There’s a commercial that comes on every now and then that shows a girl, maybe ten years old, who wants her dad to read her a book, and the book turns out to be some tome having to do with land deeds or something like that.
The ad’s payoff ends up being a line about how we need arts education in our schools.
Anyone know if this ad is online somewhere? I want to watch it more closely–then, if I’ve understood the commercial correctly, I wish to return here and be angry at that commercial.
-FrL-
I know the ad you speak of. I understood the “message”, but agree it was stupid almost to the point of making me angry as well, and I don’t even get angry at commercials. I would think any commercial advocating a young child’s interest in ANY literary topic, particularly something a child would have no interest in such as land deeds, to be a sign of a young prodigy … and then this commercial downplays it by saying there must be something wrong with this kid for being interested in a book that isn’t about Teletubbies or Dora the Explorer, or whatever it is kids these days like to read. If my kid wanted me to read to them on such an advanced topic, I’d be shocked and happy to whether or not they ended up having any interest in it after the fact.
Really fucking stupid commercial. I’ll try looking for it … to help further incite our mutual anger, of course.
Well, that didn’t take too long. I had a sneaking suspicion that the Ad Council might be behind it. Go figure. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a convincing marketing piece by them that shows any competence about communicating what our children do/don’t need. We should move this to the Pit and turn it into an Ad Council bashing thread. 
I understand that literature and music are art, but what do flowers have to do with art? If it was a painting of flowers, I’d understand.
The book gag reminds me of an old Calvin and Hobbes strip in which Calvin calls his dad at work to read him a bedtime story. Much to Calvin’s disappointment, his dad makes a lame attempt in turning the patent infringment case he’s working on into a story.