And I was born in Detroit … to two parents who wrote advertising for car companies, back in "the first half," when America was winning the game handily thanks to a great offensive line called manufacturing.
The ad, universally described as "powerful," was reportedly written by three copywriters, one of whom is a poet. And now the "politics" of the ad are being debated.
Come on, everybody: This was nothing other than a transparent attempt to strum the heart strings of the sorts of John Boehner types who weep every time they hear the national anthem. The aim: To manipulate those people, who are more likely to buy American cars on patriotic "principle," into transferring their nostalgic love for America—and for Clint Eastwood, who has become his own Saturday Night Live-quality caricature of himself—to Chrysler and its brands. (RAM. DODGE. JEEP. CHRYSLER.)
In short, the ad is an appeal by the professionally cynical—I know! We'll get Clint Eastwood!—to the mindlessly sentimental—or, not to be holier-than-thou, to the mindlessly sentimental part of each of us.
If you found this ad powerful, you're powerless over your own emotions.
I’m as powerless over my emotions as you are over your cynicism. Yes, it’s manipulative. That’s kind of shocking for a car ad, I know: most are so rational.
And if getting misty over the national anthem makes one a John Boehner type, color me orange, I guess.
It’s a shame they didn’t just let the poet write it by himself. Because surely any good poet would not have relied on yet another painful attempt to move Americans with the tried and true sports metaphor. I know the audience is a gazillion football wathcers. But good lord, “it’s half time for America”? Really? (For the record, Canadian advertisers make the same mistake with hockey analogies all the time too. Yes, we beat the Russians in a big game 45 years ago – but move on people!)
You’re right, David – it’s laughable, transparent and blatant. It’s also terribly cliche. I’m as sentimental as the next guy. Probably more so, actually. But if you really want to move me, try something I haven’t seen before. “Let’s get a tough old dude that people like to go out and tell America to win (another) one for the gipper.” Ya, ya, ya. That’s original.
And frankly, if you’re determined to stick with the metaphor, I don’t think half time is that compelling. I think half time ended a year or two ago (if there ever was one). I’d humbly suggest that by this point America should be thinking of itself as back in the game already.
@Kent: I don’t mock people who cry at the national anthem, but I do wonder what it is EXACTLY that they’re crying about.
It’s not “the land of the free” in general: It’s their Slovenian immigrant mother who puts the flag out on the anniversary of her arrival here … their brother serving in Afghanistan or their grampa who charged the beaches at Normandy or their dad who gave them sparklers on the Fourth of July.
So when we hear the national anthem, we cry for the human beings in our lives who we associate with our country and who make us proud to live here. And we feel a sense of togetherness with the other people in the crowd (except the fuckers who won’t take their hats off). All well and good.
But I’ll be God damned if I’ll cry for my dead WWII veteran dad because Chrysler Corporation trotted out Clint Eastwood to whisper these sweet nothings in my ear.
@Rueben: I couldn’t have said it better. In fact, I didn’t. THANK YOU.
Wow…maybe TV commercials are an important thing to reflect on? I was just glad to see old Clint Eastwood still looking like his tough old self. I thought it was sweet to see him still working, and trying to inspire..and who cares if it is trite? That’s our world, and lets all trot around as long as we can!
So Laura, to sum up your point: A $3 million TV commercial seen by millions isn’t worth having a conversation over. But we’ll have it anyway, and as long as we do: Yay for Clint Eastwood for not yet being too senile to spit out some imbecilic lines that aren’t important enough to discuss? Nah. You couldn’t possibly mean to say that. Cuz that would be just weird.
I guess I really mean what I say. If you think that just weird….I am good with that. Again, Dave…get over yourself!
In my opinion, Clint’s statements on the Chrysler ad somehow show how optimistic the people are not only those in Detroit, but in the States. It may seem not appeal to some, but I think it’s inspiring to get ready for the second half.