# 240 “Sad and Glad”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 140

“Sad and Glad”

February 5, 2013
POSTED TWO MONTHS LATE DUE TO ILLNESS – SORRY!

For all the hype issued forth before the event, the exorbitant cost of Super Bowl Commercials hawking all kinds of consumer goods was eclipsed by a tasteful memoir featuring Paul Harvey and the forgotten 2% of the populace: the American farmers. Congratulations to Chrysler for their excellent commentary on behalf of their product as a tribute to the men and women who feed us — not to mention a good part of the world.

The Budweiser Clydesdales always hit the target. The episode with the foal growing up and spotting his owner alongside a parade route and then running down the street to find him was one of the best! The other memorable beer ad featured everyone wearing black in a restaurant or bar serving adult beverages, but the cast of characters was behaving nicely. That’s more than I can say for some of the others in the obscenely priced ads.

Aside from that piece, two were also not over the top. Hyundai, Volkswagen, and “Got Milk” were not only funny, but also to the point. On the other side of the equation, it serves as justice if the sponsors of the following commercials lose more customers than they could hope to gain.

For those of us Butler fans, it was a thrill to spot a “24” on a Butler jersey among other photos highlighting the number 24.

Audi should be ashamed of itself. Focused was a teenage boy with no respect for authority (using the principal’s parking space and smiling about it), acting like a boor on the dance floor by grabbing a teenage girl, and then — sporting a black eye from her date — happily speeding away in his parents’ car. My, my, isn’t that special? (Shades of The Church Lady!) If that weren’t enough, enter a high profile woman race driver and the bottom f the barrel when it comes to an ad.

Perhaps GoDaddy.com doesn’t know how many small children watch the Super Bowl game and its attendant advertising. The whole scenario was erotic and unnecessary — filmed to shock more than to inform. If this is their business plan, it is a poorly devised one. Then we have Hardee’s, a firm with excellent food. What possessed them to follow in the footsteps of Carl’s Jr. of California? Oh, sorry about that, Sara Underwood did both commercials. These ads were not only disrespectful but illustrate how shallow public relations people have become.

The last time I saw someone like Sara Underwood on the beach, the fare was more like a cool tall one and a salad. Downing food like that does not lead to a figure like hers, folks. Take a look at the customers in a burger joint next time you go. See a lot of girls with figures like Sara Underwood? Hardly.

And then there’s Oreo. Egad! As if it weren’t enough to lose Twinkies to a union disagreement. Now, Oreos — a tradition in many homes over generations — stoops to a commercial in which adults turn over tables like spoiled brats and destroy a library. Oh, I forgot. These computer geeks who devise these commercials don’t need libraries. They just upload books to their devices.

Well, I hope they are left TO their devices.

Don’t these people realize that they influence small children? Maybe they do. Maybe they are cultivating future customers. How sad. Yet the game left me glad, too.

As to specifics, nobody will know if the outcome would have been different minus the 30-minute-plus power failure interruption. Yet, it is what it is. I had no dog in the hunt, as they say. The smile after the game was reserved for the Tuohy family and Michael Oher who hail from Old Miss and were the featured family in Sandra Bullock’s heartwarming film “The Blind Side.”

Who says that dreams don’t come true? Oh, I know that huge amounts of money go toward the Super Bowl every year, but competition also fuels the coffers of the host city and instills a sense of pride in fans. I spite of that, it remains an American tradition that commands a huge audience and equal enthusiasm for the sport of football. Not for the faint of heart, it meshes critical decision-making and athletic ability. Would that our politicians at least use the former. Think about it.

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