Episode 27 – Banned

Watch the video.



Ok, now. This is about a year old and I’m sure anyone who is reading this has probably seen it. This ad never made it to broadcast, and that’s unfortunate.

I was thinking about what it would take to get something banned. I immediately thought of this commercial. Obviously in this country if your commercial shows any of the sex organs, that’s out. Also if there are any curses, that’s out too. Those are given. I’m also going to say that any amount of blood or non-comic violence is also pretty much out. Cause, a guy can get hit with a frying pan, but that’s ok, as long as his head doesn’t split open when that happens.

So why is this one banned? There is no harsh language… in fact, no language at all. No blood, gore, or nudity either. It’s a bunch of adults doing what kids to every day. Any kid who says he never used his hand as a gun is a liar.

I remember I was about 5 years old and my family and I were going on vacation. I was pretending I was a secret agent and I had my gun strapped to my ankle. During the flight I lowered my hand down and came back up with my hand shaped like a gun. I peeked down the aisle. My mom made eye contact with me. And whispered, “No guns on the plane. You’ll get sucked out.” I shook my head and holstered the weapon.

There was no cause for alarm, I was just a kid passing the time on an airplane. It’s what kids do. Maybe they’re not concerned with that kids do… maybe they’re worried about adults. If all the adults played pretend then no work would ever get done. Our economy would be worse off than it is now.

I think part of the reason it got banned was because it was attached to a videogame. We know how terrible those things can be for our children. It kind of bothers me that it got pulled, because its great, and says everything the 360 wants to. Games don’t have to be just for kids. Games are growing up.

So simulated violence… invisible simulated violence is no good for commercials and apparently no good for your imagination. There was a corvette commercial that was also pulled. Another great commercial, if I do say so myself.



The reason behind the banning of this Ad was because they didn’t want kids to think they could just drive a car. Really? Do you think that after a kid saw this commercial he got the first thought in his head that it might be fun to drive! The Corvette is the quintessential American sports car. It’s what everyone wants to drive. Kids, adults, everyone.

I wanted to drive my whole life. I even mimicked my dad’s driving style and used to check imaginary mirrors when I sat in the back seat. I wanted a corvette, but I never took out my dad’s car. I’m not an idiot.

The banning of game ads and the attempted banning of all violent videogames by a certain Florida lawyer *coughJackThompsoncough* shows that the people who make and enforce these things don’t think very highly of the American public. They think we’re all idiots. And it shows based on what gets banned in this country.