More Media Fear
Topic: Indianapolis Living
Posted: Wed, Jul 12, 2006 
I was wrenched away from my morning ritual of tying my shoes by the television. Instantly my pulse was racing and I stared at the screen in horror, transfixed by the cacophony of screams and sobs coming from the speakers. Cries of terror issued forth mixed with garbeled pleas for the divine. What was this tragedy? Was it footage of an attack or accident caught on tape and being played out on the news?
No - it was a commercial.
Leave it up to Kid's First to scare the hell out of you first thing in the morning. The commercial appeared to be a home movie of a family out by the pool. The normal idle chatter of the family doing family things can be heard and all is peaceful.
The next thing you know, the camera is dropped and the parents can be seen on one edge of the camera's field of view, running towards the pool in a state of sheer panic as one of their children has fallen in. In a realm of somewhere between Blair Witch meets a PSA, this 30 seconds of mounting disaster is not how most people would want to start their day.
Maybe have some coffee. Wait for the toast to pop up. Turn on the tv and catch the weather - OMG LITTLE JIMMY HAS JUST DROWNED IN THE POOL! DEAR LORD NO! WHY GOD? WHY?!?
Now... not to be a heartless bastard... I understand that it's important to recognize potential dangers and to hopefully avoid such a tragedy. But every parent should do themselves a favor and learn about child safety in a calm, relaxed manner. Maybe being scared out of your wits by a seemingly real drowning caught on tape is what it takes for some people to wake up and strive to be more attentive, but it just makes me reach for the remote.
What an awful commercial.
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Comments
1. Jul 12, 06 06:59 AM | Tim said:
I agree. It also seems strange that its tagged with info about the Kids license plate.
Reminds me of the equally horrible IPL radio spots from a year or two ago. Same type of scenario except that it was usually the Man of the House attempting some type of tree or roof maintenance and he'd would get electrocuted to death as his kids and/or wife looked on.
2. Jul 19, 06 06:11 AM | brad said:
What threat level, in general, do pools represent to America? Are they a yellow threat? An orange threat? Can pools be used by terrorists?
3. Jul 21, 06 09:09 AM | Reporter Abe Aamidor of The Indianapolis Star said:
This msg is for Michael Parker, and for anyone who agrees with his recent post about the Kids First TV ads that focus on drowning and saw your post. The Indianapolis Star is doing a story about these ads. Please call me today, Friday, July 21, if at all possible, at 317-444-6472. Abe Aamidor, The Star
4. Jul 24, 06 09:42 AM | Andrew Pinkstaff said:
My gut wrenches every time I see the commercial. A very close couple to our family lost their 2 year old daughter in a drowning accident, and this commercial makes me flat out pissed off that every time this couple sees this they have to remember the moment they pulled their daughter out of the water and realized she was dead. What a terrible moment for any person to have to relive, as if they both don't think about their little girl enough and visit her grave every day and wonder if they had done something different if their daughter would still be alive. Whoever made this commercial needs to rethink the effect that it has on future events and assess the effect it has on past hurts.
5. Jul 25, 06 10:36 AM | . said:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/NEWS01/607250430/-1/RSS
6. Aug 3, 06 04:53 PM | DarknessbUnnie said:
From the makers of the Dead Fetus Abortion bus!