Public Service Announcements (Because the More You Know...)

[riley702]

Smoking = CATmageddon

 

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/AqsM/truth-catmageddon

 

 

That may need to go under Favorite Commercials (for me, anyway). It is hilarious (NO, NOO, NOOOO!), yet conveys a serious message. For those who want to play it in-thread:

 

 

Edited March 3, 2016 by riley702

[GreekGeek]

There's a an anti-smoking PSA that they keep running during Jeopardy!. It includes graphic surgery and a woman with stomach cancer pouring some kind of liquid into a tube because she can't eat real food any more. I hope these messages really do save lives, because I am tired of looking away.

[Prevailing Wind]

I love that CatMageddon video.  Especially when the kitten says, "no. No. NOOOOOO!"

 

And I did have a cat jump like that while she was sitting near the toaster & the toast popped up.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Prevailing Wind

[ABay]

The cat in the pirate costume made me laugh so loudly,my own cat jumped as if toast popped up next to her. It's the little sword that did it.

Edited March 26, 2016 by ABay

[LuciaMia]

Is this a PSA? That recycling commercial that asks "Can a plastic bottle be a hero?"   Ugh, its just on everywhere...

[InDueTime]

This PSA goes from "inspring" to "disturbing" in a snap.

To me, this allergy PSA seems to appear on every. damn. commercial. break.

1.  Maybe it's because I don't use peanut butter a lot, but I'm surprised she didn't taste it in the brownies.

2.  I'm surprised with an allergy that severe, she doesn't carry an EpiPen.

3. How did the other girl forget that there's peanuts in freaking peanut butter?

[janie jones]

13 minutes ago, InDueTime said:

To me, this allergy PSA seems to appear on every. damn. commercial. break.

1.  Maybe it's because I don't use peanut butter a lot, but I'm surprised she didn't taste it in the brownies.

2.  I'm surprised with an allergy that severe, she doesn't carry an EpiPen.

3. How did the other girl forget that there's peanuts in freaking peanut butter?

1. I think that every time.

2. I agree.  And what's more, she should ask.  Everyone I know with allergies makes sure they know everything that's in what they eat.  But I guess that's the point of the commercial?

3. I believe the other girl forgot that the one girl had the peanut allergy, not that there were peanuts in the brownies.

[Bastet]

They say in the commercial that she did ask (the friend says, "She asked you!").

[janie jones]

Oh!  I've seen that commercial a billion times and I've never caught that line!

[Bastet]

I just saw it for the first time last night, so the dialogue was fresh in my mind.  I thought it was pretty well done, but if the severity of her allergy is so well known to even her friends, never mind her, I do not understand how she needs this drug company's ad to tell her to carry a freakin' epi pen just in case.  Because stuff like this does happen all the time -- someone with an allergy doesn't ask if a food contains their dangerous ingredient (either out of forgetfulness or because it's something not normally made with that ingredient so they wouldn't have thought to ask) or a host/server gives the wrong answer.

[friendperidot]

I never caught the line about asking. I keep thinking that if a person hosting a party to consider all their friends food allergies, what food could be served? Some one some where is probably allergic to every single thing a person could think of to serve. Makes me want to give up hosting parties...oh, I already did that a long time ago. Except for my imaginary 50s party in my imaginary mid century modern house filled with my imaginary mid century modern furniture and serving ware with imaginary authentic 50s food. My friends coming are real people though and we plan this party every time we hit the antique malls.

[LoneHaranguer]

23 hours ago, janie jones said:

Maybe it's because I don't use peanut butter a lot, but I'm surprised she didn't taste it in the brownies.

Or smell it. A more likely scenario would be to have used vegetable oil that included peanut oil.

[Jamoche]

21 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Or smell it. A more likely scenario would be to have used vegetable oil that included peanut oil.

Both that and peanut butter sound like terrible things to do to brownies.

