Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The Chrysler Super Bowl Ad: When the Commercial Becomes the Political


Hank Steuver of The Washington Post is not that impressed by the Chrysler Super Bowl commerical:
I puzzled over Chrysler's daring yet laughably pretentious ad about a Detroit rebirth, in which Eminem drives meaningfully though the Motor City. Tagline: "Imported from Detroit." It was a bold statement, delivered unconvincingly.
And like seemingly everything else in America, the ad has taken on political implications. Stephanie Condon of Political Hotsheet writes:

One Republican congressman, encapsulating the negative response of many conservatives, pointedly put the ad in the context of the taxpayer bailout Chrysler received.

"'Imported from Detroit'...'borrowed from China,'" Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) tweeted last night.

Detroit's own Democratic congressman, meanwhile, and other liberals praised the ad as a fine representation of the hope that lives on in the downtrodden city.

"I can't think of a more fitting way to depict Detroit's story than to have fellow Detroit native, Eminem, announce that the city is back and to remind Americans that the revitalized Southeast Michigan auto industry is brimming with new investment and optimism," Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) told the Hotsheet. "This year marks a serious upturn for the city of Detroit."



1 comment:

  1. You DO realize that despite the gloss, the Washington Post is the company paper of a company town--a provincial Southern town in constant need of reassurance that it is the American equivalent of London, Paris or Rome--whereas Brussels is much closer to the mark--filled with people constantly shaking the dust of places like Detroit from their heels, and pretending not to notice it on others.
    No wonder they're all so insecure, and vicious. Go down to BigLots and pick up a copy of "The Walker" sometime.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.