# Isn't Jennifer pretty? \[commercial\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 13, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529 "2011-08-13T00:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/1 "2011-08-13T00:51:00Z")
This commercial is cruel; [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/u-cKpTMGd1g/hqdefault.jpg "Mackenzie Foy - AT&T commercial (2011)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-cKpTMGd1g) It’s not funny. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/2 "2011-08-13T00:57:20Z")
There seems to be wave of commercials nowadays involving parents or other adult authority figures messing with kids’ heads. I believe it started with that series for an on-line bank where a smarmy guy arbitrarily gives, say, a pony to one little girl while denying it to another. I guess it’s supposed to be ‘edgy’ or something. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/3 "2011-08-13T01:05:29Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > There seems to be wave of commercials nowadays involving parents or other adult authority figures messing with kids’ heads. I believe it started with that series for an on-line bank where a smarmy guy arbitrarily gives, say, a pony to one little girl while denying it to another. I guess it’s supposed to be ‘edgy’ or something. Yeah, I posted about that one too a while back. A suprising number of replies didn’t agree that that one was cruel. I hate for kids to see that kind of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/4 "2011-08-13T01:13:46Z")
Yeh, it’s off-putting. I expect this kind of dark humor (and love dark humor) from movies or certain comedians, but to go that route in advertising is kinda repugnant. Hard to pinpoint it, really. I can’t remember which company ran this particular ad, but it was pretty recent, where the family returns home and finds their place ransacked and burglarized. They look around and are relieved to find they did take the tv or [whatever lame product they want you to buy]. Very WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/5 "2011-08-13T01:14:08Z")
Weird. I just saw one where the kid is not 'new" enough to get an ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/6 "2011-08-13T01:18:20Z")
ebb and flow. there’ve been any number of commercials making the parents look like bovine lummoxes, now it’s time to dump on the kids. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/7 "2011-08-13T01:31:52Z")
I’m 66, and I’ve known and been around a lot of children. Believe me, there are plenty who will be disturbed by that, and the seeming okayness of it. It sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/8 "2011-08-13T01:36:25Z")
The pony and ice cream are from commercials from Ally Bank and if you thought they were mean to kids, then congratulations, you figured out the commercial. If you think it’s dumb to deny a kid ice cream because they’re not new enough, why should you bank with a bank that won’t give you an awesome interest rate or free online banking or whatever because you’re not new enough. Would be the point of the commercials. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/9 "2011-08-13T01:46:38Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The pony and ice cream are from commercials from Ally Bank and if you thought they were mean to kids, then congratulations, you figured out the commercial. If you think it’s dumb to deny a kid ice cream because they’re not new enough, why should you bank with a bank that won’t give you an awesome interest rate or free online banking or whatever because you’re not new enough. Would be the point of the commercials. I don’t think the _point_ of the commercial is of any interest to kids. I think the seeming normalcy of the situation disturbs some kids. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/10 "2011-08-13T01:48:23Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The pony and ice cream are from commercials from Ally Bank and if you thought they were mean to kids, then congratulations, you figured out the commercial. If you think it’s dumb to deny a kid ice cream because they’re not new enough, why should you bank with a bank that won’t give you an awesome interest rate or free online banking or whatever because you’re not new enough. Would be the point of the commercials. Isn’t the point that the commercials are MESSING WITH CHILDREN, which is cruel? I do get the joke, but it isn’t funny enough to excuse telling it. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/11 "2011-08-13T01:50:29Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The pony and ice cream are from commercials from Ally Bank and if you thought they were mean to kids, then congratulations, you figured out the commercial. If you think it’s dumb to deny a kid ice cream because they’re not new enough, why should you bank with a bank that won’t give you an awesome interest rate or free online banking or whatever because you’re not new enough. Would be the point of the commercials. So I just watched all the Ally Bank commercials on YouTube. They’re not bad. My favorite was [“Studio.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg4D94YDKqI) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/12 "2011-08-13T01:59:53Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I do get the joke, but it isn’t funny enough to excuse telling it. It isn’t funny enough to even pay attention to. Most commercials that think they’re funny or clever are in fact not. Many people think they’re funny just because it’s a break from the usual “Buy-our-product-it’s-better-because…” shtick. But if it weren’t in a commercial–the time that people are subjected to while they’re forced to wait for the programming they really want to see–they’d find it lame. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/13 "2011-08-13T02:04:10Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Isn’t the point that the commercials are MESSING WITH CHILDREN, which is cruel? I do get the joke, but it isn’t funny enough to excuse telling it. Yeah, commercials are messing with kids, but Hansel and Gretel stories don’t. :rolleyes: Some things are not worth being upset about. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/14 "2011-08-13T03:15:24Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Yeah, commercials are messing with kids, but Hansel and Gretel stories don’t. :rolleyes: Some things are not worth being upset about. Ok, thanks; I think we have sufficient information about your position now. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/15 "2011-08-13T03:33:05Z")
Someone’s crotchety. I was a kid a lot more recently than you but do you really think that you would have been messed up as a 7 year old by seeing that commercial? Cuz, I know I would be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/16 "2011-08-13T03:40:22Z")
I think, on average, kids might even find it funnier than adults… ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/17 "2011-08-13T03:42:41Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Yeah, commercials are messing with kids, but Hansel and Gretel stories don’t. :rolleyes: Some things are not worth being upset about. I think you’ll find that kids find H&G are scary, but a fairy tale. I also think you’d also find that those same kids would find the situation in that AT&T commercial quite real. Which in some families it is all _too_ real. Uncomfortable paragraph. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/18 "2011-08-13T03:45:34Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Someone’s crotchety. I was a kid a lot more recently than you but do you really think that you would have been messed up as a 7 year old by seeing that commercial? Cuz, I know I would be fine. Some things, _Inner_, are too terrible to remember. Call me crotchety again and I’ll send you to your room til your mommy gets home. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/19 "2011-08-13T03:46:20Z")
I think you’ll find that kids are quite familiar with the notion of a joke. You’re wringing your hands over a non-existent situation. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529/20 "2011-08-13T03:47:58Z")
It’s like a lot of commercials. The message is “Buy our product - assholes love it!” But you are correct - not funny, even a little. Regards, Shodan [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-jennifer-pretty-commercial/592529.md?page=2)