I'd think anyone young enough to be in college now would have grown up after PB&J stopped being the default elementary school field trip food because of allergies. When I bring food to potlucks, I make a little paper sign with the ingredient list; my co-workers had peanut, berry, and cinnamon allergies, I know someone who actually has doctor-diagnosed celiac (but oddly, no gluten faddists), how can you not be aware of food issues these days?

[mojoween]

When my son went on a field trip to a play this year for school, with the permission slip they also sent a note stating that the bag lunches they bring cannot contain anything made with peanuts and if they have one, they will be kicked off the bus and their parents would have to go pick them up.

I graduated high school 25 years ago - I don't remember this ever coming up, ever.

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

When my son went on a field trip to a play this year for school, with the permission slip they also sent a note stating that the bag lunches they bring cannot contain anything made with peanuts and if they have one, they will be kicked off the bus and their parents would have to go pick them up.

I graduated high school 25 years ago - I don't remember this ever coming up, ever.

Same here. Wouldn't it just make more sense for the kid to have to throw away whatever is made with peanuts?

[theatremouse]

Depending on the severity of the allergy, even the dust getting into the air near the allergic kid could be a danger. I'm not saying I agree with the policy, but my understanding of the impetus behind it is they're saying "Dear Parents, Don't Send Your Kid with X. If you do you will be severely inconvenienced." Basically it's meant to be a "Take this seriously; we're not fucking around." as a deterrent to anyone who might otherwise decide "meh, whatevs".  The school in this type of sitch is basically instituting a zero tolerance so they don't have to spend the time or energy dealing with the nuances.

[LuciaMia]

Please, please, Im begging you,. Please retire that damned Recyle psa.  "Can a plastic bottle be a hero…?" In an hours time, that damn thing runs 10-12 times, especially on the cable news channels.

[InDueTime]

While the commercial makes a good point about food waste, it bugs me that the woman washes all of the strawberries and then puts them in the refrigerator to spoil.  I thought it was common knowledge that you don't wash fruits and vegetables until you're ready to use them, or else you promote mold growth.

[Marsupial]

Chiming in late to say that I love Catmageddon!! All the ads that group puts out are powerful and well-done, but that one gets me every time.

It also hits close to home, because on a more serious note, the knowledge that I was killing my beloved kitties is one of the reasons I was finally able to quit smoking several years ago. This was before this video came out, obviously, but I am hoping this ad will make other pet owners seriously reconsider their habit.

Quote

I thought it was common knowledge that you don't wash fruits and vegetables until you're ready to use them, or else you promote mold growth.

Me too, but apparently not!

[Jamoche]

Or at least I thought it was a PSA - there's an ad on extremely heavy rotation in the SF Bay Area showing a bunch of kids going up to a soft drink vending machine, except the buttons are all things like "Diabetes" and "Extra pounds". Actually not a PSA, it's a local political ad pushing a sin tax on soft drinks, which is only mentioned at the very end, after the point where you've tuned it out because it's just that heavy handed. Should've known no PSA has the money to run in every single ad break during afternoon TV.

It backfired - after all that, I really wanted a Coke.

[legaleagle53]

OK, this is the most awesome PSA I have ever seen.  Brilliant idea, Cigna!

[Jamoche]

1 hour ago, legaleagle53 said:

OK, this is the most awesome PSA I have ever seen.  Brilliant idea, Cigna!

 

Looks like the video has already been taken down.

[riley702]

Damn, that was fast!

[AimingforYoko]

I am totally down for the message to adopt shelter animals, but is the message here that shelter animals can do amazing things or is it that adopting one may make you rich and famous?

[InDueTime]

I saw this ad two days ago. While it's a good PSA overall, I find it a little jarring to see Garfield's mouth moving vs. him speaking telepathically like in the old cartoons. (Yes, I know his mouth moved in the weird looking live-action movies, but still.)

[Neurochick]

This just guts me.  Saddest commercial I've ever seen.

[GreekGeek]

On 12/26/2016 at 11:06 AM, Neurochick said:

 

This just guts me.  Saddest commercial I've ever seen.

Ooh yes. I always seem to turn on the TV right when it's playing, and I've even seen it at the movies.

