Forgive me, but is that not just an advert? I appreciate there is a story behind it, but can it, of itself, be considered a story? After all, every ad has a story behind it. eg; "For sale. Wedding ring. never used."

Now read Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and count how many times the word the word "nigger" is used and think about the context of what you are reading before you recoil from seeing letters arranged on pages that make you feel....uncomfortable.

Other suggested reading:
http://www.tommyduggan.com/teacher.html

Oh, and Joseph Conrad "NIgger of the Narcissus" ??...Here's a moronic move by the publisher re-issuing the book in 2009(about the time when all this N-Word nonsense started??) written in 1897, the new printing calls it, "The N-Word of the Narcissus"
in a dull and vapid move to not hurt anyone's wittle feeewings when gazing at it on the shelf??! WTF?! Censorship of an issue someone has with semantics and etymology, etc....ludicrous.

Racist books should be read to kids to school them on HISTORY as well as guide them in a path to understanding the species and the social cauldron we live in now. You can't help the old fuckers, they're gonna have to work it out on their own...But please, teaching your children to reference a word by it's first letter?? Someone hand me that airplane bag, still got a few hours left on the flight.

I lapse into this diatribe for your benefit and edification EDB, not trying to be mean-I believe the recent fervor over Django Unchained got me back on the subject, as well as the inappropriate title of this offering.

I also believe that it is part of the natural order of the species to survive, and to avail oneself of all the tools necessary to do so during one's tenure here should be a no-brainer to modern man with an I.Q. of 90 or above, hence my stance on being able to bear arms with as many bullets as needed to accomplish the task by birthright-Why should only cunts have guns, eh? Makes no sense.

Hope you understand my stance on guns now...I ain't no ya-hoo and I know my way around all the guns I own and the ones I've had a chance to get my hands on after about 50 rounds with an unfamiliar handgun?? Holes in holes at 10 yards, all day long!

Oh and BTW, I called that phone number on this advert. "No Longer in Service"

Is this freal??

I've never been one of the "ideals" of women, especially those presented here. Growing up, it hurt. Still hurts, sometimes. I'm five feet tall, I've always been muscular and squat. I was athletic in my teens which only compounded that musculature. I had a child with the predictable changes to my body. I never felt beautiful, how could I? Beauty is harshly defined for me, in almost every advert. If I don't look like what's being shown, I'm not worthy of wearing lingerie, being considered sexy or parading in front of a screen where others can see me.

I'm tired of seeing perfect, airbrushed specimens. I want to see someone I can relate to.

Seriously, both sexes like looking at beautiful woman. If you happen to not enjoy it, then I feel sorry for you. Sex sells, it will always sell -unless the puritans have their way. Ok, let's have fat ugly woman in tweed suits in adverts, that'll work..NOT. Incidentally, my daughter is a model. She enjoys it, makes plenty of money and knows it will not last (age, cellulite etc). Does she feel demeaned or exploited? Absolutely not.

This must be an advert targeting the booming Zetas' business-They have strippers as funerary personnel!

Gravediggers are busy, busy en Mexico hoy!

This guy's skull shape causes pause as well as doubts as to his credulity or usefulness...OH, and I hate whatever site this embed is from....Assholes shoving the next vid down yer neck between adverts??..Fuck THAT!

>> ^Sarzy:

>> ^spoco2:
>> ^Sarzy:
>> ^oritteropo:
I don't always agree with your channel assignments, but have added back as many as I could of these If it really goes viral I can swap death for viral... they certainly intend it to, but manufacturing viral vids is a bit hit and miss.
>> ^ant:
downunder commercial animation music


FYI the viral channel is for viral ads, not for videos that go viral. But I think there are a total of five people on the sift who actually know what that channel is for, so whatever (it should really be renamed).

I'm pretty sure this was created with the aim to be viral. How else is it supposed to be shown? You don't tend to have 3 minute adverts on tv.

Sure. But my point was that most people assume that the viral channel is for videos that go viral (which is not an unreasonable assumption), but really it is only meant for viral ads created for the internet. Whether or not the ad successfully goes viral is has no bearing on its place in that channel.


