Can you tell me when that ad will be on? ::Looks for TiVo remote::
I too fail to see the positive message in the specific ad mentioned in the OP.
When your criteria for assessing your child’s progress in becoming an upstanding member of society is a superficial act that you can train a dog to do in an afternoon, there’s something screwed up in the relationship right there.
I don’t even think it’s an ad that is trying to market to either the kids or the parents. It’s merely image-building propaganda, like when there are prime-time TV ads for Raytheon or the aluminum industry or others that don’t sell direct to the public, that are simply there to give the impression of how great they are.
While this is a recruiting ad, it’s more of a “don’t forget what a positive part of society we are” ad. If it were to honestly lay out its motives, the dad’s full line would be something like:
“Gee son, when I saw you in those Polaroids on the news applying electrical current to the genitals of that unaccused inmate, I worried that the military was turning you into a psychopath. But now, when you come home and look me in the eye and shake my hand just like the salesman at the used car lot, I know you’re a fine, upstanding, trustworthy young man. I’m proud of you! <sniff!>”
My neighbor’s kid, the one who yelled at and hit his parents, and burned and blew things up in the back yard for the hell of it, and had the cops called on him I don’t know how many times, just got back from two years in the Air Force. Hasn’t changed a bit, at least not in any way that is unattributable to being two years older anyway.
My son joined the Air Force two years ago as a bright but sullen, noncommunicative, mumbling teenager. In a few short weeks they transformed him into a young man who stands up straight, speaks up loud and clear and politely, and has the self-confidence he totally lacked before going in. And his chances of getting sent off to war? Basically zero at this point; in his career field, they ask for volunteers and thus far have far, far more volunteers than they need. (He is not one of the volunteers, I hasten to add – he’s not gotten that indoctrinated!) So he’s spending his four years safe and well-provided for, and will come out with all those college benefits. Just like they promised.
The ad the OP complained about is actually quite representative for a lot of kids who go into the miilitary with no self-confidence and come out of basic training far more confident, self-assured, and polite than they went in. I don’t think it’s unrealistic at all. I watched it happen to my own son, so I know it’s quite possible. And my hubby, his stepdad, also likes this ad because it so accurately portrays what happened to Young Tiger.
So to me, it says: Join the military and acquire self-confidence. What’s wrong with that? They go out of their way to teach self-confidence to those who are lacking in it. They teach courtesy, which includes things like shaking someone’s hand. I’m not saying that 100% of the kids who go in acquire all of those things, but a significant enough number do that they have every right to claim that as a benefit of service. It’s not all death and destruction, you know. The military does have very positive effects on a lot of peoples’ lives.
Ok, I’m going to do it again…I’ve only done it once or twice, I consider it bad form
But I have to respond to the OP even though I haven’t read the rest of the thread.
God that commercial bothers me. His 18 year old son can’t shake his hand and look him in the eye? What did he do to that poor kid? I don’t think about joining the army. I think about what that kid had to put up with to be raised like that.
I was thinking about starting a pit thread about it myself.
The son of my parents’ neighbour is one. Their other slogan is, “You’re not good enough.” And the change in him from before to after is remarkable. He did the final tab with a broken foot, then got septecemia before he could pass out. He recovered and passed out. I know a number of ex-RMs at work too.
I loved that game! I remember going to the great trouble of arranging it so that a pawn was the checkmating piece, because I wanted to see that specific bit of animation.
The game had a bug, though – it was confused by multiple check. For instance, if I put the king in check with my rook, and by moving that rook I also put the king in a discovered check with my bishop, the computer would show the “I’m thinking” icon for a spell, then return control to me without having made a move.
I don’t disagree; but I also have known men who would never, ever hug their dad, or any other man, for that matter. Shaking hands is still an accepted way of greeting another person, so if the kid looks his dad in the eye and shakes his hand, it’s still better than a mumbled, “Hey,” while looking at his feet or some such. Which is really not that uncommon in teenagers, even ones who have been taught courteous behavior.
I’ve seen the ad a number of times(The Army and Navy get a lot of commerical airplay in my area). This ad never bothered me. To me, the dad is saying “You have an air of confidence you never had before” or “You’ve matured”.
I’ll say this much, the training mode is pretty realistic seemings and well thought out.
Want to be a sniper? Finish basic rifle training, then go to sniper training.
Want to be special forces? Do some airborne training, and then that incredibly hard survival course.
My problem with the game is that the people who play it don’t actually work as a team and still do that bunny hopping shit. At least not when I played.
This does happen. It’s called an Advertising Standards Authority, where people complain if they have a righteous beef about ads. If the beef is genuine, and not just a droning whine from the corner of a darkened room somewhere, the ad makers are told to desist. Works well here. I imagine they have something similar in your patch.
Ads for the military that go all Tomb Raider don’t bother me. But the references here to computer game-style ads in the US are interesting. Predictable, really, given the immense popularity of gaming. Great marketing tool, that.
What got me about that ad is that the kid was supposed to be understood as a computer genius who’s also down with his crew on the street corner. When the cop says, “there he is,” you think they’re going to arrest him. But it turns out they just need his help because he’s both a genius and a tough street kid. They ought to just have footage from Good Will Hunting for Christ sakes.
I’m not exactly convinced that this is a racial thing in marketing. While it’s a good possibility, it could also be a coincidence that the one used to pander to minorities did not have a father. It could also be that it was an entire coincidence that the kid was black, but that is unfortunatly highly unlikely.
If you want to see the most egregious example of racial pandering in commercials recently, look at the recent Dodge Charger commercials. Two ads ran around the same time, depending on your area.
In one, a handsome white fellow is driving down the road in a Charger, blowing past this pretty white chick. An EXACT same commercial, down to the outfits, color of car, sets, expressions, everything was played at the same time, except the handsome white man was a handsome black fellow, and the pretty white chick was black. Really was a WTF moment for myself. They couldn’t have done white male/black female or black male/white female, they had to do all white or all black.
“And after a while, you can work on points for style.
Like the club tie, and the firm handshake,
A certain look in the eye and an easy smile.
You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,
So that when they turn their backs on you,
You’ll get the chance to put the knife in.” - Pink Floyd
I remember Burt Reynolds about twenty years ago saying that where he came from, you never felt like you were really a man until your father died. Maybe it’s a southern thing?
Feeling like a man after joining the military is a big step up from waiting for your dad to kick the bucket, if nothing else.
I am sure that this ad will work well for a lot of the population but it sure did annoy me too. When I see my Dad we give each other a huge hug. If I shook his hand and looked him in the eye he would be hurt and insulted.
I mostly agree, but even I see some exceptions, like the one where a US Marine fights against a lava monster. (learning CGI here )
However, I agree with this:
A son of one of my in-laws was training to be a Green Beret, I asked him recently if he ever considered the Marines, he replied: “No way! We call them ‘bullet catchers’!” :eek:
)