The anthem of the deluded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vKDOWAf5M8&feature=player_embedded
Sorry, can't seem to embed it here...
See this new commercial by coca-cola.
Coca-cola: the glorious fizz drink maker who are making this world better by spreading happiness apparently (through making us drink pesticide laced poison and depleting our water table and spreading violence against labor union & wreaking local communities in Guatemala and many other places)
This wonderful ad comes at a wonderful time in the history of the world. The planning team did an impeccable job, I must say. The world is in deep shit. People need consolation. People want to hear that the world will be better again. They can go gorge on ridiculous amounts of cheese, steaks and Mchumanity without any consequence. And lo and behold... the ad delivers exactly that.
However i have this urge to rip apart this charade of idiotic optimism which is nothing short of criminal. its perpetuating exactly the same mindset that got us the recession and not letting us get out of it.
Firstly, anything with kids makes us go aww... we are wired for that, so i will let that slide. Anyways...
Secondly, the comparisons are all fucked up.
Tanks - stuffed dolls
[So while kids in Afghanistan and Ghana are only losing their limbs if they are lucky, kids in Massachusetts can play with some stuffed dolls before they get bored with them and throw them increasing the burden of non-biodegradable waste on earth... what a wonderful world.]
Stock market crash - covers of 'what a wonderful world'
[So while the world economy goes to dogs thanks to a few greedy fucks, we keep on deluding ourselves with some nice songs instead of actually doing something about changing the system... what a wonderful world]
Corrupt people - blood donors
[So while a few individuals are sucking lives and dreams of masses dry, the one thing that doesn’t get sucked off without permission is getting donated... what a wonderful world]
Walls (think US's at Mexico border ON Mexican land) - welcome door mats
[so while xenophobia is getting entrenched and Indian students are getting assaulted in Australia, and every 'Khan' getting questioned in US and so on.. people are sitting in front of TVs in their homes and requesting appointment before anyone wants to meet them. who the fuck ever sees the stupid door mat any ways... what a wonderful world ]
Nuclear bombs - cake made by mom
[Hmm... I will substitute that with gajar ka halwa...but even then... bombs v/s cakes... seriously!? :O Think the paranoid Pakistan. One stupid mistake and world descends to an orgy of nuke mayhem. How exactly is a cake going to come in handy in such a situation? Hmm… What a wonderful world.]
Real dollars - monopoly dollars
[Hmm... so are we to assume that real dollars are bad... if that's the case why are you asking us to pay money for a stupid fizz drink. People deserve to quench their thirst for free... what a wonderful world.]
Bad news - inane videos online
[Insult taken to a new level. so we are not only getting ignorant, but stupid as well. with attention span of a gadfly and intelligence of a duck. laughing at an infant chewing a kid's finger. instead of trying to get a grip of what's happening with their world. stupid.... what a wonderful world.]
Online hits of 'fear' - 'love'
[so more people are depressed either ways. when people type love.. they are seeking it.. which is to mean, they feel they don't have it.. or are screwed in some way. if people are seeking help about fear.. then that actually is a better thing.. to seek help when one is afraid.. you have got it all wrong dumbasses... what a wonderful world]
naysayers - couple 'trying' to get preggie
[Ok... so the world didn't end the last Saturday. we are over it. but how is couples 'trying' to have a child a good thing? if anything it’s a worrisome trend. that they have to 'try'. perhaps that pesticide in their fizz drink is screwing their fertility? what a wonderful world]
And the baap of all....
Weapon - COKE!
So the 60s doped out generation put flowers in the pistols, ours want to shove coke bottles through them. At least, the 60s youth was poetically beautiful. We are bloody consuming pigs. It’s not a hug. It’s not a kiss. It’s not a flower. It’s not an eager ear. It’s a fucking stupid bottle of fizz drink. Which people drink independently? It’s not even like tea where eye contact can remain intact. Coke necessarily removes you from your peer world for an instant.
Hence,
I would like to take this opportunity and point a finger at the dumb and ignorant generation of ours who go puerile at anything cute without ever employing the faculty of empathy and truth-seeking rationality. (People are going 'yay' and getting all woozy with this commercial on FB.)
But ya...I will concede one thing... it’s a good song. Good job Oasis. Fuck you coke.
P.S. - a debate ensued after this post got published about whether right or wrong, or whoever it is who is saying, should I be questioning someone who is trying to spread hope and optimism?
Is it right for me to critically question everything even at the cost of causing displeasure? Is it more important for a people to be happy than being truthfully aware of what they are being subjected to?
I have tried to find answer to these questions in my post here..
Comments
You have written a wonderful piece an dprobably sesnsible too but most of the times world is not in its senses...what I want to say if this song or video makes someone feel good..its good and yes if it makes someone feel nauseating...too bad.....I am still trying to figure out in which section more people fall because after all the idea of goodness also finally comes down to numbers....
Greta piece...keep writing....
There are 2 aspects to it. first.. coke saying it. second, false optimism. i think the second is more dangerous actually. do let me know your views on this post too.
Thanks for appreciating. :D
I mean the ad is all happy-go-lucky, saying that you sit back in your sofa, grab a coke in your hand and relaxx! The world is not going to be doomed in anyway! During the first two comparisons, I was like fine..people will feel happy and lifter after watching this.good..but noo! They had to map every wierdest possible match (or mismatch?)..And coke and weapon! haha..I thought both were the same in terms of what they do..harm to humans! :-/
well..the best part was the song..I am goint to listen to it during my idle time.. :)
the awesomeness of 'champagne supernova'. :)
http://thejinxedone.blogspot.com/2011/06/to-question-or-not-to-question-that-is.html
I am not saying that you shouldnt be optimistic. I am saying that there should be a real reason behind it. blind optimism is more dangerous than truthful pessimism. go back and review last 10 years of world economy. now try and figure out why did the world economy collapse? the reason was blind optimism.. thats what creates bubbles.
This sounds really strange for me to say this but I think you are reading way too much into it. After all, it is fundamentally an advert to sell a product and people don't buy brands that are associated with negative feelings.
I agree that the financial crisis was created, in part, by blind optimism (that house prices would always rise), although I think greed was a factor too. I agree that optimism can be a problem, when those in power minimise the negativity in their message, because that causes disappointment and lack of trust down the line. But so can pessism because that often ends up rule by fear.
Ultimately, I think we are both on the same page and it is a question of semantics. What you call truthful pessism, I call truthful optimism.
According to which, in this case. even if we stop drinking cola from our end, we are helping our world. If we act in our small sphere of influence, we don't need to feel guilty of our hypocrisy.