The commercial showed a cute golden
retriever puppy - falling off a moving truck, then desperately trying to find
its way home. Across fields, railway tracks and dangerous roads, the
puppy made its way home. Upon its arrival, a surprise was waiting.
While it had been away 'on vacation', its owner had sold the precious
little dog to someone else, a quick response to a sale, a solution to
a problem. The search engine had done its job. But at what cost to
the viewing audience?
The public outcry was palpable. The
commercial was lifted from the docket and all was well with the
world. But the Momsey found it, easily, on the web, nonetheless, the
forever home for all manner of anything. Be careful what you wish
for. It took no effort, just simple steps, to see what the fuss was
all about. I now understood. I was not amused, either. I took
exception to the marketing intent and the innocent player in this latest mini docu-drama.
'Innocent' players are always fair game
in today's marketplace, it would seem, in the selling of any and all
products. The new twist today, however, is the public's quick access to the top
players in this power game called advertising. Texting had made its presence felt, in a heartbeat. The commercial was pulled. Another commercial, advertising a cleanser, has the owner's
little children immersing a small 'scared' dog into the 'colourful'
bathtub in a cute little exercise of water play, a simple wanton disregard of the poor
little dog's 'rights'. Where was the supervision? The 'Camera' or a moron. Who leaves little children in a bathroom to 'wash' a precious little dog, with or without out adult supervision? Who does that? Who thought the commercial funny? Not me! The animal's ears tell the story.
As a forty plus years dog owner and 12 years, as a cat owner, TheMomsey knows scared, petrified and frightened when she sees it.
Disgusting. What were they thinking? Money is the currency. It is as simple as that. The 'commercial' parents are understandably shocked, in a comical sort
of way. How did the producers of this gig and the makers of the
product find an animal willing to undergo such humiliation? Where was informed consent? Was there a paw print for the signature? What was the audition standard?
Was it a
rescue dog, with no rights, at all? Or a pet with actual owners who
cared? It shocked me to see such fear in the 'ears' of yet another
marginalized powerless little creature. (Let us hope the little dog received
an upgrade in its food status). ...Forget me as a customer. there. ... Then there was the Great Dane and
the 'beautification' ritual being orchestrated upon its cute animal face by a little girl,
lipstick all around. The dog food company's motives were clear. Yet
one message rang through for me: I will not be buying this well-known pet food. The hypocrisy was crystal clear.
The husband had sent this message of
respect and admiration, for his wife, to the producers of the talk
show that day. She was seated in the audience, not aware of the
accolades coming her way, very soon. ... She would be honoured. Oh my,
who wouldn't be? Her resume was quite impressive. She was raising
other people's children and her own. She was a mother to 7 - 3
biological and 4 foster children. Getting out was a rare occasion and
a feat of great organizational skill, considering the schedules of
her army of little children. She was a general. ... (The words of pride and admiration from
her husband were a welcome relief from the usual 'news' from daytime
talk shows.) I listened as the host of the 4 panel members - all
female - read his text-message on air. He wanted the world to know
about his selfless super-star wife. In their 13 year marriage, this
wonder woman had cared for 45 children whose parents could not. I
listened for the story's unveiling, hoping to hear from mom herself.
The gifts the show would ultimately bestow upon her, this incredible
'societal gift', would come soon, I thought. I could not have
undertaken this incredible mothering feat: caring for so many children
over such a short period of time. I was a mere mortal, having
mothered only three boys. She was an angel, a role model of strength and courage, to all, to say the least!
Who was this incredible woman? How did
she do it? Then the unthinkable happened. The story stopped, its message of love coming to an
end. The audience clapped and the moment was gone, forever lost to
the archival files of this talk show. Then the real news began, the news
we all wanted and were desperate to see and hear: the misadventures of two
adversarial singing sensations and the nearly nude photographs of a 'reality' star found splayed in a magazine, unfamiliar to me. (Wasn't this the wrong place for these pictures?) Tasteless,
boring and totally disappointing. I wanted more on the super-star mother-wife
but that would not be happening. The lives of the rich and famous always came first, making our lives far more interesting, meaningful, fulfilling and purposeful!!
As a society, we are crossing
so many boundaries, in the myriad of on-air formats, time after time, to garner the
much coveted viewing audience? Where are we going with this? Are we
de-sensitizing ourselves and our children to the values that make us
human? We have commercials where tasteless acts of comedy are
presented to sell a product or service, using innocent little
creatures beside innocent little children.
When does adult behaviour assume its rightful place, in our lives? There are no limits we cross. Then we have news/talk shows with a poor sense of
balance in what they showcase for the viewing audiences to see and hear. ... Gossip is petty, time-wasting and
boring. Is there no intelligent life up here?
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