#viral doesn't need to be renamed, it needs to be deleted. Not only is it among the most misused channels on the site, it's also completely worthless even when used correctly.

>> ^spoco2:

>> ^Sarzy:
>> ^oritteropo:
I don't always agree with your channel assignments, but have added back as many as I could of these If it really goes viral I can swap death for viral... they certainly intend it to, but manufacturing viral vids is a bit hit and miss.
>> ^ant:
downunder commercial animation music


FYI the viral channel is for viral ads, not for videos that go viral. But I think there are a total of five people on the sift who actually know what that channel is for, so whatever (it should really be renamed).

I'm pretty sure this was created with the aim to be viral. How else is it supposed to be shown? You don't tend to have 3 minute adverts on tv.

Sure. But my point was that most people assume that the viral channel is for videos that go viral (which is not an unreasonable assumption), but really it is only meant for viral ads created for the internet. Whether or not the ad successfully goes viral is has no bearing on its place in that channel.

>> ^Sarzy:

>> ^oritteropo:
I don't always agree with your channel assignments, but have added back as many as I could of these If it really goes viral I can swap death for viral... they certainly intend it to, but manufacturing viral vids is a bit hit and miss.
>> ^ant:
downunder commercial animation music


FYI the viral channel is for viral ads, not for videos that go viral. But I think there are a total of five people on the sift who actually know what that channel is for, so whatever (it should really be renamed).


I'm pretty sure this was created with the aim to be viral. How else is it supposed to be shown? You don't tend to have 3 minute adverts on tv.

It's an interesting conversation, one I wish we could all have in person as typing is so cumbersome at times.

It's not only about the testosterone which guides the male libido (The penis has nothing to do with it - unless the entire process actually leads to sex - which it can - but most often it doesn't)

It IS, as Enoch points out, about attention. As long as the process of flashing the colourful feathers, gets the attention that is needed, then the individual is validated.

Just a glance or a stare can be enough to bolster a girls confidence (from a male, a female, a family member, a boss or whoever.) And if wearing the right shoes does the trick the validation is achieved. If wearing designer labels works, then validation is achieved. If being seen in a Lamborghini does the trick, then validation is achieved. Everyone has triggers. Sometimes they are emotional triggers brought on by personal trauma - sometimes they are learned triggers brought on by advertizing and society.

Male or female, Validation is all anyone ever wants. Those that have had constant validation in their lives, may not be a slave to the process. But in a society where advertisers constantly try to make us feel like we are not good enough so that they can create a market based on everyone's self image this is the way things work.

If it didn't work so well, they wouldn't do it. I work in advertising. I have been trained to find a way to sell things to people that they don't need. The problem is, I'm a cynic and I can't do it. So every time I have to do it, I find a way around it. That's why I now work at a college (a microcosm of political correctness where I don't have to sell stuff using sex - in fact we go out of our way not to)

So there are two sides to this equation:
1). There is the side where everyone seeks validation either emotionally, physically or by accomplishment.
2). And there is the side where advertising exploits our biological AND emotional needs to sell stuff.

Although they are two very different things, they form a symbiotic relationship and feed off each other.

I know that @bareboards2, you are trying to say, that this "advertising" needs to stop. And ideally, you are right. If you find a way to stop it all let us know. But I also know that this type of marketing is so targeted to our needs at the most basic levels, that this type of thing will never go away. Our personal needs, and desires need it too badly.

To try to explain all this is difficult - I trained for 6-years in art school to manipulate what people see and how to make them see what I want them to see. How to lead them and bring them to my way of thinking through visual media. Advertising is an attack and a science into your needs, sensibilities, emotions and psychological image of your self.

I expect the only way to battle media is through media - The person with the most media and money wins. (it's a propaganda war)

If you want to delve deeper into the psychology of it all - It's an in-depth study - here is a place to start. Start with John Berger's, "Ways of Seeing".
http://videosift.com/video/John-Berger-Art-Critic-interview
http://videosift.com/video/Ways-of-seeing-John-Berger (first episode of four)
http://videosift.com/video/WAYS-OF-SEEING-final-episode-vertising (final episode - Advertising).
The book starts with classical art and leads right up into modern advertising. Check Amazon for reviews.

