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Re: silly rabbit... chum is for kids


Hello,

     please allow me to lay claim to my intellectual property.  It's
my post below that you agree with Tom.  I had to ask Dan to forward
it to the list when I screwed up and only sent it to his private
mailbox.  I wish he'd forwarded it sans commentary, but such is
life.  Anyway, please re-read it with that in mind, and my additional

comments:

>Matthew Mesina told me to forward to the list:
> >>sharks are cool, but i'd never want to be one.
> >>chum just sounds/looks/smells and (i assume)
> >>tastes yucky...
> >
> >Based on the tasteless 7-UP commercial wherein
> >hapless victims are tricked into drinking
> >anything but the competitive beverages at a
> >taste-test, including chum, and the violent
> >reactions of  said victims, I'd say that's the
> >general consensus.
>
>ah, tasteless?  7-up commercials rock... :)
>serious rockage.
>
> >Does anybody remember the good old days when
> >movies and television sought to not offend
> >anyone?
>
>part of humor is exaggeration.  part of life is
>not being easily offended by exaggerations as
>such. :)  i like learning to roll with it and
>seeing the humor in many aspects of life.  life
>is beautiful.  life is cumbersome.  life is
>messed up.  enjoying all of the wonderful aspects
>of life makes it a more enjoyable thing to bear.
>seeing the humor in the humor, seeing the beauty
>in the cracks and crevices of life.
>
>i think i'm not really talking about the 7-up
>commerical anymore when stating all of that. :)
>with me, one sentance leads to another.  rabbit
>trails ensue.  i might just start talking about
>whatever i want to soon... :)
>
> >The apparent reversal of this trend has spread
> >to advertisements, and this appears to be
> >contrary to common sense.  Why would you seek to
> >alienate an audience in a advertisement?  Isn't
> >the idea behind advertising to be as appealing
> >as possible to as many people as possible?
>
>they appeal to a younger generation.  not that i
>watch much tv (i really only tune in on fox
>sunday nights), but many companies are opting for
>humor.  7-up, sprite, soft drinks in general, vw
>jetta, yadda yadda... they're fun.
>
> >Are advertisers that obsessed with target
> >markets that they've lost sight of this fact,
> >or is it just reflective of our society's moral
> >decay in general?
>
>it's for a softdrink.  being silly for 30 seconds
>doesn't mean that they've lost touch with the
>populous at large.  it just means that they wanna
>push their product.  if people like their
>commercial, they'll have a better chance of name
>recognition.
>
>commercials and society's downfall shouldn't be
>so seriously looked at, should they?  not
>everything needs to be so deep.
>
>i don't drink 7-up, but i think their current
>commercial spokesperson makes me laugh.  many
>times from the belly.  a good belly laugh.
>
> >Critic Mike Medved is quick to point out how
> >movies that depict religion in a negative light
> >are continuously being made, despite the fact
> >that they fail to generate revenue.  Again,
> >contrary to common sense.
>
>on that note, perhaps generating revenue is only
>a secondary or tertiary pursuit in the artistic
>endeavor of the writer, director, actor...?
>perhaps making their point in the way that they
>want to make it is why they make movies like
>that.  common sense often gets in the way of
>artistic integrity.
>
>if i made a movie, it'd probably be a cross
>between a 7-up commercial and kevin smith's
>'dogma.'  teehee... just kidding.  actually, the
>movies my buddy and i made in high school were
>more like stupid stuff with way too much george
>carlin, far side, & monty python influences... :)
>
>seriously, there are many "negatively" slanted
>movies about religion that make some good points
>and make some good true statements about the
>shape we are in.
>
>make 7.    :)
>
>up yours,
>Dan
>
>np: jonatha brooke - 10 cent wings
>
     Now, I knew someone was going to tell me to "lighten up" when I
wrote that, but I find that kind of reaction very telling.  We never
take into account the feelings of others these days.  Regarding these
commercials, liberals always tell us to change the channel if
something offends us, but commercials render that solution null.  It
is worse for parents who have to worry about promos for "Friends"
during children's programming.
     One reaction I'd never imagined was that revenue was not the
primary concern of the makers of commercials, the pinnacle of
COMMERCIALISM, or Hollywood pop-art.  It is naieve to believe that
the mainstream of the entertainment industry is concerned with art or
even entertaining people over profit.  This gets debated on this list
often, which is why I'd never imagined such a reaction.  Speaking for
myself, I really think only independent film and music assures true
artistic integrity.  Oh, and animation studios.  Else why not let the
celebrated authors that pen "Star Trek" novels write the
screenplays?  Why reject a Wiliam Gibson script for an "Alien"
flick?  Why not let Neil Gaiman adapt "Sandman" himself, etc.  The
fact that studios aren't willing to take risks with "smart" fils, but
are willing to when depicting religion indicates an agenda, not a
sincere desire to preserve artistic freedom.
     Beyond humor, does anyone remember the jeans add with a guy
hanging on a cross?  (I sure do, and I'd NEVER buy apair of those
jeans in a million years, which I think is antithetical to the
purpose of an ad.) Is depicting the faithful as sexually repressed
timebombs set to explode, or disordered, or delusional or bigoted
jerks really a valid, constructive criticism of the church?  I think
it is patently offensive no matter how you look at it.  "Dogma" and
"The last Temptation of Christ" may have some merit, but what of "The
Cell" or "Cape Fear" "Agnes of God" "Children of the Corn" "Edward
Scissorhands" or "Star Trek 5"?
     Dan, are you watching Fox on Sunday night?  I love that line-up!
Really!

A concerned citizen,

Matt
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