# Most condescending TV commercial? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2019, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975 "2019-02-04T23:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Garak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d78d45/32.png) [@Garak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garak)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/41 "2019-02-10T14:12:18Z")
don’t be a baby! give us more of your money! [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lu7QlfCRzY) ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/42 "2019-02-10T19:45:43Z")
I seem to recall a Cadillac ad a few years back that repulsed me. Nice car, _BAD_ commercial. That actor from the ‘Band of Brothers’ Neal McDonough touts the good life of having lavish homes and possessions while sneering at people ( and countries ) that do not embrace the workaholic lifestyle. Fulsome…odious. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AZe-0CMcpSg/hqdefault.jpg "Cadillac Commercial Bashes France; Finds Trouble") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZe-0CMcpSg) ---
**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:** [February 10, 2019, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/43 "2019-02-10T20:06:45Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Actually, pretty much any commercial targeted at old people. Actually, pretty much most commercials, because the subtext of most commercials is that because they made a (supposedly) clever 30-second clip, I should buy their product. The very premise is condescending, regardless of what they put in the commercial. > [@Hermitian](#): > > I’ve come to the conclusion that if you think a commercial is condescending/stupid/etc, then you aren’t the target audience. Pretty soon someone who took Communications 101 will come in here with the age-old bromide that if you remember the ad, then it works. (People who actually work in advertising know that simple-minded maxim isn’t true.) But, yeah, life’s too short to be watching TV commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/44 "2019-02-10T20:08:47Z")
Little Lungs in a Great Big World. So smoking makes you bad at skiing? Thanks, I’ll remember that. Along with all the other tropes I hate. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/45 "2019-02-11T15:48:23Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Infomercials. Especially the “before” demonstrations that always feature [the most inept people to have ever lived](https://imgur.com/gallery/YET5a) Like the guy whose date is ruined because he can’t keep his t-shirt from gapping and drooping in the front. It probably speaks to the effectiveness of the ad that I can’t remember what they were selling. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/46 "2019-02-11T16:08:58Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Like the guy whose date is ruined because he can’t keep his t-shirt from gapping and drooping in the front. > > It probably speaks to the effectiveness of the ad that I can’t remember what they were selling. Some sort of laundry product. Doesn’t help an idiot who thinks a t-shirt is appropriate for a first date and can’t be bothered to _look_ at what he’s putting on. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/47 "2019-02-11T19:07:43Z")
The truth anti-smoking ads have always been pretty awful and embarassingly un-hip. They DID, however, have a good run a couple years back with ads showing how tobacco industries were targeting at-risk groups, notably black and LGBT groups. Those actually made a point and were kinda interesting. The rest…yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/48 "2019-02-11T19:31:09Z")
Any goddamn catheter commercial. Jesus, the old men they use in those commercials are the most emasculated, infantilized, patronizingly portrayed human beings on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/49 "2019-02-11T20:13:37Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Any goddamn catheter commercial. Jesus, the old men they use in those commercials are the most emasculated, infantilized, patronizingly portrayed human beings on Earth. On a similar note, women seem to have a persistent problem with absorbing blue fluids. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/50 "2019-02-12T18:19:58Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Any commercial for old people’s life insurance. > > Actually, pretty much any commercial targeted at old people. Sounds like you might need robot insurance: [https://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/old-glory-insurance/81303587/](https://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/old-glory-insurance/81303587/) > [@BrickBat](#): > > I seem to recall a Cadillac ad a few years back that repulsed me. Nice car, _BAD_ commercial. > > That actor from the ‘Band of Brothers’ Neal McDonough touts the good life of having lavish homes and possessions while sneering at people ( and countries ) that do not embrace the workaholic lifestyle. Fulsome…odious… Here’s the ad itself: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNzXze5Yza8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNzXze5Yza8) I thought it was hilarious. It’s obviously tongue-in-cheek. Bored on the Moon? Instantly changing into his suit? He even \*winks \*at us at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/51 "2019-02-12T18:39:04Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Any commercial with a suburban dad. Thats makes purchasing decisions based on what phone or SUV his children thinks is cool. ---
**Author:** ![Pithily\_Effusive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pithily_effusive/32/252_2.png) [@Pithily\_Effusive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pithily_Effusive)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/52 "2019-02-18T07:31:23Z")
Commercials are patronizing by design - no pun intended. Anything that tells you that you need something you don’t have (even though you don’t need it) just to get you to buy something the ones who commissioned it are selling is condescending by definition. Attaching a superlative to it, _the most_, infers there are varying degrees of condescension, something the definition of the word does not allow. I never watch television channels that show commercials. They can hypnotize you into believing things that are real actually aren’t! You would be amazed at how many IQ points you could recover if you did the same thing. Shun commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/53 "2019-02-18T17:34:22Z")
> [@Pithily\_Effusive](#): > > … Attaching a superlative to it, _the most_, infers there are varying degrees of condescension, something the definition of the word does not allow… Oh, I disagree. A person, or an ad, can be very condescending, or just a little condescending. So much depends on the words used, tone of voice, body language, etc. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/54 "2019-02-18T17:37:11Z")
I also disagree that all ads are condescending by nature. There’s nothing condescending saying “You should try product Y because it’s better than product X.” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/55 "2019-02-18T19:03:28Z")
> [@Pithily\_Effusive](#): > > I never watch television channels that show commercials. They can hypnotize you into believing things that are real actually aren’t! You would be amazed at how many IQ points you could recover if you did the same thing. Shun commercials. I hope you’re just making a joke, otherwise, this has to be classed as one of the stupidest things I have read on this board. Commercials do not have magik powers. And subliminal advertising doesn’t work. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/56 "2019-02-21T14:38:16Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I also disagree that all ads are condescending by nature. There’s nothing condescending saying “You should try product Y because it’s better than product X.” Generally I would say that’s right, but how many commercials are actually like that? In particular: How many of the highly vaunted ads during the Superbowl were of that nature? Besides, an ad which is telling me that I should try Pepsi because it’s better than Coke, is in fact, condescending and insulting, because they both are, in fact, essentially the same crap. To sit around lauding these ads because they can present me such an asinine proposition–that one is better than the other–that insults my intelligence in such an oh-so clever and oh-so creative way–and that I should therefore buy one or the other because they have been oh-so clever and creative while insulting me thus, is intellectual self-degradation. It’s a pathetic, first-world pathology. I mean really–there are so many much better things to do with our time. As I said: Life’s too short to be sitting on our stupid asses watching commercials about things that we don’t really need or want. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/57 "2019-02-21T15:36:07Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > insults my intelligence in such an oh-so clever and oh-so creative way The real condescending ones are the ones that insult the viewers’ intelligence in an inane and overused way (e.g. the classic “customers who switched saved $X” insurance ads). ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975/58 "2019-03-07T21:05:46Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#): > > The perfume ad where Natalie Portman says “And you? What would you do for love, asshole?” > > Okay, maybe I imagined that last part. My response to her question was always “not that” as a take on that “I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that” song. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-condescending-tv-commercial/828975.md?page=2)