This week in class, we analyzed The Problem We All Live With by Norman Rockwell. We also talked about the controversy surrounding the N word and how one teacher was fired for talking about its historical use (in other words, not as a racial slur). Because of the sensitive nature of the N word, Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can only be taught in American Studies, despite the book's usage of the word being natural in historical context. We also talked about how a teacher was fired for saying the N word, once again only in historical context.
The N word will always be controversial. But shouldn't it be ok for books to use that word for historical accuracy? Huckleberry Finn used the N word 219 times. As a result, th
Saturday, February 23, 2013
5-Hour Super Disappointment
I don't know how to introduce this. But I saw it on TV and got upset enough to write about it. This is my favorite blog post.
Last year, 5-Hour Energy decided to honor mothers by holding a Super Mom contest. In the contest, family members sent a photo and essay of their Super Mom explaining why she is so super. The Super Mom contest awarded hard-working, dedicated 'Super Moms' with free 5-Hour Energy drinks and featured their winning essays in a video you can watch here. A sentimental song about the singer honoring his mother plays in the background to match the respectful tone of the video.
As you can see, the moms in the video are definitely 'super'. Many of the moms raise multiple kids while still in school or working full-time. Some of the moms are single or very young. All of the people who submitted these moms (siblings, spouses, family friends, or children) love their mothers and are inspired by their hard work. No matter what hardships stand in their way, the Super Moms love and take good care of their families. For example, Macy Lucas (0:49-1:02) "just turned 23 and raises her 2-year old daughter completely on her own while maintaing a home, working two part time jobs, and going to nursing school full time." WOW! Mis. Lucas has to study, pay for housing expenses, and raise her daughter without any help. She's a very busy lady who "attributes part of her success to 5-Hour Energy" because it helps her "through shifts at the hospital, final exams, long hours and little sleep." A woman like that certainly deserves the title of Super Mom.
So when 5-Hour Energy debuted a 'Super Mom' commercial February 18th of this year, I was expecting these Super Moms to be featured. It would show 5-Hour Energy's usefulness in the real world without the fakeness of a paid actor. 5-Hour Energy could show the Super Mom's daily lives and have them talk about how the drink keeps them alert for their jobs and families. Why waste time and money coming up with a fake scenario and a fake mom?
In this commercial, our Super Mom cheerfully describes her day. Boy, did this Super Mom use her five hours well! She was "a dietitian, a housekeeper, a pediatrician, a housekeeper, a sanitation engineer, a housekeeper" and someone lacking the ability to finish her list with 'and'. This list may seem impressive, but Super Mom really just acts like a Generic Mom. As a dietitian, she makes a sandwich. As a pediatrician, she applies antibiotic cream and a band-aid to a scrape not even visible, despite claiming it to be a "third degree boo boo." As a sanitation engineer, she throws away a dirty tissue. But her most important job BY FAR is 'housekeeper', which is basically her picking up everything after her sloppy children. My mother (who is pretty super herself) remarked that this perfectly peppy and youthful woman seemed more like a '5-Hour Babysitter'.
The only 'super' thing about this mom is that she acts and looks supernaturally young. Despite having two children who look like they are 3 and 6, she looks no older than college. She has no wrinkles, no gray hairs, and no problem with constantly serving her children. This is NOT like the tough mothers in the contest who worked to support their family and TEACH their children good morals. She shows no signs of exhaustion from her work or energy from the drink because her only job is taking care of her children. She doesn't even drink her 5-Hour Energy until the end of the commercial after doing all of her petty chores. How super is this mom if she needs a boost after doing CHORES, when Mis. Lucas juggles a child, work, a house, and school?
'Super' Mom in the commercial and the Super Moms in the contest are totally different, despite both being displayed by 5-Hour Energy as the ideal mothers. 'Super' Mom is perky, impossibly youthful and shows no flaws as she completes small housework. The Super Moms deal with big jobs, personal loss, education, and look like normal human beings. If 5-Hour Energy celebrated real Super Moms last year, why can't they include a realistic Super Mom in their advertisements?
Last year, 5-Hour Energy decided to honor mothers by holding a Super Mom contest. In the contest, family members sent a photo and essay of their Super Mom explaining why she is so super. The Super Mom contest awarded hard-working, dedicated 'Super Moms' with free 5-Hour Energy drinks and featured their winning essays in a video you can watch here. A sentimental song about the singer honoring his mother plays in the background to match the respectful tone of the video.
As you can see, the moms in the video are definitely 'super'. Many of the moms raise multiple kids while still in school or working full-time. Some of the moms are single or very young. All of the people who submitted these moms (siblings, spouses, family friends, or children) love their mothers and are inspired by their hard work. No matter what hardships stand in their way, the Super Moms love and take good care of their families. For example, Macy Lucas (0:49-1:02) "just turned 23 and raises her 2-year old daughter completely on her own while maintaing a home, working two part time jobs, and going to nursing school full time." WOW! Mis. Lucas has to study, pay for housing expenses, and raise her daughter without any help. She's a very busy lady who "attributes part of her success to 5-Hour Energy" because it helps her "through shifts at the hospital, final exams, long hours and little sleep." A woman like that certainly deserves the title of Super Mom.
So when 5-Hour Energy debuted a 'Super Mom' commercial February 18th of this year, I was expecting these Super Moms to be featured. It would show 5-Hour Energy's usefulness in the real world without the fakeness of a paid actor. 5-Hour Energy could show the Super Mom's daily lives and have them talk about how the drink keeps them alert for their jobs and families. Why waste time and money coming up with a fake scenario and a fake mom?
The only 'super' thing about this mom is that she acts and looks supernaturally young. Despite having two children who look like they are 3 and 6, she looks no older than college. She has no wrinkles, no gray hairs, and no problem with constantly serving her children. This is NOT like the tough mothers in the contest who worked to support their family and TEACH their children good morals. She shows no signs of exhaustion from her work or energy from the drink because her only job is taking care of her children. She doesn't even drink her 5-Hour Energy until the end of the commercial after doing all of her petty chores. How super is this mom if she needs a boost after doing CHORES, when Mis. Lucas juggles a child, work, a house, and school?
'Super' Mom in the commercial and the Super Moms in the contest are totally different, despite both being displayed by 5-Hour Energy as the ideal mothers. 'Super' Mom is perky, impossibly youthful and shows no flaws as she completes small housework. The Super Moms deal with big jobs, personal loss, education, and look like normal human beings. If 5-Hour Energy celebrated real Super Moms last year, why can't they include a realistic Super Mom in their advertisements?
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