So, I think all of the regular readers of the Celestial Lands know that I watch Rachel Maddow. In truth, my Rachel Maddow fandom goes all the way back to Air America, where I was one of the few, the proud, the Liberal Radio Audience (as anyone unfortunate enough to have to ride in a car with me found out). I still am a fan of liberal radio (Pacifica and Air America… NPR is often too moderate for me)… and it was on Air America that I first discovered that there was someone with a PHD in political science discussing politics. I had no idea she had “the Gay” (as she puts it)… I just knew that she was the only person doing a daily segment on news from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a military chaplain candidate that was kinda important to me.
Now, I love her audacity… but believe it or not Rachel is not the focus of this article. Her recent online advertisers are. Now, I am often not able to watch her broadcast show, as I’m usually teaching a class or sitting in on a committee meeting most evenings. I’ve also learned it is best for my wife’s sanity and my peace not to expose her to much of what is happening in national politics. So, I usually watch the Rachel Maddow show in the mornings, on my computer, before my wife is awake.
Now, on the computer, The Rachel Maddow Show still has commercial breaks, though only one commercial between each segment. Sometimes it is the same commercial between each break, other times it rotates between two or three different commercials during the same show. There is no point to not watch the commercial, as it will just take 30 seconds, and it is impossible to fast forward between them. So, I’ve been paying attention…
The last few weeks, three commercials have dominated the online Rachel Maddow Show. The first is a commercial from Exxon, saying how wonderful the new technology is that will allow them to get the reserves of natural gas from the ground, to power our society for the next 100 years. The second has been a commercial saying how wonderful the investment firm Goldman Sachs is because they mentored some small urban printing shop owner into growing his business. The Exxon commercial in particular has this smirking guy they claim to be a geologist telling us how “clean” natural gas is. The Goldman Sachs commercial is all grainy and shows a lot of people of color in a depressed urban landscape.
Ok, I’m a preacher. I understand messaging… I understand tailoring a message to give particular impressions. I understand using visuals to reinforce a particular message you wish to convey. And all I can say to the audacity of these two commercial campaigns is “Wow…” First off, you have an oil company telling you how wonderful using the technology known as “Fraking” – or using high pressure chemical based water streams to fracture rock formations to release and capture natural gas – how wonderful this technology is. Note the commercial does not mention the hundreds of people who can now set their well water literally on fire from the use of this technology, or the environmental issues related to many of the chemicals used in the process.
Amazing enough that the term “Fraking” has an entirely different meaning to fans of the Battlestar Galactica television series… one that is probably an appropriate definition of the term even for how the energy industry is using it. The Exxon commercial portrays it as if it is the latest and greatest in clean energy, and tries to sell that line to the audience of the Rachel Maddow Show. Amazing.
Yet even that does not win the Artistic Audacity Award… the Goldman Sachs commercial, trying to re-brand themselves after their responsibility for the recent economic collapse as an organization that helps people of color in urban areas develop more profitable small businesses that employ more people is just awe inspiring. That message would be Audacious even if they were not trying to sell it to the online audience of the Rachel Maddow Show. It literally has to be seen to be believed (click here for the longer version). This investment firm whose lack of any form of financial responsibility led in large part to the economic collapse wants to be seen as a firm that helps people of color in urban areas. I sat at my computer in shock, staring blankly… and missed the whole next segment of the Rachel Maddow Show.
I wonder though if the Artistic Audacity Award should actually go to whoever decides what commercials are shown by the online version of the Rachel Maddow Show… because of their choice of the third commercial that has run alongside these two over these last few weeks. Somehow, I wonder if the simply subtlety of their choice should not be given higher Artistic Audacity recognition. Why?
Because the third commercial which has run alongside these other two has been for Charmin Toilet Paper… Cute little cartoon bears using Charmin Toilet Paper…
Yours in Faith,
Rev. David
Thank you for this post! I couldn’t believe those commercials either. I’m glad to see your disgust for them, haha. I wonder if Rachel knows?
Actually, Charmin is a Procter & Gamble brand. It is NOT one of the brands owned by Georgia Pacific, which is the paper co. controlled by Koch Industries.
And the Koch brothers own Charmin and others….
my intial reaction is, sincerely, poor Rachel. She is snared. But we want her broadcasts and more like hers. What to do?