Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[Neurochick]

36 minutes ago, Drogo said:

The Amazon commercial where Dad buys the kid a Superman costume.

What is the message here?  Kids' friendship can be purchased?  You want the kid to have friends?  Get him a non-Mary-Lou-Retton haircut.   Also the teacher's dress is 4 sizes too small.

The door is completely see-through when they get to school, but when Dad's creeping around outside there's just a clear panel on the top of a solid door.  Who changed the door?  Dad, it can't be said enough, stop creeping around outside the preschool.  Go to to fucking work.

Thank you SO much for mentioning this commercial.  Why does the dad think giving his son a Superman costume to wear will be effective?  Maybe it will on day one, but not the next day. 

I don't mind the haircut (and isn't that a Dorothy Hamil haircut?) but it's normal and natural for a kid to be shy on the first day of school.  Leave him alone, and stop standing by the door, Dad, talk about helicopter parenting!

There are two teachers, one's wearing a sweater and the other is wearing that strange summer dress. 

[millennium]

1 hour ago, Neurochick said:

Thank you SO much for mentioning this commercial.  Why does the dad think giving his son a Superman costume to wear will be effective?  Maybe it will on day one, but not the next day. 

I don't mind the haircut (and isn't that a Dorothy Hamil haircut?) but it's normal and natural for a kid to be shy on the first day of school.  Leave him alone, and stop standing by the door, Dad, talk about helicopter parenting!

Many parents today are preoccupied with their child's popularity, like if the child isn't the center of attention, or in the right cliques, they will suffer irreversible damage.    If parents could, they would encourage people to "Like" their kids and then tout the number of Likes their kids have accrued.     Everything today is about attention.  

The new tradition in school that really makes me cringe is the "prom-posal" which, thanks to the dogged efforts of attention-mongers and would-be youtube sensations (and their approving parents), now compels the average high school boy  to create an elaborately-staged (and documented on video, for sharing) scene in which to publicly invite a girl to the high school prom.   Costumes, props, disruptions in class, flash mobs in the cafeteria, anything goes.    Sure, boys can still ask the old-fashioned way, but they risk the potential date (who wants to appear oh-so-special in front of her peers) feeling underwhelmed and insulted.

[Silver Raven]

1 hour ago, millennium said:

The new tradition in school that really makes me cringe is the "prom-posal" which, thanks to the dogged efforts of attention-mongers and would-be youtube sensations (and their approving parents), now compels the average high school boy  to create an elaborately-staged (and documented on video, for sharing) scene in which to publicly invite a girl to the high school prom.   Costumes, props, disruptions in class, flash mobs in the cafeteria, anything goes.    Sure, boys can still ask the old-fashioned way, but they risk the potential date (who wants to appear oh-so-special in front of her peers) feeling underwhelmed and insulted.

There is a YouTube video of a boy who had paid for billboards asking his gf to the prom, and he recorded them driving past the billboards.  And the girl said, "That's so stupid."  When she found out that he had done it, she started crying.

[Mabinogia]

Shit like that makes me so glad I'm not growing up in this celeb obsessed generation. UGH! How far away are we from youtubing your virginity loss? I mean really? If it's not on the internet it clearly didn't happen in these kids minds.

I was a very shy kid. I'm still slightly traumatized by the time I wore my Annie Halloween costume to school, was the only kid dressed up and got made fun of all day. I think it's unrealistic that all the kids suddenly thought he was cool because he showed up in a costume.

I miss the Amazon Prime commercial with the miniature horse. Much more realistic answer to the little kid not being invited to play with the other kids. haha

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Shit like that makes me so glad I'm not growing up in this celeb obsessed generation. UGH! How far away are we from youtubing your virginity loss? I mean really? If it's not on the internet it clearly didn't happen in these kids minds.

I remember reading about some teenage girl who auctioned off her virginity on ebay or possibly Craigslist.

[TattleTeeny]

That was me!

Just kidding, I'm in my mid-40s and Craigslist was not a thing back then. Also (and I really should have put this first), oh my god, no--I would never! That is crazy!

Edited December 13, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[backformore]

7 hours ago, Drogo said:

The Amazon commercial where Dad buys the kid a Superman costume.

