This post it a running list to catalog all the things I find strange in society. Will be updated continuously.
I spent a lot of time overseas and when I returned so much about my country seemed strange to me. Every business wanted my e-mail and telephone number and then invited me to take a survey. I’d go into my bank and they would ‘congratulate me’ for being eligible for their credit card. There were security cameras everywhere! It all seemed very weird.
That was 24 years ago but over the past 10 years especially I’m starting to see a lot of things as weird compared to the past. These past 10 years have indeed been bizarre, I’m sure not many will contest that. But aside from the major bizarre things – such as Trump being President – I’d thought I’d catalog the smaller things and so have made this post.
- PG&E congratulates me for paying my bill on the payment submitted page. Why am I being congratulated with a party like emoji just for paying my bill? Am I 5 years old? Was I a good boy?
- Surveys – Every transaction I make I seem to be getting a survey asking about my experience. Stop the madness, I don’t want to take a survey about buying pants!
RAM Commercial
I never watch TV so the only time I see commercials is usually when I’m back in Ohio watching a Buckeye football game. It is then that I become aware how bizarre they’ve become. This RAM commercial in particular stood out to me. I’m having trouble finding the right word here: bizarre, absurd, idiotic, ridiculous?
Now many Americans love their patriotism and none more so in the last few years than Trump supporters. After all when the President speaks he usually has 47 flags behind him so if that doesn’t show patriotism I’m not sure what does! Commercials aimed at this crowd will usually have some rock music, a truck off-roading, a few eagles flying around screeching and so on. This RAM commercial has all of that and tells us point blank: NEVER EVER EVER STOP BEING AMERICAN!
okey-dokey
Upon seeing it, I thought to myself is it were perhaps an SNL skit and was at a loss that it wasn’t. So was it just me that found this commercial ridiculous? Had I been out of the mainstream loop for too long and perhaps I should put on my American flag T-shirt and crack open a Bud Light to fit in with the times?
I will say one positive thing about this commercial in that it got my attention. Here I am even writing a blog post about it. Perhaps their marketing team is actually genius; I mean doesn’t it go along perfectly with the times? We made a thrice married/divorced Epstein associated, con-artist, who makes fun of handicapped people the President of the United States. He may be all of those things but dammit, he hugs the flag and wants to ‘Make America Great Again!’ Well, perhaps RAM is the real American Truck and all those other brands like Democrats – paying attention to fuel efficiency and better miles per gallon. I’m somewhat surprised RAM didn’t tout worse fuel efficiency and MORE pollution, because ‘SCREW THE PLANET’ am I right!
Thankfully, after I read the YouTube comments, I quickly saw I’m far from the only one thinking this commercial is extremely stupid. However, I remain a bit disturbed that there are many who will see nothing strange about it and perhaps even nod along with it (maybe even with a Bud Light). I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to the RAM marketing team as their research must have showed an over the top commercial such as this should agree with a lot of people.
Here is why it is a PERFECT commercial for these dark times. RAM used to be an American brand as part of Doge. It is now owned by a multinational company based out of the Netherlands. Make a commercial appealing to large percentage of the country – who so desperately wants everyone to know how patriotic they are – and not even be an American company!! America is a business, and everything is up for sale, even patriotism.
Now look at the US presidency. The Trump family is implementing policies that take away from the common person: health insurance, food assistance, public media etc. While they do these things they are busy grifting the hell out of the USA at a level never seen before becoming extremely wealthy in the process.
Sell a lie, make a profit.
Anyway, here is the commercial. I had to write it all out for posterity and as a benchmark should reality become even more preposterous.
Americans, we can do anything we want. Except one thing. We just can’t stop being American. Because since that revolution they said we’d lose, we just couldn’t choose to stop being American. We put Henry BH back on the strip and put 8 layers in a 7 layer dip; we’re body slams and blue suede shoes; rock and roll, jazz and blues, rockin’ mullets and rat pack suits, even our grandma’s have tattoos. We’re NASCAR, rock stars, rodeo, monster trucks and power boats, welcome to our epic show. Keep winning on Sunday, move horsepower Monday, shake the earth and carve terrain, rock the anthem like Kenny Wayne. So get out there, take your swing, burn rubber after the American dream. Rev your engines, let freedom ring and never ever ever, stop being American. Nothing stops America and nothing stops RAM.