[Sandman87]

I've determined that the "truth" anti-smoking ads are some of the scummiest, lyingest, vilest ads on TV. The current ad is built around "Studies show that 40% of smokers have mental issues", and therefore (presumably)  the tobacco companies are targeting poor, bewildered people who think that their necktie is talking to them. The only problem with this implied campaign against the helpless and vulnerable is that (according to surveys - I did a Google search; it was the first result ) over 40% of all Americans have had mental issues. According to my math, that means that the smokers are doing slightly better on average than Americans in general in the mental health department.

The previous campaign ("It's PRO-FILING!") tried to make it sound like cigarette companies had sued in order to target school children, when the actual case that they referred to was a suit against a city that had passed an ordinance to prevent cigarette advertising within X feet of a school, where X was a large enough number that it would have been impossible to advertise anywhere in the city (it was an attempt to do an end run around a court ruling that said they couldn't ban ads outright).

I don't argue with the basic idea that smoking is a bad thing that causes hideous diseases and death, and that people should be strongly encouraged to not do it. I agree that people should be educated about the dangers of tobacco use...the real dangers. But I take issue with assholes who deliberately try to deceive me in order to push their agenda, especially when they do it by twisting facts to the point where they might as well be lies.

Standard disclaimer: I don't smoke, I have no connection to cigarette companies or to anyone who makes, sells, or otherwise profits from them. Batteries not included. Offer not valid in CA, NV, or TX.

[cynicat]

9 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

I don't argue with the basic idea that smoking is a bad thing that causes hideous diseases and death, and that people should be strongly encouraged to not do it. I agree that people should be educated about the dangers of tobacco use...the real dangers. But I take issue with assholes who deliberately try to deceive me in order to push their agenda, especially when they do it by twisting facts to the point where they might as well be lies.

Marketing agencies would go out of business if they stopped doing that!

(Your statement is begging for a political punchline, but I'll steer clear to avoid stirring any pots)

[funky-rat]

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 1:57 AM, Sandman87 said:

I've determined that the "truth" anti-smoking ads are some of the scummiest, lyingest, vilest ads on TV. The current ad is built around "Studies show that 40% of smokers have mental issues", and therefore (presumably)  the tobacco companies are targeting poor, bewildered people who think that their necktie is talking to them. The only problem with this implied campaign against the helpless and vulnerable is that (according to surveys - I did a Google search; it was the first result ) over 40% of all Americans have had mental issues. According to my math, that means that the smokers are doing slightly better on average than Americans in general in the mental health department.

The previous campaign ("It's PRO-FILING!") tried to make it sound like cigarette companies had sued in order to target school children, when the actual case that they referred to was a suit against a city that had passed an ordinance to prevent cigarette advertising within X feet of a school, where X was a large enough number that it would have been impossible to advertise anywhere in the city (it was an attempt to do an end run around a court ruling that said they couldn't ban ads outright).

I don't argue with the basic idea that smoking is a bad thing that causes hideous diseases and death, and that people should be strongly encouraged to not do it. I agree that people should be educated about the dangers of tobacco use...the real dangers. But I take issue with assholes who deliberately try to deceive me in order to push their agenda, especially when they do it by twisting facts to the point where they might as well be lies.

Standard disclaimer: I don't smoke, I have no connection to cigarette companies or to anyone who makes, sells, or otherwise profits from them. Batteries not included. Offer not valid in CA, NV, or TX.

I agree.  I have never smoked, and don't like smoking, but I hate that they're so forcefully targeting one vice (often twisting the truth), and then turn around and make alcohol appear glamorous and like you're a party pooper if you don't partake.  I fear drunks more than I fear smokers.  #truth

[Ohwell]

16 minutes ago, funky-rat said:

I fear drunks more than I fear smokers.  #truth

I have never smoked, and I don't like being around smokers, but at least I can get away from them.  Unfortunately, that's not always the case with drunk drivers.  So yeah, I see excessive drinking as being much more dangerous.  

