I can’t seem to go a whole day without that “Jimmy Football” moron cluttering the airwaves, especially on Sunday afternoons. Most of the time I just roll my eyes at the ridiculous items he is advertising in his worst Billy Mays impression, but there was one item in particular that really bothered me: the Bud Light Tailgate Companion. Without transcribing the commercial for you, the item in question is more or less a bib to put on a dog so he or she can carry around condiments and like items. It made me sick. For just $4.99, you can use your dog to cart condiments to you without having to get your out of shape rear off the couch. This is unbelievable. As a society we have become ridiculously lazy, but there is not and never will be a reason that we need to use our pets to compensate for our laziness.
I tried to not let it bother me and just dismiss it in the latest edition in a long line of stupidity in the Jimmy Football ad campaign, but later that night, I saw another awful commercial. This time it was for the Yellow Pages. In this commercial, a group of people and their pets are waiting in the lobby of a veterinary facility. For some inexplicable reason an elderly woman has her bird sitting outside a cage and the bird is devoured by a large dog belonging to a young man. The tagline of the commercial then showed that the Yellow Pages can find help in any situation, including a lawyer. The act of killing the bird was heinous enough, but what made it worse was the young man’s apathetic attitude towards the loss of the woman’s pet.
Why has it come to this? Why has the exploitation of animals become a source of amusement? PETA is treated as more of a punchline than a positive, and hardcore activists are treated in the same vein as if they were lepers. Even in the case of Michael Vick (and let it be known that I do believe the man rightfully deserved a second chance), it bothers me that many were more prone to make jokes about him than be horrified at the activities that went down on his property. Maybe I’m taking these commercials too seriously, but I don’t see the comedy in them. I see the warning signs of a dangerous trend.
As I am writing this my cat sits under my bed. I would cause serious harm to anyone if they found humor if something were to happen to her, and I would never exploit her to serve my own laziness. I understand that most people would not do these things, but the message needs to get across that the exploitation of animals in those commercials as well as the Tailgate Companion will no longer be tolerated. I am not advocating veganism nor pushing anyone to attend Fur Free Friday. I personally will not be there. What I do encourage you to do is get involved in some small way, even if it’s something as small as taking extra time to play with your pet or changing the channel when that Jimmy Football idiot appears. Animals are our friends. Don’t turn your back on your friends.
I tried to not let it bother me and just dismiss it in the latest edition in a long line of stupidity in the Jimmy Football ad campaign, but later that night, I saw another awful commercial. This time it was for the Yellow Pages. In this commercial, a group of people and their pets are waiting in the lobby of a veterinary facility. For some inexplicable reason an elderly woman has her bird sitting outside a cage and the bird is devoured by a large dog belonging to a young man. The tagline of the commercial then showed that the Yellow Pages can find help in any situation, including a lawyer. The act of killing the bird was heinous enough, but what made it worse was the young man’s apathetic attitude towards the loss of the woman’s pet.
Why has it come to this? Why has the exploitation of animals become a source of amusement? PETA is treated as more of a punchline than a positive, and hardcore activists are treated in the same vein as if they were lepers. Even in the case of Michael Vick (and let it be known that I do believe the man rightfully deserved a second chance), it bothers me that many were more prone to make jokes about him than be horrified at the activities that went down on his property. Maybe I’m taking these commercials too seriously, but I don’t see the comedy in them. I see the warning signs of a dangerous trend.
As I am writing this my cat sits under my bed. I would cause serious harm to anyone if they found humor if something were to happen to her, and I would never exploit her to serve my own laziness. I understand that most people would not do these things, but the message needs to get across that the exploitation of animals in those commercials as well as the Tailgate Companion will no longer be tolerated. I am not advocating veganism nor pushing anyone to attend Fur Free Friday. I personally will not be there. What I do encourage you to do is get involved in some small way, even if it’s something as small as taking extra time to play with your pet or changing the channel when that Jimmy Football idiot appears. Animals are our friends. Don’t turn your back on your friends.
My friend Buttons reclining on my bed
