Do you agree with the New York Times that the bad Super Bowl commercials should be blamed on Iraq war?

Question

Super Bowl Ads of Cartoonish Violence, Perhaps Reflecting Toll of War
By STUART ELLIOTT

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/05/business/media/05adcol.html?ei=5065&en=eb6275f7a1059b41&ex=1171256400&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

No commercial that appeared last night during Super Bowl XLI directly addressed Iraq, unlike a patriotic spot for Budweiser beer that ran during the game two years ago. But the ongoing war seemed to linger just below the surface of many of this year’s commercials.

More than a dozen spots celebrated violence in an exaggerated, cartoonlike vein that was intended to be humorous, but often came across as cruel or callous.

For instance, in a commercial for Bud Light beer, sold by Anheuser-Busch, one man beat the other at a game of rock, paper, scissors by throwing a rock at his opponent’s head.

In another Bud Light spot, face-slapping replaced fist-bumping as the cool way for people to show affection for one another. In a FedEx commercial, set on the moon, an astronaut was wiped out by a meteor. In a spot for Snickers candy, sold by Mars, two co-workers sought to prove their masculinity by tearing off patches of chest hair.

There was also a bank robbery (E*Trade Financial), fierce battles among office workers trapped in a jungle (CareerBuilder), menacing hitchhikers (Bud Light again) and a clash between a monster and a superhero reminiscent of a horror movie (Garmin).

It was as if Madison Avenue were channeling Doc in “West Side Story,” the gentle owner of the candy store in the neighborhood that the two street gangs, the Jets and Sharks, fight over. “Why do you kids live like there’s a war on?” Doc asks plaintively. (Well, Doc, this time, there is.)

Then, too, there was the unfortunate homonym at the heart of a commercial from Prudential Financial, titled “What Can a Rock Do?”

The problem with the spot, created internally at Prudential, was that whenever the announcer said, “a rock” — invoking the Prudential logo, the rock of Gibraltar — it sounded as if he were saying, yes, “Iraq.”

Answer 1

There's a lot wrong with this administration but this is utterly RIDICULOUS. It's an advertisement for goodness sakes. Your perception is your reality. Did the NY Times watch the same game we all watched?

Answer 2

"The same gag, turned inside out, accounted for one of the funniest spots, a Nationwide Financial commercial by TM Advertising, also owned by Interpublic. The spot began with the singer Kevin Federline as the prosperous star of an elaborate rap video clip. But viewers learned at the end it was only the dream of a forlorn fry cook at a fast-food joint." - The idiot that wrote this got it wrong - it was NOT the dream of a forlorn fry cook, it was ACTUALLY K-Sped, showing that his 15 minutes of fame were up and now he's stuck in a fast food joint flipping burgers, because he didn't plan for the future. I'm sorry but for some jackass to attempt to sound smart they sure didn't do their research.

And why should a commercial address Iraq????? All our TV shows are doing that. Enough is enough. If you want to do something about the war, write your congressmen or stage a protest outside the white house and capital building. Don't try to get the commericals during the Super Bowl to make a political statement. Usually those commercials are supposed to be entertaining and enjoyable to watch. This year they weren't, but at least they didn't make some political statement.

To answer the question, NO the Iraq War shouldn't be blamed. Blame the retards at the advertising agencies that cooked up these crappy ads.

Answer 3

Consider the source.

This once newspaper of record can now make virtually anything political and can shove their own views into even commercials for a football game.

The tenuous connections made to the War in Iraq were appropriate for The Onion, not the New York Times. Childish comparisons like the Prudential "Rock" and the pronounciation of "Iraq" along with the simplistic correlation between "celebrated violence" and the War reveal less about the ads and more about the person making such cartoonish conclusions. It is little wonder that the New York Times is no longer a credible news source.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

what a crock of shite! you yanks make me laugh going over the top about the bloody ads.....and yes i love nfl and watch it everyweek for years now, but they are bloody ads people!!

Answer 6

are you that liberal and looking that hard into everything for excuses. whats next > playground fistfight blamed on Iraq?

Answer 7

I don't see how it would have anything to do with the war.

Answer 8

So blame it on Bush.

Answer 9

no

Answer 10

i blame our very smart president,,,,,,,,,,,Bush!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!lol