I cannot find this ad online, so I can’t show it to you: sorry. But this commercial ran during the Super Bowl, and as such, I’d say it’s a pretty major effort. This is a spot promoting NBC’s comedy lineup, and it features what looks like people in some failed, bankrupt Soviet republic watching the NBC sitcoms, and then it says it’s fun for everyone. But then it shows some guy outdoors turning some generator by hand, and it says: “Well, almost everyone” (or something to that effect).
Okay, so this ad is basically taking what looks like a failed state in Eastern Europe, and they’re showing these desperately poor and deprived people enjoying themselves by watching NBC comedy programming. That’s fine, except for one thing: These socialist republics went bankrupt because of too many failed government policies and too much spending, and NBC News spends most of its time advocating for all the same types of failed government programs and unsustainable spending here in the United States as bankrupted the kind of country they’re making fun of here. This stands out in the forefront of my mind when I see this spot, and I really can’t help it. And as a result, it ends up being less an ad for their comedy programming as one against their news programming. See what I mean? (And it’s also pretty demeaning toward Eastern Europeans! I thought it was supposed to be a politically incorrect sin to make fun of those less fortunate than ourselves. But I guess it’s only bad when Republicans do it, huh?)
Look, it’s nothing personal against NBC News for me: I understand their positions, and I sympathize with them completely. It’s just that we have to live with certain realities in the world, and one of them is unfortunately the fact that we’re spending our country into bankruptcy with our current policies; but whenever anyone tries to propose fixing them so they’re sustainable, NBC News attacks them tooth and nail, accusing them of wanting to starve the poor and to kill grandma. It’s ridiculous! And this perpetuates the dangerous debt piling up ever higher and higher with no end in sight. But perhaps that’s what they’re doing here! Maybe, since they realize their preferred policies will bankrupt America, they’re simply making an ad showing what they are (poor people enjoying NBC comedy programming) because we will soon be just like that here in America. And then, we’ll recognize that they were simply trying to get us used to seeing ourselves like these broke former socialists. And it’s the least they could do, really: to entertain us after they’ve advocated untiringly for the very policies that are bankrupting our country.
This might seem like a political statement, bashing NBC News for its liberal leaning reportage, but it’s really not. I don’t have a problem with their opinions, it’s their ignoring of facts I have a problem with. Everybody understands the problems facing Greece right now, right? Their debt is at 166% of their GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Well, ours in the United States is currently over 100%, and with the projected spending levels for the next decade, we’re going to be well past Greece within the next decade if we don’t do a quick course correction. (And nobody will be there to bail us out!) But NBC News will not hear of it! So they’ll continue to bash and negatively propagandize against anyone who tries to fix our terminal spending course, and then we really will be like the broke people in their ad. And that, my friends, is simply bad advertising to make an NBC ad that reminds us of this. But I guess at least they’re making comedy programs to try to make it up to us once we are all broke, huh? (Thanks, guys!)
But without anyone buying anything anymore, will they have any sponsors left? Ah, well: I’m sure they’ll just make the shows for us for free just to make us happy, as NBC feels Capitalism is evil, right? It couldn’t be the case that they’re just making their TV programming in order to get their grubby mitts on some filthy lucre, could it? Why, that would make them hypocrites, and I’m sure that couldn’t be the case! Could it?
Here’s a CBS news story about the national debt (I did a search on the MSNBC website for stories on the national debt, and all I could find were stories about the Greek national debt. Ahem.):
But I will say something nice about another of their Super Bowl promo ads for NBC programming: They made one inspired by the silent movie hit The Artist, all in black & white and silent, and it was great! It had just the right feel, it was charming, and it made me very happy to see it. It was really quite well done! And it was a wonderful salute to a great current movie that has really made some serious waves. I guess they were trying to balance the good one out, huh?
But why aren’t any of these promos available to see on YouTube, or at least on the NBC website? What the hell? Especially with the B&W silent one referencing The Artist, it’s great, and they should be seriously proud of it, so why not let us see it online? I want to see it again, and I’d like you all to see it, too!
