Reader and friend Tim LeVier asks what I think of the following K-Mart ad, knowing, I think, what I’ll say:
He knows, because I’ve said it all before, more than once. The post about Ben and Jerry’s “Schweddy Balls” Ice Cream is essentially on point; just make the appropriate substitutions. Some excerpts:
- “Ben and Jerry’s new Schweddy Balls ice cream (‘sweaty BALLS,” get it?? HAR!) is just one more step in coarsening the culture, and an unnecessary one.”
- “…the only point to naming the ice cream after [the Saturday Night Live joke] is to sneak something crude into plain view. Wow. What an accomplishment.”
- “The ice cream name is no more or less tasteless, rude and juvenile than naming a New York bar “Buck Foston,” or a TV show called “$#*! My Father Says.” The slobs and foul-mouthed jerks among us won’t rest until everyone talks like sailors and ugliness is everywhere, and they will do it while being applauded by self-styled “liberals” who are really just old-fashioned boors.”
- “It’s not a big deal any more; the boors are getting their way, because not enough people are willing to endure the guaranteed “Oh, lighten up!” and “Get off your high horse!” sneers that will follow any objections.”
There are those witless and unmannerly among us who will not be satisfied until “fuck” is uttered with abandon in every classroom, lecture hall and public forum, Bill Maher and his ilk calling female politicians twats and cunts is commonplace, and every man, woman, child, debutante and priest is swearing like a sailor. That such discourse is ugly to the ear, destructive to civil interaction and corrosive to wit and language doesn’t trouble these people, probably because they are incapable of better, and want to pull everyone down to their cretinous gutter level. This appears to be Kmart’s target market, and I wish them luck.
Personally, I would rather dumpster dive than patronize a company that chooses to profit from promoting vulgarity.
Ethics Alarms 
Someone call me name? 🙂
But they already used the word “convenient” in this commercial – guess their quota for big words was already full that day…
The use of the two seniors is especially gross.
But Jack, Lennie Bruce is a saint. And he started all this in modern media back in the ‘fifties. Who are you to question these sorts of things. Why, you’re almost a censor!
Hah!
The strange thing is that watched today, it’s hard to see what was special or even funny about Lenny Bruce.
No doubt. It’s also hard to see what is special or even funny about Howard Stern. He’s just potty-mouthed.
I have good friends who think and have always thought Stern was hilarious. It is a constant amazement to me. He’s not witty, he’s not clever, and he’s not entertaining, as far as I can see. I would prefer to listen to static.
Well, now I know where all the decent Saturday Night Live! writers went.
The take-away message for me is that K-Mart is reaching out to the handful of Americans who are unaware of the existence of Amazon.com. It’s not surprising that same demographic would include people who think “ship my pants” is a clever ad campaign.
Seriously, I hardly notice the crude play on words; the ad just screams, “Hey everyone! It’s 2013 and we’re just now getting around to doing what we should have been doing a decade ago!”
Yep. It’s more Sofa King sophisticated communication.