http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTSQozWP-rM
This Citizens Against Government Wasted recently put together a commercial that warned Americans about the dangers of waste and inefficiency in the government. To communicate its message, this organization used fear tactics to scare Americans into taking action.
The commercial takes place in Beijing, China, 2030, and a Chinese professor walks into a dark and gloomy lecture hall. The commercial is purposefully gray to emphasize the dark and gloomy future. He then begins to explain why great nations fall. In his lecture, he mentions the United States as a nation that has fallen. This line is the first warning that the United States is heading down the wrong path.
The professor continues to explain why the United States has fallen. He blames it on stimulus spending, changes to health care, and government takeover of private industries. These reasons serve as more warning bells to Americans because they are fully aware that the government is currently following all of these steps.
Finally, the end of the commercial, we see the Chinese flag waving boldly, the professor gives an evil smile, and the audience laughs in delight. The commercial attempts to scare people into thinking that due to the government's current plan, the country will one day be owned by China.
This commercial, however, was banned by many major TV networks because it paints Chinese people as the enemy, promoting xenophobia and racism.
While this commercial is fairly extreme in its style, it immediately brings attention to a pressing issue at hand. Even if initially the commercial seems tasteless and promotes fear of the Chinese, it is effective at calling the audience to find a solution to our mounting debt crisis because of how bold the advisement is.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be an extreme tactic employed by the organization. If they are really passionate about their issue, using a strong commercial such as this that really captures the audience's attention will effectively raise further awareness about this issue. I'm sure many people may disagree with the organization's underlying message, however, as a way to get people talking about the issue, they seemed to have accomplished that.
ReplyDeleteAs John pointed out, sometimes extreme measures are necessary to capture the attention of an audience and force them into making a difference or changing something. Oftentimes, this is done through instilling fear in an audience. I think this commercial, if nothing else gets people thinking about the current state of affairs in the U.S.
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