# Commercials that think you're an idiot **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494 "2013-07-03T00:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![alted315](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/cc9497/32.png) [@alted315](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alted315)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/121 "2013-07-05T17:35:29Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > To be fair, I think most focus groups confirm this.😃 Hey now! All generalzations are wrong ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/122 "2013-07-05T17:41:53Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > The drunk driving commercials that only have white males in them. Women of any race and men of any other race never drive drunk. “Make no mistake- if you drink and drive you _will_ get stopped!” Yeah right. I’d bet about 95% of patrons leaving bars in their cars are over the limit. Not enough cops in the world to catch them all. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/123 "2013-07-05T17:52:22Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Another current one that irritates the shit out of me is the guy that’s talking to a guy from State Farm at 3am and his wife catches him and thinks he’s talking to his mistress. > > The whole thing is beyond stupid. Why the hell is this guy calling at 3am? Why did the guy answer the phone? Why did he get out of bed and go downstairs to answer it? Why does his wife fail to realize it’s a man on the phone? Why does she ask him what he’s wearing? > > And what’s the point - that if you get State Farm they’ll be so dedicated that you’ll get calls from them at 3am? Sign me up! I think this commercial is hilarious; I just love that the two guys are so deadpan throughout while the wife is hysterical. And no, State Farm didn’t call the guy, _he_ called _them_ (the point being you can call State Farm at any time). As to why you would feel the need to call your insurance guy at 3 in the morning, I dunno, maybe you have insomnia and can’t stop thinking about your coverage. The rest of it is obvious; hysterical wife doesn’t believe husband that it’s State Farm he’s talking to, so sarcastically asks the “mistress” what she’s wearing, which elicits a nonplussed “Uh, khakis” from Jake. At State Farm. “She sounds _hideous_!” "Well, she’s a guy, so . . . " 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/124 "2013-07-05T18:14:46Z")
. . . as if “she’s a guy” would really help the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/125 "2013-07-05T18:17:14Z")
There’s a radio commercial that says I can call to get this secret tip to going into any bank and walking out with _real silver coins!_ I keep thinking “Am I asking for [date] quarters? I’m asking for [date] quarters, aren’t I? Is it asking for [date] quarters?” I don’t know exact dates but I know some coins were minted from silver, particularly during WWII when other metals were used for the war effort. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/126 "2013-07-05T18:23:02Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > There’s a radio commercial that says I can call to get this secret tip to going into any bank and walking out with _real silver coins!_ > > I keep thinking “Am I asking for [date] quarters? I’m asking for [date] quarters, aren’t I? Is it asking for [date] quarters?” > > I don’t know exact dates but I know some coins were minted from silver, particularly during WWII when other metals were used for the war effort. Some coins were minted from silver, back when coins were a government guarantee that \*this \*lump of silver contained exactly \*this \*value of silver. A quarter was exactly 1/4th the weight of a silver dollar, a dime was exactly 1/10th the weight of a dollar, and the stamped designs on the obverse and reverse and the milled edges proved that no one had shaved off any of the metal to short-change you. So, all quarters minted before (I think) 1965 were solid silver. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/127 "2013-07-05T18:52:06Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Are you not aware of where The Truth came from? As part of the settlement of a major lawsuit against tobacco companies, they were required to fund an awareness campaign about the dangers of tobacco use. The Truth is what came out of that. It’s an organization funded by tobacco companies, as ordered by the court, to educate people on tobacco use. There’s certainly room for debate about how effective their messages are, but their motivations have nothing whatsoever to do with narcissism, selfishness, or egos, nor with pretentious, self-righteous, hipster douchebags. It’s more than a little odd to say that you respect big tobacco more than the truth, when they’re essentially the same thing. thetruth is not synonymous with Big Tobacco although funded by theme. In fact, as part of the settlement, thetruth was not allowed to bash tobacco companies - just smoking. BT complained and won because the first few commercial were all anti-tobacco companies. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/128 "2013-07-05T18:54:49Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > My personal favorites are car commercials, which invariably contain the disclaimer “Professional driver on closed course,” any time the vehicle is moving. Occasionally, the driver is doing something mildly dangerous, like skidding on wet pavement to show off the car’s traction control. Most of the time, however, they’re driving the car down the road in a perfectly safe and sedate manner. Gee, thanks for implying that your customers are too incompetant to actually drive your car. Mazda–my Mazda, the Mazda whose 'speed 3 I enthusiastically drive, whose “Mazdaspeed” hat I proudly wear atop my noggin–has taken this a step further with their recent commercials for some SUV or other. It includes fine print like “Cars cannot perform a rail slide.” “Or jump over buildings.” Well, no shit. I get that they think they’re being clever/cute, but mostly, they’re just being stupid. Anyway, I don’t know how you folks can pick just one commercial. I could probably list the commercials that do _not_ cause my teeth to clench and my blood pressure to spike on one hand. If it weren’t for my DVR, I’d never watch TV. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/129 "2013-07-05T18:57:15Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > There’s a radio commercial that says I can call to get this secret tip to going into any bank and walking out with _real silver coins!_ > > I keep thinking “Am I asking for [date] quarters? I’m asking for [date] quarters, aren’t I? Is it asking for [date] quarters?” > > I don’t know exact dates but I know some coins were minted from silver, particularly during WWII when other metals were used for the war effort. I think it was not just quarters, Dr Fidelius, but dimes, halves and dollars were also (mostly) silver. You’re probably thinking of the fact that in 1943, pennies were made out of steel? zinc? due to wartime shortages of copper. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/130 "2013-07-05T19:34:13Z")
