My idea for a very special holiday global warming TV commercial

[NickB79]

First, a happy suburban soccer mom loads the kids up into her Chevy Tahoe or Hummer and drives away from their McMansion in their pretty suburban neighborhood.

Cut to the North Pole, where an elf looks up to see the icicles on Santa's workshop melting.

The smiling mom and her kid get to the mall, where the parking lot is packed with SUV's and trucks, and go in to buy Christmas presents.

Back to the North Pole, where Santa and the elves look out their windows at waves lapping at the workshop's door.

Mom and the kids get home and plug in the Christmas tree, and a fast-motion camera shot follows the electrical cord to the socket, through the wires, and to a coal-burning plant (wrap some Christmas lights around the smokestacks for effect).

Back at the North Pole, Santa is sitting on his roof New Orleans/Katrina-style while a dead elf floats by facedown in the water.

Finally, the entire family gathers around the tree, opening up numerous plastic, made-in-China gifts and filling the living room with waste paper and plastics.

At the North Pole, Santa is seen riding atop a dead, bloated reindeer floating legs-up in the ocean, using a giant candy cane to paddle off into the sunset......

Think that would get the point across?

[SharonRB]

1. Ummmmm....

yeah.

Great idea!

[Fierce]

2. Yes, I *love* blaming women!

Besides, disbelievers would have a field day. "Global warming is as real as Santa!" Etc.

[Terran]

5. "blaming women"??

Soooo...if we make it a suburban dad, would we be "blaming" men? And aren't we "blaming" children too? Fer chrissakes, get a grip. Everyone shares the blame to some extent.

[Fierce]

6. Then if someone wants to make a very special holiday commercial,

it should reflect that everyone shares the blame. Because if I saw that commercial, I'd think, "Uh, soccer moms are the problem?" That's the problem with simplifying the message -- something marketing's been trying to do for the last 20 years. Sometimes it gets oversimplified, which is what the OP does. It's not an effective commercial.

[Terran]

7. Agreed, but...

Because if I saw that commercial, I'd think, "Uh, soccer moms are the problem?"

Obviously the above is not true--otherwise you wouldn't be discussing the issue. I know there are a lot of stupid people in this country, but I can't conceive of any adult with average intelligence interpreting the commercial that way you suggest they would. But I do agree, it would be more effective if it showed a variety of people causing the problem.

[Locrian]

3. I like it

Maybe substitute actual Katrina images (or the rest of the 3rd world)?

How about this? Keep the Christmas images, then fast forward a few years when the "kids" have grown up with them "remembering" those carefree times with bitter irony. NOW their Christmas (and their kids) face a used up world. The kids are dressed in rags, etc.

Kinda like the old "crying Indian" littering campaign in the 1970's?

[hedgehog]

4. You made Baby Jesus cry!