OK, I’m back from Orlando—had a good time on the business trip, didn’t die from the 90 degree at 5:00 pm weather, and watched the “super size” episode of “16 and Pregnant” on the plane on the way back. You know, the one where the girl gets pregnant with twins during a month-long rebound fling with a guy she doesn’t even really like, so she forces herself to not only keep the babies, but stay with the guy, thus depressing herself, wrecking the rest of her teenage years, and ruining not one, but four lives in the process by crying herself to sleep every night? Yeah, that one. I’ve decided that the saddest part of this show is following the girls that don’t give their children up for adoption, because you know that no one is doing anyone any favors in these situations, and I guess I just wish they focused more on just how happy and prepared and grateful adoptive parents are, because they TOTALLY ARE. This is one subject of which I have personal knowledge, and I will say the child in question is infinitely better off with her adoptive parents, rather than the teenage deadbeat who happened to give birth to her. That is all I should probably say on that subject, only I will also close by saying that I really hope MTV does a follow-up special in 16 years so we can see what happened to all the babies and what kind of lives they have now.
Speaking of TV, is anyone else wondering WHAT THE HELL with those new Humane Society commercials? Like, I’m watching Law & Order, and suddenly I’m being accosted with the world’s most depressing images of dogs in cages and horses who were sold for their meat? Have you seen the one with the guy who literally almost clubs a baby seal, right there in front of you?
Oh
My
God
Stop it.
Now hear this, Humane Society—I HAVE A RESCUED DOG who I saved from the Harlem dog death row, ok? I give money to animal charities, make sure to only buy the cruelty-free eggs, and limit my consumption of non-organic everything. I drive a hybrid. I just don’t need the guilt trip, and those images make me want to cry.
I wonder if this ads actually work—actually, I also wonder this about telemarketers and those annoying college kids who stand outside of Whole Foods trying to get me to sign up for Greenpeace. I mean, I suppose these methods must yield some kind of total benefit or they wouldn’t keep doing them, but I for one would like to tell marketing managers everywhere that I find these methods offputting, but would actually persuade me NOT to buy the products or donate to them, because I feel attacked and manipulated. Yuck! First rule of advertising: catch my attention. Second rule of advertising: don’t make me want to punch you.
On a final TV note, Stephan and I have just discovered “Party Down,” and I really can’t say enough how totally funny and right on it is in terms of capturing exactly what I didn’t like about Los Angeles. If you have the Starz channel, I highly recommend watching it, because apparently season two is starting soon and there is much funny to be had before then.
