I don’t watch much television because I dislike commercials. I make a conscious effort to avoid commercials and commercialism. I never liked the idea of someone telling me what I want; instead I try to keep my material desires to a minimum. In that vein, I have adopted the philosophy of Henry David Thoreau when he said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.” Although, I don’t think Henry David Thoreau had to deal with the rampant throat-cramming consumerism that our capitalist nation has become.
The commercial I chose to evaluate was not my decision. Being completely negligent on available commercials from which to choose, I turned to a co-worker who, without a second thought, knew exactly which was his favorite commercial. I have taken this commercial as my subject and will gladly share my opinions of it.
Zoosk is an online dating service which allows subscribers to manipulate their profiles to market themselves to other subscribers as potential mates, friends, partners, etc. The commercial starts with two women in an office browsing the available profiles and critiquing each. The subject of athleticism as a desirable quality is discussed. The woman is reminded of a date with a so called “athlete”, that her friend set-up. We are swept into the woman’s flashback where the “athlete” in question is stretching for his first dart throw. The man is very proud of his sponsorship and seems to take his sport a little too seriously; as the woman stands by scoffing at his antics. The man throws his dart and hits a bystander who, in a state of complete shock and terror, hits his head on the table on his way to the floor. We return the office where the woman declares that she will stick with Zoosk for dating. There is then a brief synopsis of the services offered by Zoosk and why you the consumer would want to invest in its services.
As any aware single adult in America could probably tell you, there seems to be an unspoken taboo towards being single. Instead, we are lead to believe that companionship is desirable and will save us from ourselves, our loneliness and social embarrassment. If you are single, you should be dating; them’s the rules.
Zoosk kindly offers us a way to choose a partner from the comfort of our own prerogative. No longer will you have to be associated with embarrassing “athletes” or other social pariahs of blind-dating, instead you can peruse the readily available at your convenience, selecting only the qualities you desire, having more control and leaving less to chance. Essentially, Zoosk offers to take the “blind” off of blind-dating.
Instead of the progressive principles and virtues of openness, acceptance, benevolence and forgiveness, this commercial advocates intolerance, discrimination, and selfishness. Also, I am somewhat dumbfounded that even though a man was hit with a dart, it is implied that the victim of this story is the storyteller, herself. While it may be morally apprehensible, it may also be a somewhat accurate portrayal.
The commercial does have some redeeming qualities, mostly in the way of physical humor, but also in what could be perceived as a satirical commentary on people’s tendency towards superficiality and over-exaggeration. The obvious physical humor is in the animated actions and reactions of the players in the flashback. However, this could also be perceived as the storyteller’s point of view and every good storyteller knows that characters need to be over-exaggerated otherwise the story would lack its dramatic appeal.
In summary, I found the commercial to be quite ostentatious, superficial, mildly humorous and extremely biased towards perpetuating the cultural “norm.”
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