Bill, you have established your reputation for being contrary. But,I can be
contrary, too. I like to laugh at things, and I'm the biggest punster since
Alfred Hitchcock, a lover of Norm Crosby's malapropisms, and George Carlin's
antics, but I have NO sense of humor at all when it comes to American jokes
about the metric system. Levity on this subject is the biggest obstacle we face
in convincing the U.S. public to accept metric. How can they take seriously as a
standard of measurement something they continue to poke fun at? It isn't humor
as much as it is ridicule, and I can't take any of it. There's a difference
between something people are laughing at and something that they consider to
have the standing of "a joke." During my visit to Australia, Kevin Wilks,
former secretary for the Australian Metric Conversion Board, was emphatic about
U.S. metrication being, first, a psychological battle. Too many people have been
making fun of metric over the decades, and, of all people, P&G should not be
pulling this stuff. No, I'm not laughing. Each giggle sets us back yet another
year.
Paul T.
Quoting Bill Potts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
Actually, it tickled my funny bone, Paul.
Consider for a moment who "Jackie Moon" is. Perhaps the following will help:
----start of clip----
Will Ferrell stars in Semi-Pro, a comedy set in 1976 against the backdrop of
the maverick ABA-a fast-paced, wild and crazy basketball league that rivaled
the NBA and made a name for itself with innovations like the three-point
shot and slam dunk contest. Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a one-hit wonder who
used the profits from the success of his chart-topping song "Love Me Sexy"
to achieve his dream of owning a basketball team. But Moon's franchise, the
Flint Michigan Tropics, is the worst team in the league and in danger of
folding when the ABA announces its plans to merge with the NBA. If they want
to survive, Jackie and the Tropics must now do the seemingly impossible-win.
----end of clip----
This is one of at least two commercials being used to promote two products
at a time, namely the upcoming release of the movie, Jackie Moon, and a
tangible product. The tangible products in the two commercials are Old Spice
and Bud Lite. I haven't yet looked at the Bud Lite commercial, but a simple
Google search on Jackie Moon will lead you right to it.
Jackie Moon is supposed to be somewhat ignorant-or maybe gloriously
ignorant. His comments on the metric system are, therefore, those of an
ignoramus. At least, I'm convinced that's what the creators of the
commercial had in mind. I think the fact that his initial exaggeration
refers to a liter of sweat may be indicative of what we already know to be
P&G's metric orientation.
The objective of such a commercial is simple. They want you to remember the
product, so that you'll instinctively reach for it the next time you're
shopping for something in its category. Presenting it in an outrageous
manner is often part of that.
Finally, we should remember that it's the ad agency, not its client, that
produces the commercial. If they can convince the client to sign off on it,
then we get to see it. If it can be shown that somewhat tasteless
commercials are successful, the client is happy and the ad agency gets its
hefty fee for producing it, and the TV network gets its hefty fee for
showing it. Obviously, Will Ferrell is very much in demand for such
assignments.
As metrication activists, we mustn't lose our sense of humor. Having a sense
of humor doesn't mean agreeing that every joke or spoof is funny, but it
does involve recognizing when something is intended, even if misguidedly, to
be a joke or a spoof.
I shall not be complaining to P&G.
Bill Potts
Roseville, CA
http://metric1.org [SI Navigator]
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf
Of Paul Trusten
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 09:07
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:40432] Procter & Gamble anti-metric ad
I"M READY TO VOMIT! Procter & Gamble is supposed to be our friend on the
metric system. Somebody in their advertising department goofed. Take a look
at http://www.oldspice.com/products_new.html.
Watch the video, and write to http://www.pg.com/getintouch/syt.jhtml.
Let's get this damned thing off the air if we can!
--
Paul Trusten, R.Ph.
Public Relations Director
U.S. Metric Association (USMA), Inc.
www.metric.org
3609 Caldera Blvd., Apt. 122
Midland TX 79707-2872 US
+1(432)528-7724
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
DIGNITY, SELF-RESPECT, AND INTEGRITY
IN PHARMACY
Paul Trusten, R.Ph.
Acting Secretary
Phone +1(432)528-7724
The Pharmacy Alliance
3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apartment 122
Midland TX 79707-2872 USA
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://oleapothecary.blog.com
