# Explain these two commercials to me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 5, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892 "2005-04-05T19:44:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/1 "2005-04-05T19:44:24Z")
**Commerical #1** A husband and wife are taking turns preaching the gospel of Dish Network (I think). At the end of the commercial, she dumps a bowl of popcorn on his head. Why? **Commercial #2** It’s morning and a voiceover tell us that Tuesday (or is it Thursday) is trash day and always has been. We see various people in a suburban neighborhood taking their trashcans to the curb. A wife is taking a trashcan to the curb, but wait, she doesn’t really take it to the curb. She puts the trashcan behind her husband’s SUV. As he’s backing out of his driveway, presumably to go to work, his vehicle’s warning system chirps, indicating he’s about to back into something. When he gets out to see what’s behind his truck, he sees it’s the trashcan. Huh? Why didn’t she just take the trashcan to the curb like she set out to do? Why did she put it behind his SUV? I don’t really watch shows like _Punk’d_, but I would imagine that couple’s a bit too old to be in to be pulling pranks on each other. I fully admit I’m not giving either of these commercials my undivided attention, so don’t think I’m _too_ much of a moron. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/2 "2005-04-05T19:46:38Z")
My guess on the second is that he was supposed to take the trash out to the curb and he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/3 "2005-04-05T20:02:56Z")
In the first commercial, the couple are doing the badly written fake cute dialogue and half the times she tries to say something, he goes “no, wait, honey,” and keeps talking. So the popcorn is her mini-revenge. It’s a very poorly odne commercial. (why, no, I didn’t get any studying done last night, why do you ask?) ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/4 "2005-04-05T22:39:23Z")
In the second one, the ad is for the vehicle and its back-up warning system. Apparently, it’s the husband’s job to get the trash to the curb and he has forgotten to do it, so the wife put it behind his car, where he’ll have to notice it with his back-up warning system. I hate it, personally, because of the passive-aggressive bullshit behavior of the wife. The curb is three feet away from the back of his car - either walk the rest of the way or just tell him to take the trash out, you bitch! ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/5 "2005-04-06T02:21:36Z")
Thanks, guys. BiblioCat, I guess knowing what was being advertised in the commercial #2 makes a huge difference. I _completely_ agree with what you said. I’ll have to pay closer attention to commercial #1. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/6 "2005-04-06T04:59:49Z")
In the first one, she did the research that he is taking credit for. In the second it was his turn to take the trash to the curb, but he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/7 "2005-04-06T23:45:57Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > BiblioCat, I guess knowing what was being advertised in the commercial #2 makes a huge difference. I _completely_ agree with what you said. It’s _just_ a stupid commercial and I shouldn’t get so worked up over it, but I just hate it. BTW, I finished _The Nanny Diaries_ and just loved it. I laughed out loud a couple of times I loaned it to a co-worker and my sister wants it when she’s done, so it’s really making the rounds. Thanks again. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/8 "2005-04-07T00:13:33Z")
Yet a couple others in the series of commercials where the men have to come off as idiots with smirking wives. Oh, how I hate that device. Sorry for the misplaced pitting. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/9 "2005-04-07T03:51:50Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > In the first one, she did the research that he is taking credit for. > In the second it was his turn to take the trash to the curb, but he didn’t. OR… All wives are bitches! Makes ya think, don’t it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/10 "2005-04-07T06:38:16Z")
Another commercial that only makes sense if you pay close attention but really isn’t worth the energy- the car rental commercial about a vacationing couple which starts with a stop at the world’s largest walnut & ends with whalewatching, in which the wife expresses her new love for Orca. Annoys the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/11 "2005-04-07T07:17:04Z")
**Commerical #1** Women are intelligent and men are stupid and take credit for all the intelligent things women do, and it’s funny when women hit men, or throw things things at them. **Commercial #2** Men are stupid and lazy and women are intelligent and do most, if not all of the work and the more mature and intelligent woman is teaching her lazy, childish stupid husband a lesson. What’s not to understand? Most commercials work this way. To whom do you think these commercials are geared? If these commercials were geared to men it would be: **Commerical #1** Woman: Ooh, if you buy this product, I’ll find you irresistible and have hot sex with you. **Commercial #2** Woman: Ooh, if you buy this product, I’ll find you irresistible and have hot sex with you. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/12 "2005-04-07T08:19:17Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > **Commerical #1** > Woman: Ooh, if you buy this product, I’ll find you irresistible and have hot sex with you. > > **Commercial #2** > Woman: Ooh, if you buy this product, I’ll find you irresistible and have hot sex with you. Dude, they should _totally_ use this idea to sell beer. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-these-two-commercials-to-me/297892/13 "2005-04-07T12:04:34Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Dude, they should _totally_ use this idea to sell beer. Hold still, I need to smack you. 😉