You Better Shape UP!

I really enjoyed writing about the hilarious commercial from last years Super Bowl featuring Betty White, and have consequently decided to continue with the topic on humor and rhetoric with this years Volkswagen Superbowl ad. This was definitely my favorite of the evening. Why is it funny? Because we have a dog who wants to chase a car (as most dogs instincts make them want to)  but cannot because he is not in shape & he cannot keep up. He does a lot of weight loss tactics that we as people would do. Not eating, swimming, and eventually he is able to reach his ideal weight.

So wheres the rhetoric? Well the commercial suggests that the new models of Volkswagen's are so fast that not even dogs can keep up with, and will resist eating just to be able to be alongside it. Now as intellectual human beings, we know quite well that animals do not intentionally starves themselves even if they were a little overweight. Even clearer, we know that animals, even the bigger ones are not usually hindered from participating in physical activity, we know that elephants run too!

So is this commercial effective? Sure, we have a good feeling now associated with the new Volkswagen but who is really convinced that this car is quicker than others although it is clearly not built or even looking like a sports car. Hmm, well overall I'd give it a B. The commercial had many views because it was during the Superbowl and if it was made to be solely to be entertaining it did well. But am I more likely to buy this car. Ehh, probably not!

Snickers Saves The Game!

       
        Watching the clip above you can probably tell this will be another blog discussing humor and rhetoric. This commercial is from the 2010 Super Bowl, and I’m sure most people find the video hilarious. You have Betty White on the field playing football with a bunch of grown men getting tackled like one of the guys only to find out that she’s really what ‘Mike’ becomes when he’s hungry. The sight of elderly men and women being trampled was a great way of getting a laugh out of America.

         Lets analyze the rhetoric behind the commercial. Because of the fact that it is funny, as viewers and consumers we now have a positive feeling associated with Snickers bars and the company behind the ad. There is  also Ethos just in Betty White’s presence alone. A famous figure, her being in the commercial alludes to the fact that she enjoys and promotes snickers bars. The overall message is clear. Mike eats the snickers and returns to his normal self, no longer playing like a female. This ad, along with a series of Snickers ad says “you aren’t yourself when you’re hungry!” What a great way to capture an audience because this fact is undeniably true. We know from tests, studies, and just from personal experiences that our productivity depends on food that acts as fuel for our bodies. They show us that a quick and easily portable snack can make all the difference.

      How effective was this commercial? In my opinion, it was a very successful ad. It was successful in the way that they chose to reflect appropriate humor that would appeal to nearly all ages. It was successful because it included a figure that most people over 16 years of age could identify, and lastly because it relayed a message that most of the people watching would agree with. Sometimes, with humorous commercials the message is so far fetched that we cannot take it seriously. I think this ad was a perfect example of a humorous yet effective commercial. 

Giggity Giggity Goo, Oooh riiiiight!

     
          Yes, another clip from my favorite show, Family Guy! If you have ever watched the show, you can identify this character as Quagmire. Quagmire, the pervert. You can find countless episodes that poke fun at the fact that Quagmire is always simultaneously having sex with multiple women, underaged girls, and even the physically disabled. He is quirky, always making sex jokes and then saying "giggity giggity goo oooh right!"

         A lot like my last episode I would like to challenge those who watch and enjoy the show in asking, why do we find this funny? Lets think about what we would characterize today as "perverts" Men who have sex with girls under 18 or that are just interested in children in general. Normally this is not a laughing matter. Quagmire often pushes himself upon women which we would consider sexual assult, yet we still laugh.

        Does rhetoric allow us a way of laughing at things that really shouldnt be funny? Why is this okay? As previously stated, Family Guy makes fun of a lot of different real world issues. Yes stereotypes are sometimes funny when imitated, but being a pervert? I ponder what it is that makes us okay with this as people. Family Guy remains one of my favorite shows, but the more I write about it, the more I wonder why we can be okay with them going so far. I am not sure if it is because it is a cartoon, if it is because it is clearly a joke, or simply because we are able to identify that these are some real world issues. What do you think?