OK, I’m back from Orlando—had a good time on the business
trip, didn’t die from the 90 degree at 5:00 pm weather, and watched the “super
size” episode of “16 and Pregnant” on the plane on the way back. You know, the one where the girl gets
pregnant with twins during a month-long rebound fling with a guy she doesn’t
even really like, so she forces herself to not only keep the babies, but stay
with the guy, thus depressing herself, wrecking the rest of her teenage years, and
ruining not one, but four lives in the process by crying herself to sleep every
night? Yeah, that one. I’ve decided that the saddest part of this
show is following the girls that don’t give their children up for adoption,
because you know that no one is doing anyone any favors in these situations,
and I guess I just wish they focused more on just how happy and prepared and
grateful adoptive parents are, because they TOTALLY ARE. This is one subject of which I have personal
knowledge, and I will say the child in question is infinitely better off with
her adoptive parents, rather than the teenage deadbeat who happened to give
birth to her. That is all I should
probably say on that subject, only I will also close by saying that I really
hope MTV does a follow-up special in 16 years so we can see what happened to
all the babies and what kind of lives they have now.
Speaking of TV, is anyone else wondering WHAT THE HELL with
those new Humane Society commercials?
Like, I’m watching Law & Order, and suddenly I’m being accosted with
the world’s most depressing images of dogs in cages and horses who were sold
for their meat? Have you seen the one
with the guy who literally almost clubs a baby seal, right there in front of
you?
Oh
My
God
Stop it.
Now hear this, Humane Society—I HAVE A RESCUED DOG who I
saved from the Harlem dog death row, ok?
I give money to animal charities, make sure to only buy the cruelty-free
eggs, and limit my consumption of non-organic everything. I drive a hybrid. I just don’t need the guilt trip, and those
images make me want to cry.
I wonder if this ads actually work—actually, I also wonder
this about telemarketers and those annoying college kids who stand outside of
Whole Foods trying to get me to sign up for Greenpeace. I mean, I suppose these methods must yield
some kind of total benefit or they wouldn’t keep doing them, but I for one
would like to tell marketing managers everywhere that I find these methods
offputting, but would actually persuade me NOT to buy the products or donate to
them, because I feel attacked and manipulated.
Yuck! First rule of
advertising: catch my attention. Second rule of advertising: don’t make me want to punch you.
On a final TV note, Stephan and I have just discovered
“Party Down,” and I really can’t say enough how totally funny and right on it
is in terms of capturing exactly what I didn’t like about Los Angeles. If you have the Starz channel, I highly
recommend watching it, because apparently season two is starting soon and there
is much funny to be had before then.