# Progressive Homicide/Suicide Insurance ad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 2, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217 "2007-07-02T13:06:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![d1a1s1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@d1a1s1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d1a1s1)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/1 "2007-07-02T13:06:23Z")
Every time this ad comes on I actually boost the volume in hopes to get a better understanding of whats happening. Maybe thats what they want? The commercial is for progressive auto insurance and has an adjuster speaking with a frustrated mom. Apparently she has 4 boys and they are testing her nerves. The adjuster does his job quickly and the mom is very appreciative. This is where I turn up the volume. The mom closes the door on the adjuster and us, the viewer, then says something to the effect of “Ok, who wants to be quiet!!” THEN…a GUNSHOT! Am I to assume she’s either shot herself or one of the children? The adjuster then quickly runs off. Am I missing something or this a horribly morbid ad? ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/2 "2007-07-02T13:52:41Z")
I don’t hear it as a gunshot. It sounds like something breaking. Not much better to have the mom throwing a vase at her children, and it definitely seems to reek of child abuse, but I never got the impression it was a gunshot. It does serve as a further reminder that I never want to have children, though. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/3 "2007-07-02T14:31:11Z")
It was just something crashing. We’re meant to infer that the roughhousing kids broke something. No murder. No suicide. No child abuse. ---
**Author:** ![d1a1s1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@d1a1s1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d1a1s1)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/4 "2007-07-02T14:33:48Z")
[QUOTE=Menocchio] It was just something crashing. We’re meant to infer that the roughhousing kids broke something. No murder. No suicide. No child abuse. [/QUOTE] See, thats what I thought at first but it sounds a lot more like a gunshot than anything else. Maybe they intended it to be a crashing sound but I know what I heard! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/5 "2007-07-02T15:12:54Z")
You got it completely wrong. The kids shot the mom. Actually I don’t get the confusion. It was obvious to me that the animals broke something in the house. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/6 "2007-07-02T15:30:48Z")
[QUOTE=Menocchio] It was just something crashing. We’re meant to infer that the roughhousing kids broke something. No murder. No suicide. No child abuse. [/QUOTE] That’s how I saw it too. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/7 "2007-07-02T16:05:40Z")
What I don’t get is she says something like, “My insurance agent said to call you guys since you do this stuff for free…” Isn’t Progressive her insurance? If not, who is her agent and why is he telling her to call Progressive. Do they come out and look at your car for free if you’re not a customer? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/8 "2007-07-02T16:16:49Z")
[QUOTE=Rhiannon8404] What I don’t get is she says something like, “My insurance agent said to call you guys since you do this stuff for free…” Isn’t Progressive her insurance? If not, who is her agent and why is he telling her to call Progressive. Do they come out and look at your car for free if you’re not a customer? [/QUOTE] An agent is the person who sells you the insurance. They are not employees of the insurance company, but are independent agents who represent potentially many different insurance companies. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/9 "2007-07-02T16:23:55Z")
We’re getting some fascinating ad interpretations around here lately! ---
**Author:** ![d1a1s1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@d1a1s1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d1a1s1)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/10 "2007-07-02T16:42:30Z")
Well I submit to all of you that they may have intended that sound to be something breaking but it certainly sounds a lot like a gun shot! [http://www.progressive.com/commercials/commercials.asp](http://www.progressive.com/commercials/commercials.asp) ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/11 "2007-07-02T17:48:06Z")
I’ve heard lots of gunshots and that doesn’t sound like one. Sounds like a table crashing or a bookshelf falling over. Maybe the coffee table next to the couch they are jumping on. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/12 "2007-07-02T17:57:23Z")
Well, to be fair, it really does sound like a “TV gunshot” in this low-res clip. ---
**Author:** ![Buckwheat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@Buckwheat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buckwheat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/13 "2007-07-02T19:09:11Z")
The kids were playing with balloons. The sound was a balloon popping. OOps. My bad. Looked like nerf batons. ---
**Author:** ![d1a1s1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@d1a1s1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d1a1s1)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/14 "2007-07-02T20:09:25Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] Well, to be fair, it really does sound like a “TV gunshot” in this low-res clip. [/QUOTE] It does! And to top it off she says “Who wants to be quiet!!” immediately before the shot! haha Then the Adjuster runs! ---
**Author:** ![harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/2acd7d/32.png) [@harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmless)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/15 "2007-07-02T20:17:42Z")
Well, to be fair they _did_ smack her in the forehead with a ball first. I just caught that bit this morning and had to rewind it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/16 "2007-07-02T20:30:34Z")
It sure as hell sounds like a TV gunshot, and it goes well with the slightly crazed manner the mom had answering the door. Obviously, that’s not the real intent of the commercial, but I like to think that it was somebody’s sick idea of humor. Also, the “Not in the abdomen, Cameron” opening to this commercial struck me as odd. I dunno, but “abdomen” sounds to me out of place–almost too precise a term–especially when talking to a bunch of rowdy kids. ---
**Author:** ![d1a1s1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@d1a1s1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d1a1s1)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/17 "2007-07-03T02:02:53Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] It sure as hell sounds like a TV gunshot, and it goes well with the slightly crazed manner the mom had answering the door. Obviously, that’s not the real intent of the commercial, but I like to think that it was somebody’s sick idea of humor. Also, the “Not in the abdomen, Cameron” opening to this commercial struck me as odd. I dunno, but “abdomen” sounds to me out of place–almost too precise a term–especially when talking to a bunch of rowdy kids. [/QUOTE] Finally! I knew there were some intelligent people in here! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/18 "2007-08-01T16:29:35Z")
All I know is, I wouldn’t mind getting together with the mom and the girl who “loves the bingo” from the Camry commercial. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/19 "2007-08-01T18:05:21Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] “…Not in the abdomen, Cameron” opening to this commercial struck me as odd. I dunno, but “abdomen” sounds to me out of place–almost too precise a term…– [/QUOTE] This struck me as odd too, but not because of the word ‘abdomen’, but because it seems she’d rather they hit each other in the ‘head and groin’? ---
**Author:** ![8675309](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ea5d25/32.png) [@8675309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/8675309)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-homicide-suicide-insurance-ad/410217/20 "2007-08-01T18:11:45Z")
It always sound like the rugrats broke something to me.