"I am an American" Television advertisements -- Vanity

[Partisan Hack]

I'm sure many of you have seen the advertisements featuring many people of different ethnicities who proclaim "I am an American."

While I appreciate the purpose and intent of these advertisements, I do not appreciate the intonation of those giving the message. "I am an American" comes out sounding like a confession, not a proclamation. It's stated with the the same affect and confidence as a quivering alcoholic confessing his addiction to an AA group.

Have you seen this ad? What's your take on it?

[Dr. Frank fan]

Haven't seen it. But most ads make me sick regardless, I'm sure this one would too. :)

[Hemlock]

I think it's a condescending attempt to prevent us from killing a bunch of Muslims. I resent the ad.

I think it was put together by a bunch of "egg-sucking-dog" liberals.

[Paul Atreides]

I have mixed feelings about it even though I haven't seen it. I'm sure the same libs who criticize people who show patriotism will love it since it has the almighty "diversity" angle.

[Skywalk]

I think the ads are stupid. By showing ONLY people who are not typical Northern European descended they play to the mistaken belief that most Americans are rednecks just waiting to take out whomever isn't lily-white.

I'd say that all this tripe about "tolerance" is not only patronizing and presumptive, but wastes airtime. We could be talking about something more concrete than PC platitudes.

[tomkat]

what Hemlock said...

[Dr. Frank fan]

Who is paying for these "ads"? (Sound more like propaganda pieces - I mean what product is being sold?)

Does anyone know? Let me guess - taxpayers, right?

[danzaroni]

I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. I find the speakers proud, putting America ahead of their "original" heritage or nationality. It's tagline "From many, one" is what it's all about. You can see the commercial at www.adcritic.com.

[Helen]

I've seen it, and am somewhat offended by it, although I'm not sure my reason makes any sense. Every time I see it, I think of Julia Roberts with her phoney head shake and insincere "we must all love one another." Well, daggone it, right now I just don't feel like loving the whole world!

[Partisan Hack]

"Who is paying for the ad?"

The Ad council. That's you and me Frank -- The taxpayers. The Ad Council is the U.S. Gub ment's vehicle to produce, promote, and broadcast a specific message.

[Professional]

I'm sick of rainbow ads. These ads have every possible ethnicity artificially built in. I just gag when I see them. Phoenix Wealth management takes it a step further, portraying white men as out of touch dinosoars, while depicting the typical minorities as intellectually superior. FedEx did the same with their commercials for a while.

[withteeth]

All commercials become irritating, even with a remote, but this wins a prize. Have you noticed all these "I am" and "I will" commercials, these irritating mantras, that are so common over the last 5 years or so. (Does anyone remember the first one? What was it? 'I will make my financial future secure'; 'I will listen to my inner voice and go to Sears'...?)

Existential statements of resolution. This one just goes on and on and on and on. I ran from the room and never have seen the whole thing.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

I'm going to say you are wrong on this one.

The add merely shows that we are all Americans period.

No hyphens, no BS.

We are simply all in this together.

With out each other, we have no country....It's a simple message.

So, don't be simple minded or Neanderthal in your thinking, cause you sound no different than those Muslim Extremists spewing pure hate towards the US.

[jerod]

The ripped off an advertisment for "Molson Canadian" beer in Canada. The ad up here has been running for years and consist of person after person stating 'I am a Canadian'.

PS.Is it just me, or is the news media (being targeted by some wacko with anthrax), spending way too much time being concerned for their own safety.

If these anthrax letters are being sent by terrorist, they must be the dumbest terrorist in the world. Total damage so far: 1 dead, 1 assistant to Tom Brokaw with a bad rash. It's not exactly as shocking as the press make it out to be.

Let's get back to the war

[WVNan]

I guess I had a different take on the ad. What struck me was the absence of "African-American", "Chinese-American", etc. It will have an impact on the diversity crowd, because they will grasp the idea that citizens of America are Americans, not hyphenated Americans. It may not be perfect, but it's a start, and something I never thought I would see again. It's a start toward returning America to the "melting pot" mentality instead of the "diversified" (divided) America. I am Scottish, Irish, Creek Indian, and I'm an American. Yep, not a bad start.

[Partisan Hack]

I....am....(gulp, swallow)....an.....Amer...ican..(whew, I got it out!)....(smile. relief)

That's patriotic? I keep feeling that replacing the word American with something such as Pedophile would better match their tone of confession.

[NTegraT]

Well, I must be a minority of one. I like(d) the ad. It made me feel proud to see these people hold their head up high and proclaim, "I am an American." Normally people sit around and berate themselves for even existing on this continent. Not me and probably not you but the guilt mentality shown by the media.

I'm proud and any evidence that anyone else is too is fine with me.

[StoneColdGOP]

The ad is harmless.

[Katie_Colic]

People who aren't bigoted do not need a slogan ("hate doesn't stop hate") to stop them from hating. They see people as individuals anyway.

People who are bigoted will not pay attention to a slogan that's supposed to keep them from hating. In fact, nothing's going to tick off an ignorant redneck more than shoving a bunch of different ethnicities in his face and demanding that he love them.

I guess I'm somewhere in between. I have not been lumping all of the Muslims in America into one group, but these commercials are so insulting to me I feel like using racial slurs just to be spiteful.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Finally, another clear thinker!

Spot-on there Bro'.