>> ^Stormsinger:

I'm not convinced that blatant, in-your-face PSAs like this one accomplish anything at all. It's too much like getting lectured by your parents...most kids (which includes the 20-somethings, in my book) tune it out as soon as it starts, especially those that could actually benefit from it.
You want to change the societal pressures? You need to use exactly the same approach that creates the current set...a constant, mostly subtle, stream of propaganda. As long as the exposure is 98% one-sided, guess what's going to be commonly adopted.

I'm not convinced that the aim of this was to be a PSA that changed every girls mind. Why can't it just be a funny youtube video about slutty halloween.

Anyway, in the UK every night may as well be halloween for all the girls dress. I've no idea what clubbing/bars etc look like in the states but over here the whole town center looks like a red light district. Not trying to slut shame, just thats what it looks like. So yah, halloween isn't a huge departure from the norm, as least for that whole scene.

I've no idea if girls feel a pressure to dress skimpy for halloween. I'd hope that those that do want to and understand what sort of attention that draws from men or that they just don't care. Is there really a lot of pressure from media/magazines/adverts etc in this regard? It strikes me more as peer pressure tbh. Like I said, in the UK its not at all limited to halloween. I have a theory to why this is case, but its quite long winded. It involves our alcohol problem/dependence and the british guys pathetic ability in regards to flirting/courtship. The mantle falls so heavily on girls to "put out" because us reserved englishmen are basically complete pussies without a couple of pints...and then we're mostly thinking with our dicks anyway.

So in short. Its mens fault. Wow I sound like such a feminist

Mainly because I've just seen the first UK advert and it's awful.

Now that advertizing.

hmmh...meh, oversimplifies things. Some of these matters are not really "fixable" by fighting against them, but looking for the root of the fault which is buried deeply into the culture, and that's gonna be a bitch to change.

Rape is the first thing that should be addressed in my opinion, but I don't see that changing anytime soon no matter what they wear. I almost find it insulting how trivially this clip takes on the problem, of course most of the world knows women should have the right to walk without the fear of being raped, or at least I have that kind of image in my head, call me naive if you will. And people treat EVERYTHING as a joke, why should rape have exemption from this? Of course he could have meant that we don't take rape seriously enough, but if that is the case he should have worded it better.

Valid points and what should be just common sense on the pro choice and sexual health subjects, I'd say I don't understand why this is even a subject anymore, but knowing what kind of whackjobs get into power nowadays it is a small wonder that things are as "good" as they are. Yet another thing that's being oppressed by religious zealots and/or by values that are drawn from religious values. It also sickens me to use the word "value" for such things.

All in all, these problems and the reasons behind them are convoluted and these kinds of clips don't do much to fix them, and work just as mediocre awareness adverts if anything, which is a good thing, I guess.

//and what I mean by "not fixable by fighting against them" is that to me it seems most people are just fighting against the concept of the things and not against the root of the problem.

Ahh women. Our culture reminds them on every magazine cover, advert and movie that if they aren't thin they're a nobody. However the obese must have not got this plainly obvious message. They must not know that a)they are fat and/or b)being fat is not necessarily healthy or even c)they know but just don't care.

It is most certainly my duty, as a random stranger, to notify and remind(a)(b) the obese that they are indeed fat and they should consider not being fat. In the case of (c) I will shame them by implying they are a poor role model and I will assume their obesity is caused by laziness unless they reveal all personal details pertaining to their overweight condition.

Nobody is suggesting that there is not a problem with obesity in America (or really most of the 1st world tbh). The solution is not to write rude emails pointing out the obvious though. Even though she decided to "go public" I still don't really see why its my business. Consider walking up to somebody in the street and making the same comments. Would you not expect to get slapped? and a poor role model? Please, as if some 6 yr old is gonna see her on TV and aspire to be fat. Get real.