In the new Verizon ad, where the kid is quizzing the salesperson on the specs of the tablets his mother is thinking about buying, he ends with “Do you always wear glasses?” and the salesperson responds “Only when I’m not wearing contacts.” They raise eyebrows at each other, then the kid nods his approval.
What is the significance of the glasses/contacts thing? Is is just that nerds are supposed to wear glasses, or is there some other reference there that I’m missing?
[and for those who figure, hey, if I put this in the wrong forum, a mod can just move it … I mod both MPSIMS and Cafe Society and I have no freaking idea where to put it either.]
Maybe it’s not his approval, maybe it’s “oh, ok, that makes sense”? And it points to the obsession with exactitude and completeness of many nerds and technophiles. I just bought an e-reader and when I was comparing specs it drove me up the wall that each brand gave different information: those who told you battery life did not mention weight, those who mentioned weight did not say whether USB ports were available… - half the reason I ended up with a Kindle is that they gave you all the information damnit!
I’ve seen kids ask “do you always wear glasses?” “yes” “wow, when you shower too?” (or “wow, when you’re in bed too?”). The answer in that ad doesn’t cover showering or sleeping, but it’s much more complete than a simple “yes”.
I don’t get it either. A part of me thinks its an in-joke from the writing process that got left in there by Verizon execs who didn’t want to admit they didn’t get it either.
The kid is checking the salesperson’s credibility. Because the salesperson is working in a store that specializes in commercial electronics, he’s expected to hew closely to the nerd stereotype. Only a nerd would know enough about electronics to be an effective and non-scammy salesperson. The kid wants to know if the salesperson is wearing glasses as an affect, trying to play the role that’s expected of him, or if he really has vision problems. The salesperson notes that the only time he’s not wearing glasses is when he’s wearing contacts, thus affirming his nerd credibility.
What I was wondering about that commercial was if the mother apologized to the salesguy after her kid walked away. His interrogation seemed awfully rude.
I agree with Tarwater. The point is that the saleswoman might be wearing glasses that she doesn’t need just to look like a nerd. But by saying she wears contacts when she doesn’t wear glasses, she’s saying that she has real visual problems and is, by extension, not faking any other of her persona.
I thought the kid was just trying to trip up the salesperson with his rapid fire questioning. After reading this thread, I can only think “boy did I get that wrong”.
Gah, I hate this commercial. I feel the lady should be apologizing to the salesman and embarrassed about her tool of a son. The worst kind of arrogance is nerd arrogance.