The Rosetta Stone commercial that was just on - something like I took Spanish in high school, and was a miserable failure. Then I saw Rosetta Stone, and it was a lot of fun! Um…doesn’t really tell us if you learned the language, does it? ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/131 "2013-07-05T20:04:16Z")
Any commercial that has “Dramatization - Do Not Attempt” in itty-bitty letters at the bottom of the screen. …also, I don’t know about you guys but I think anybody who actually does business with Western Sky Loans already IS an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/132 "2013-07-05T21:17:27Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > There’s a radio commercial that says I can call to get this secret tip to going into any bank and walking out with _real silver coins!_ > > I keep thinking “Am I asking for [date] quarters? I’m asking for [date] quarters, aren’t I? Is it asking for [date] quarters?” > > I don’t know exact dates but I know some coins were minted from silver, particularly during WWII when other metals were used for the war effort. If that’s really the plan the commercial is proposing, it’s obviously ridiculous. Do you imagine that any bank has its coins sorted by mint year? ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/133 "2013-07-05T21:31:12Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Mazda–my Mazda, the Mazda whose 'speed 3 I enthusiastically drive, whose “Mazdaspeed” hat I proudly wear atop my noggin–has taken this a step further with their recent commercials for some SUV or other. It includes fine print like “Cars cannot perform a rail slide.” “Or jump over buildings.” Well, no shit. I get that they think they’re being clever/cute, but mostly, they’re just being stupid. I think there might have been a similar disclaimer for the commercials that showed a truck (forget which make) surviving a meteor strike, getting eaten by the Loch Ness Monster, etc. “Do not attempt?” I don’t know how I’d even START to attempt those. ---
**Author:** ![Zago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zago)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/134 "2013-07-05T21:41:56Z")
Here in Boston, when that Western Sky commercial airs, it always repeats, within seconds. This has happened so many times that can’t believe it’s not intentional, but why? Also, on my first or second viewing of the ad I thought the spokeswoman was attractive and well chosen for a spot that basically wants to rip people off. Now I think of her as the embodiment of the devil. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/135 "2013-07-05T22:08:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > If that’s really the plan the commercial is proposing, it’s obviously ridiculous. Do you imagine that any bank has its coins sorted by mint year? I’ve heard of people making change for a dollar and asking “Do you have any 1962 quarters?” while doing it. I’m sure this is met with a great deal of enthusiasm from the teller. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/136 "2013-07-05T22:18:16Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > If that’s really the plan the commercial is proposing, it’s obviously ridiculous. Do you imagine that any bank has its coins sorted by mint year? Probably not. You can go and buy “junk silver” coins (American quarters and dimes, mostly, pre-1965) by weight, but at coin dealers, not at banks. Unless they are in collectible condition, they are sold based on the silver value, because these coins were 90% silver by weight (if I remember correctly). Roddy ---
**Author:** ![ruh-roh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ruh-roh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruh-roh)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/137 "2013-07-05T22:54:05Z")
For me, just about any commercial, anytime, anywhere. Simply because I am so sick and tired of being bombarded with advertising every waking moment of the day. The marketeers and all of their cutesie tricks are ruining this planet for me. I refuse to watch a television show “live”. Praised be the DVR. “We’re here for you between paydays” is staring at me from the top of of my “Fighting Ignorance Since 1972” web site as I type. (Anyone else see the irony). But more to the ops point, especially ads that they flood the airwaves with the same ad over and over. What do they think, that I didn’t understand the content the first 10 times I heard it this hour. I’ve quit (on a long term basis) listening to some radio stations because they seem to have a propensity for accepting those types of campaigns. I once thought of making a list of the most annoying adverts and purposely avoiding those products, but then I would be falling into their insidious web of getting me to remember their product. Maybe we could start a rumor that a giant space goat (or some such thing) was going to eat the planet and then build some starships to escape in. We could then put all of the marketeers on the first one and the rest of us would promise to come along later. (with apologies to the late great D.Adams) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/138 "2013-07-05T23:23:58Z")
> [@Zago](#): > > Here in Boston, when that Western Sky commercial airs, it always repeats, within seconds. This has happened so many times that can’t believe it’s not intentional, but why? Obviously, because people will better remember the company and the product through repetition. And I notice that during the commercial, there is a note at the bottom of the screen saying something like, “Western Sky Financial LLC, is a 100% Native American-owned business operating on a Native American Reservation.” It’s almost like they’re saying that their product is one they wouldn’t be able to to offer were they operating in mainstream American society. Perhaps because of the usury laws in most states? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/139 "2013-07-06T00:17:51Z")
> [@ruh-roh](#): > > Maybe we could start a rumor that a giant space goat (or some such thing) was going to eat the planet and then build some starships to escape in. We could then put all of the marketeers on the first one and the rest of us would promise to come along later. > (with apologies to the late great D.Adams) That sounds needlessly cruel…to whichever civilization on some other planet that they would end up begetting. Unless we sterilize them first. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494/140 "2013-07-06T06:57:55Z")
I think Western Sky Financial wants you to feel guilty about what your ancestors did to the noble red man: “Hey, look at all the terrible things you did to us, you genocidic racist. The least you can do to soothe your liberal guilt is to let us screw you around a bit. I’m Sitting Bull, and I approve this message” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-think-youre-an-idiot/662494.md?page=8)