[funky-rat]

1 minute ago, Ohwell said:

I have never smoked, and I don't like being around smokers, but at least I can get away from them.  Unfortunately, that's not always the case with drunk drivers.  So yeah, I see excessive drinking as being much more dangerous.  

Yep.  Drunk driver, on a suspended license (for DUI) got in to his car and drove in to the back of someone I knew at over 100 miles an hour.  She died instantly.  He got out of the car and when police came, he claimed that someone else was driving, but he didn't know who they were, and they ran off.  He blew at several times the legal limit.  We googled his name when it came out in the paper.  Tons of DUI busts and a 2 or 3 drug busts going back to age 18, and any before that (I'm sure there are some) would be hidden.  He didn't have a scratch on him.  Thankfully, he's sitting in jail awaiting a murder trial.  

[peacheslatour]

11 minutes ago, funky-rat said:

Yep.  Drunk driver, on a suspended license (for DUI) got in to his car and drove in to the back of someone I knew at over 100 miles an hour.  She died instantly.  He got out of the car and when police came, he claimed that someone else was driving, but he didn't know who they were, and they ran off.  He blew at several times the legal limit.  We googled his name when it came out in the paper.  Tons of DUI busts and a 2 or 3 drug busts going back to age 18, and any before that (I'm sure there are some) would be hidden.  He didn't have a scratch on him.  Thankfully, he's sitting in jail awaiting a murder trial.  

People like that should be locked up for the rest of their miserable lives.

[Ohwell]

28 minutes ago, funky-rat said:

Yep.  Drunk driver, on a suspended license (for DUI) got in to his car and drove in to the back of someone I knew at over 100 miles an hour.  She died instantly.  He got out of the car and when police came, he claimed that someone else was driving, but he didn't know who they were, and they ran off.  He blew at several times the legal limit.  We googled his name when it came out in the paper.  Tons of DUI busts and a 2 or 3 drug busts going back to age 18, and any before that (I'm sure there are some) would be hidden.  He didn't have a scratch on him.  Thankfully, he's sitting in jail awaiting a murder trial.  

So sad what happened to your friend.  I hope they keep the rat bastard in jail for life.

[Annber03]

I've seen some truly haunting and disturbing anti-drunk driving PSAs over the years, some including footage of people who've been killed by drunk drivers. I feel like anyone who drives drunk should, as part of their punishment, be forced to watch those ads on repeat. 

I'm sorry about your friend, @funky-rat. I truly don't get how people like that idiot get so many chances with that kind of arrest record. That's ridiculous. 

[Sequoia]

I was watching one of those top 50 scariest PSA's countdowns which I am a huge fan of, and I saw an ad that was truly terrifying.  I have never seen it before except in that countdown, and I've not yet been able to find a video with only that ad, but it was one of the most upsetting things I've seen in a long time.  

 

I'm visually impaired so I can't describe what happened in the picture, but the voiceover starts listing all the various names for crystal meth.  He then told about a guy in Arizona who decapitated his son and then dumped the head on the side of the road while high on meth.  I found out from a Google search that it came out in 1997 from the lovely folks at Partnership for a Drug-free America.  Apparently TV stations didn't want to air it (gee, I wonder why) and so it was the first time PDFA actually bought ad time rather than trying to get that atrocity to air during free PSA slots.  

 

Usually I'm a fan of PSA's, the creepier the better, but I'm not sure I can watch that one again.

[Annber03]

Eek. That's horrifying. I watched one of those countdowns once, too, but I can't recall seeing that one in there. I know there's a few of those compilations lurking around on YouTube, though, so it's probably in one of the others. 

Doesn't surprise me that the "Partnership" people would put out something like that, though-their ads always were awfully creepy in general. And there was that one series of ads about meth that were especially unnerving (I remember one in particular that freaked me out-it showed a girl showering up before preparing for a night out, and while in the shower, she caught sight of a meth-ridden version of herself cowering in the corner, begging her not to try any drugs). 

