Sick of anti-drug ads on AAR...

[regnaD kciN]

I don't know if this only happens on the Seattle affiliate, but, on most afternoon or evening shows, the ad time is crammed with PSAs about parents using technology to keep their kids off drugs. :eyes:

"Highlights" of the series include:

-- A guy's cell phone warning him that, although he's talked to his son about not smoking marijuana, lots of other people are telling him "something different," and that he should call his son to check in on him.

-- A kid's MP3 player telling parents that lots of podcasts talk about drugs, and that they should check on what their kid is "loading up" on his or her iPod.

-- An obviously African-American boy's cell phone (the phone talks in "jive") calling his dad, letting him know that the boy was visiting a friend when the latter was "smoking a blunt"; although the phone goes on to say that the kid himself didn't participate, the father decides to call the kid because "he was there." (The phone advises the dad to wait until his son has finished taking a test.)

Now, aside from the dubious notion that AAR listeners are more likely to have kids who will want to use drugs (or, maybe, that AAR listeners will be more concerned with keeping their kids off drugs), two thoughts come to mind:

1) A cell phone that will call one's parents (or, presumably, some other authority figure) and report in detail where the person went and what they were doing -- is that the Bush administration's wet dream, or what?

2) If you hear cell phones and MP3 players talking to you...maybe your kid isn't the one with the drug problem. :rofl:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. It's like the anti-pot commercials during Adult Swim.

You know, the horrible little stick figure cartoons that don't make any sense (the anti-pot commercials, not 12 oz. mouse) with the horrible screeching soundtrack. These were apparently made by stoners, and shown during TV programs best enjoyed while stoned.

[flamingyouth]

2. Fenris has been talking about them for a long time.

He actually looked them up online and played them for me. The MP3 player one is freaking bizarre.

He came home the other day swearing that one of the ads used the term "cat," referring to a person. Wow, they're so up to date, it's like 1968! :rofl:

[regnaD kciN]

4. I think that one was the "jive" one...

"Greg was over at some cat's crib, and he was smokin' a blunt." How very urban! :eyes:

[otherlander]

3. The magazine ones are the worst though.

Just tell (blank) that you couldn't (something you were supposed to do for blank) because you were too busy getting high. :eyes:

See? That even made me use the eyes icon! I NEVER use the eyes icon!

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

6. Just tell your penis you didn't play with him because you were getting stoned. He'll understand.

Masturbation: My anti-drug

Too bad it feels even more incredible high.

[otherlander]

10. God, I would pay money to see that broadcast on national television.

:rofl:

In all seriousness, that ad doesn't provide a reason to not do drugs. It just provides a reason not to do drugs when you have other responsibilities to fulfill, which is the same as the reason not to play video games when you have other responsibilities. It's still no reason not to do those things when you've got a lot of free time...

[SeattleGirl]

5. I hear them both on the Seattle AAR station, and when I'm streaming AAR.

Between those, and the work-from-home ads, and the get-out-of-debt ads, I've taken to muting the sound until the commercials are over.

[Fenris]

7. I find the MP3 and cell phone ones kinda really racist.

You noted the "jive-talkin'." It's almost like they thought, "Hmm, we want to make this inanimate object black in order to reach black parents. Hey I know! Let's watch some blaxpoitation films or just mimic those two guys from 'Airplane!'"

Also, can you listen to a blog on your iPod? That seems kind of odd.

I also hear them on the Seattle AAR affiliate. They have quite a few annoying commercials. Low fixed-rate mortgage! Suburb Subaru service in Marysville! Paramount Equity!

The only commercials I like are the ones for Sebo's.

[regnaD kciN]

8. Paramount Equity -- "For a limited time, I'll even pay for your home to be appraised!!!"

As far as I can tell, that "limited time" runs from 12:00 A.M. to 11:59 P.M. daily, but is limited to only seven days per week.

And, yes, those anti-drug ads are racist, a fact which is not mitigated by them also being ridiculous. (I'm still trying to understand "This cat was sayin' that weed makes you smarter because it makes yo' brain bigger. You don' want your kid listenin' to fools like that." WTF? Did the drone writing the ad copy look at an old article from the '60s, read someone talking about drugs "expanding your consciousness," and take it literally??? And then, of course, make it somethin' the brothers down in the ghetto can dig by talkin' like Mr. T?)

And "talking - the anti-drug"...??? I suspect that a parent dressing down a kid just for being in a place where marijuana was being smoked, even though the kid refused to try it himself, would scarcely qualify as "talking" from that kid's point of view. More likely, the lesson he would learn would be that, if turning down drugs gets you in hot water anyway, might as well light up next time! :crazy:

[pstokely]

9. Probably due to lazy ad reps

Easy to sell PSAs or fill the quota