I’m All For Being Non-PC But Come On

As I watched the darkened female silhouette bump and grind against the body on the bed I thought, “This better be good.” For a commercial, it was already wildly inappropriate. It was only when the camera zoomed in on the male face that I knew what the hell was going on. A sweaty, panting Hitler-impersonator looked up (creepy mustache and all) just as the words “AIDS IS A MASS MURDERER” flashed across the screen.

REALLY???

I get it, but DAMN. The truth of the matter is, the commercial was outrageous. Will it incense a couple thousand people? Probably. Will it make people think twice before having unprotected sex? DEFINITELY. Viceland.com, the website dedicated to independent fashion, film, music and foreign news indignantly remarked that the commercial was merely equating people who don’t use condoms with Hitler. But if you think about it, if you spread AIDS you’re technically helping to kill people in the long run.
In the vein of ridiculous ads, my 16-year-old brother showed me a British advertisement in which a teenage girl is texting behind the wheel when she smashes into an oncoming car. The friends fly around like bingo balls despite seatbelts as another lone reeling vehicle careens into them. As ambulances and helicopters swarm, the driver screams and cries, her friends bloodied and unconscious. Alive or dead, audiences don’t know. As I watched my brother’s reaction I thought Damn right. That’s what happens if you text. Now put away your damn phone, punk. Commercials like that have already saved a few teenagers’ lives. Maybe even his.
So where do the lines of censorship come in? I mean, between the militant anti-smoking campaign and authorities threatening to forcefully vaccinate the state of Massachusetts, these commercials seem normal.
A tee-shirt encouraging men to support breast cancer sounds like a great idea, right? Is it okay that it says “Save the tata’s!”? It’s raising money for breast cancer awareness. You’re not going to please everyone--but if you’re at least making money for a cause or raising awareness, you’re ahead of the game.