33 minutes ago, Sequoia said:

Usually I'm a fan of PSA's, the creepier the better, but I'm not sure I can watch that one again.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has a weird sort of fascination with PSAs :p. They used to scare the crap out of me when I was little, and still do on occasion, and yet I too tend to be drawn to them anyway. I'm especially struck by the ones I've seen from places like Britain and Australia. Those guys do not mess around with their PSAs. 

But yeah, I definitely agree there's some that, if you see them once, that's all the more you probably need to see. 

(It's not related to drugs, but I have a vague memory of seeing some PSA years and years ago-like, back in the mid to late '90s, I want to say?-where a teenage boy and girl were standing in an open field somewhere, and there were these voiceovers of them reciting wedding vows...but it was a darker version of the vows. I don't know if it was supposed to be an ad against teen pregnancy or abusive relationships or what, I just remember the kids in that field, the wedding vows, and this super scary music being played throughout. I've been trying to see if I could find that clip again, but no luck so far.)

[Sequoia]

Hey cool, i used to be scared of them as well, to the point that I would almost curl into the fetal position when I heard one, yet I had this fascination with them even back then.  It wasn't until 2008 that I started analyzing them and then I liked them.  One of the first things i saw when I started analyzing PSA's was the now departed TWoP's big thread about that topic.  I'm a part of the PSA/PIF community on YouTube *is a nerd*.

 

The meth ads you were describing were actually not PDFA, but a different organization called the Montana Meth Project, later just the Meth Project.  I never saw them on actual TV, but I've seen them loads of times on YouTube.  Those ads do not play *brrrrrr*.

 

I remember one with a couple saying wedding vows, and I think it was about domestic abuse.  I only saw it a few times, or maybe only read about it.  It was something along the lines of "I vow to let you control me and to always do what you tell me, even if you beat the crap outa me".  That is paraphrased of course.  I have no eyesight, so I don't know if they were standing in a field or not.  I would like to see that again.

[Annber03]

Oh, yeah, I knew those meth ads weren't part of the "Partnership" thing, just that talking about creepy drug ads reminded me of them :p. 

10 hours ago, Sequoia said:

Hey cool, i used to be scared of them as well, to the point that I would almost curl into the fetal position when I heard one, yet I had this fascination with them even back then.  It wasn't until 2008 that I started analyzing them and then I liked them.  One of the first things i saw when I started analyzing PSA's was the now departed TWoP's big thread about that topic.  I'm a part of the PSA/PIF community on YouTube *is a nerd*.

It's a shame I missed out on TWoP. Sounds like there were some really entertaining threads there during that site's heyday. 

Yeah, I was a weird kid. I was never afraid of monsters under my bed or in my closet. It was things like the Ad Council ads and other various PSAs that freaked me out and gave me nightmares. I kept thinking any scary stuff I saw as a kid would come at me from our bathroom hamper. I have no idea why, LOL. 

10 hours ago, Sequoia said:

I remember one with a couple saying wedding vows, and I think it was about domestic abuse.  I only saw it a few times, or maybe only read about it.  It was something along the lines of "I vow to let you control me and to always do what you tell me, even if you beat the crap outa me".  That is paraphrased of course.  I have no eyesight, so I don't know if they were standing in a field or not.  I would like to see that again.

That kinda sounds like the ad I'm thinking of, yeah! I'll keep searching-somebody's got to have it somewhere. 

The visuals in some of those ads are frightening. I can't imagine what it'd be like to only be able to hear the creepy stuff going on. 

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

It's a shame I missed out on TWoP. Sounds like there were some really entertaining threads there during that site's heyday. 

It was a special place, one of the best forums I've ever been a part of.

[Sequoia]

When you only hear it, your imagination will fill the rest in for you, and trust me, my imagination could make ads that were far creepier than what was actually happening.  I actually found out when I read TWoP that a lot of the ads I heard that were so scary were actually either funny or stupid when you knew the whole story.  I think I thought a lot of things I saw were going to come and get me as well, although I couldn't have described it in that way.  They would play in my head way after they had gone off.

