned behavior. Who cares if your parents brought you up right? You don't need to have manners to talk to "those people" on the other side of the counter.

So what is the solution? Well, obviously, we can't just march into an ad agency and tell them to stop. We have to be aware of this, and not fall into it. It is NOT ok to bark commands at someone, it is NOT ok to order people around. And hey, it's easy to avoid.

There. That's my rant for the day. Enjoy!