Saw it twice, I did, during tonight’s Survivor episode, and both times I wanted to throw a fucking brick through the TV.
It starts with a scene of a man and woman in a resturant. The man recites a sappy poem he wrote her, using football idoms:
“My heat is a football/
to only you I hike it/
it belongs to you/
as long as you don’t spike it.”
The woman grimaces and looks dissapointed. The man then whips out a jewelry box, and the woman lights up with warm delight. “Ohh, I love it!” she cooes, and he exclaims “Touchdown!”
The voiceover intones “Some guys know how to say it.”
This makes me want to fucking puke. I am rendered inarticulate with digust-- I cannot even form into words how nasty I find this commercial. Your love is measured only by how much cheap, shitty jewelry you can buy. Shut up abbout your feelings, asshole-- just give me the diamonds!
If she were a real woman, I would want to eviscerate the materialistic cunt. A guy pouring his heart out, albeit in a clumsy, sappy fashion is cause for a grimace of distaste, but ooooh, something sparkly! He’s gonna get some tonight!
It’s not like it’s only JCPenney. How about the DeBeers (or whatever their major launderer…er, distributor, in the US is) commmercial with the guy who shouts out his love for his wife (“I LOOOVE THIS WOMAN!!”) at the top of his lungs, to her embarrassment, until he makes with the diamonds. Then she whispers in his ear, "i love this man? All jewelry ads seem to be disgusting in that way…“be a whore for rocks!”
My dad promised to buy my mom as many diamonds as she wanted. The only stipulation was that they be industrial grade diamonds, and that he could borrow them for drilling operations at his machine shop.
The Jared (“The Galleria of Jewelry”) commercials are pissing off both me and my husband. There are a couple of them out there with the same harridan wife and hen-pecked husband. The wife goes around checking out all the jewelry on other women, who say “He went to Jared!”, and the smarmy-looking husbands grin. The bitchy wife gets more and more annoyed as she sees more jewelry, finally returning to glare at her husband for failing to please her with gifts of jewelry from Jared.
Ooooh, that’s the worst one! Don’t forget she drops an ordeurve in his drink and stomps off, leaving him completely confused. Yet another stereotype I hate-ladies, never tell your SO why you’re upset. They should be psychic and know it instantly.
Her: Stomps off in a huff.
Me: Ah, I’ve screwed up again. That must be why she’s upset.
See? Just remember, it’s okay to have low self-esteem if everything you do is wrong.
This is all more of the same style of commercial I hate: “You need our product to save you from yourself because you, being a white male heterosexual, are an incompetent moron.”
I want a diamond, I really do
I think that you should give me one
Then you can prove your love is true
And that the gift giving has just begun
I want that diamond, I want that thing
A tennis bracelet, a ring
It better shine, it better cut
I know it is expensive but…
What other way can you make four months of your measely salary last a lifetime?
And what other thing have I ever asked you for
Besides
The ability to read my mind
And I didn’t get that either–
Yet.
I want that diamond, I want it so
All of my irritating friends will know
That I have worth, not only that
But that you love me even though I’m fat
I want that thing, I want it now
I’ll say it once, I don’t care how you get it
You can rob a store, There just is nothing I want more
Than diamond jewelry for me
And I’ll talk louder so you see how very much it means to me!
Even some little stud earrings
Give me the goddamned diamond!
I"ve never really understood the whole “sparkly rock” = value beyond measure" thing.
And I agree that it’s bad taste, bitchy and SUCKS horribly when a person acts all greedy and disappointed over getting “just” words from their mate. (Personally, I’m just as thrilled with a little note left by the coffeepot in the morning, as a “real” gift).
However, there is something special about receiving something from your SO that they had to actually put some time and effort into. And not just the hunting it down either, they had to put time and effort into working to pay for the thing, whether small or large.
It is nice when someone thinks enough of you to show it in a concrete way. And that doesn’t mean that honest and heartfelt words mean any less. There are many times when actions speak louder than words. And not all people can SAY what they mean in a meaningful way.
I don’t see anything wrong with showing your love through actions/gifts. I also don’t see what is wrong with enjoying the whole “hey Look world, someone loves me a LOT” thing by way of receiving flowers or whatever in front of others. And if, for some people (though I don’t “get” it) that speciallness is, for them, shiny rocks, I don’t see that that is all that bad. I think it should go both ways though.
Am I the only person left anymore who has a joint bank account? I would not be happy if MrValley decided unilaterally to drop a couple thousand of our hard-earned money on a dumb rock or other gift.
Oh, I agree. Hubby surprised me last week by getting me a book I’d mentioned casually that I was awaiting eagerly to be released. He listens to me. Every gift I’ve ever gotten from him was something I’d mentioned I wanted or something he thought I’d like based on my personality.
He told me about a conversation with a group of his male co-workers about this coming Valentine’s day. One said: “I don’t know what to get her. I’ll just stop at the jewelery store.” How can you live with someone for (in their case) twenty years and not know what to get them? “I dunno what you like, because I never listen to you or pay atttention when we’re out to things that draw your interest. Here’s something generic and expensive. That should do it.” Of course, that guy will probably be getting a tie and aftershave for his present, so I guess it goes both ways.
I guess I’m just sickened by how avidly people have latched onto the advertised concept that money=love. No wonder we have an almost 50% divorce rate.