 

TWoP was truly a cool site.  I did a lot more reading than I did posting.  I was known as keyboardplayer there, and i think I pretty much only posted in the commercials section.  I would mostly like to read the huge threads.  Imagine my sadness after I found out it had closed *cry*.

[smittykins]

On 11/5/2018 at 4:16 AM, Sequoia said:

Hey cool, i used to be scared of them as well, to the point that I would almost curl into the fetal position when I heard one, yet I had this fascination with them even back then.  It wasn't until 2008 that I started analyzing them and then I liked them.  One of the first things i saw when I started analyzing PSA's was the now departed TWoP's big thread about that topic.  I'm a part of the PSA/PIF community on YouTube *is a nerd*.

 

The meth ads you were describing were actually not PDFA, but a different organization called the Montana Meth Project, later just the Meth Project.  I never saw them on actual TV, but I've seen them loads of times on YouTube.  Those ads do not play *brrrrrr*.

 

I remember one with a couple saying wedding vows, and I think it was about domestic abuse.  I only saw it a few times, or maybe only read about it.  It was something along the lines of "I vow to let you control me and to always do what you tell me, even if you beat the crap outa me".  That is paraphrased of course.  I have no eyesight, so I don't know if they were standing in a field or not.  I would like to see that again.

@Sequoia, was your TWoP handle “keyboardplayer” by any chance?

[Sequoia]

Yup you caught me.

[xls]

 

This just made my mouth drop open. 

[Prevailing Wind]

Yikes!  Working for a vet, we were brought a dog whose pelvis was broken in 3 places and her front leg was shattered so badly, the docs had to amputate. She's a sweet little chihuahua who's never know affection.  I was posting about this on FB, and a friend said she knows a vet tech who says people will hurt their pets intentionally, so the people can get the opioids and not give them to the pet. This is despicable. I wish they WOULD drop a car on themselves and not hurt innocent pets.

[Jamoche]

Subtitled "Actor portrayal", as if they want us to believe it's something that really happened:

One sibling to another as they walk through a hospital: "Dad's in the hospital" No duh. You're walking away from his hospital room, this is not something you need to tell each other. It's a very matter of fact tone, not a "I can't believe Dad's in the hospital" which a real human would say.

"Because of smoking"

"And he still wants to smoke. Can you believe it?"

By this point I have muted it, but I assume the next line is "Got a light?" because they're both smoking. Oh the irony! That they're doing exactly what Dad did to get in the hospital, without even being aware of it! Not even one thoughtful look at their ciggies!

 

So much eyeroll.

Edited December 27, 2018 by Jamoche

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Jamoche said:

Subtitled "Actor portrayal", as if they want us to believe it's something that really happened:

One sibling to another as they walk through a hospital: "Dad's in the hospital" No duh. You're walking away from his hospital room, this is not something you need to tell each other. It's a very matter of fact tone, not a "I can't believe Dad's in the hospital" which a real human would say.

"Because of smoking"

"And he still wants to smoke. Can you believe it?"

By this point I have muted it, but I assume the next line is "Got a light?" because they're both smoking. Oh the irony! That they're doing exactly what Dad did to get in the hospital, without even being aware of it! Not even one thoughtful look at their ciggies!

 

So much eyeroll.

The line is "and we still went out for a smoke" (paraphrased). They totally get the irony.

[Jamoche]

30 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

The line is "and we still went out for a smoke" (paraphrased). They totally get the irony.

Hmm. Should I blame the actors or the director for setting it up so badly? Body language and tone of voice in the times I didn't mute it didn't give me that impression at all.

[peacheslatour]

I just watched it again. The sister says "and we still had to have a cigarette." And the brother says "had to."  And the sister goes "do you how hard it is to find a place to smoke in a hospital?" Then they go on about how hard it is to quit, blah, blah, blah.

[Jamoche]

20 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I just watched it again. The sister says "and we still had to have a cigarette." And the brother says "had to."  And the sister goes "do you how hard it is to find a place to smoke in a hospital?" Then they go on about how hard it is to quit, blah, blah, blah.

So they save the message until after the point people have tuned them out :)