What is the message here?  Kids' friendship can be purchased?  You want the kid to have friends?  Get him a non-Mary-Lou-Retton haircut.   Also the teacher's dress is 4 sizes too small.

The door is completely see-through when they get to school, but when Dad's creeping around outside there's just a clear panel on the top of a solid door.  Who changed the door?  Dad, it can't be said enough, stop creeping around outside the preschool.  Go to to fucking work.

I see it as confidence.  The kid is shy, hides behind dad.  the superman costume, and the superhero pose he does, gives him the confidence to talk to the other kids, who then are friendly to him. 

[janie jones]

9 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Honestly, I'd be way more likely to side-eye the beholder of this kind sentiment than I would her for her effusive behavior.

Sophia Vergara doesn't bother me, but Stephanie Seymour, in my opinion, needs to not do sexy photo shoots with her children, which I think are a bit less open to interpretation.

6 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

There is a YouTube video of a boy who had paid for billboards asking his gf to the prom, and he recorded them driving past the billboards.  And the girl said, "That's so stupid."  When she found out that he had done it, she started crying.

Crying because she hurt his feelings, crying  because her boyfriend is such a douchebag, crying because she didn't actually think it was stupid and was glad...?

[Silver Raven]

1 hour ago, janie jones said:

Crying because she hurt his feelings, crying  because her boyfriend is such a douchebag, crying because she didn't actually think it was stupid and was glad...?

Crying because she hurt his feelings.

Here's the video:

[Bastet]

22 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Crying because she hurt his feelings.

Oh, I was hoping she was crying because she realized her boyfriend was obnoxious and wished she had someone else with whom to attend prom.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Bastet

[Neurochick]

12 hours ago, backformore said:

I see it as confidence.  The kid is shy, hides behind dad.  the superman costume, and the superhero pose he does, gives him the confidence to talk to the other kids, who then are friendly to him. 

I don't know.  In a real situation, I think the other kids would probably make fun of him, "who is this weirdo dressed as Superman and it isn't Halloween."

What bugs me about the commercial is that the dad isn't concerned that his son has friends, he wants his son to be the center of attention.  It's all about who gets the most likes, who has the most followers, etc.  It's not about if his kid is able to make real friends. 

Edited December 13, 2016 by Neurochick

[Drogo]

7 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

What bugs me about the commercial is that the dad isn't concerned that his son has friends, he wants his son to be the center of attention.  It's all about who gets the most likes, who has the most followers, etc.  It's not about if his kid is able to make real friends. 

And twelve years from now, the kid will be pulling up to high school in a Porsche that Dad bought so kids will like him.  But they won't like him.  They'll like his Porsche. 

My Khaleesi learned before preschool that the best way to get approached is to look approachable.  (Whereas that little boy doesn't even smile when he becomes Superman.)

[Gam2]

Millennium, no kidding! My niece's son, who is a freshman in high school, had to make a poster board with glitter, etc to invite his girlfriend to prom. Then he had to coordinate with her 10 best friends and her mother to be at her house when he & his mom arrived. The entire thing was videotaped. On prom night, a group of them went to dinner, then to the dance, stayed 25 minutes then called their parents to come pick them up. My niece was so disgusted over the whole thing but didn't want her son to to be the one left out. Welcome to Hoover, AL! Ridiculous!!!

[Prevailing Wind]

I graduated in 67, never went to the prom, but...I was recently in a café in Murphy, NC and they had that "World's Finest" chocolate bars for sale by the register - the stuff we knew as "band candy." They were doing a fundraiser for some of the teen employees, still in school. They're trying to raise the $60 per person it costs to go to the prom.  Whaaaa???????? You have to BUY a ticket to the prom?  Before I tell you to get off my lawn, I have to say, even though I didn't go, it WAS free for us (back in my day.)

[theatremouse]

58 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

They're trying to raise the $60 per person it costs to go to the prom.  Whaaaa???????? You have to BUY a ticket to the prom?  Before I tell you to get off my lawn, I have to say, even though I didn't go, it WAS free for us (back in my day.)

As an adult I have learned that whether or not tickets are free vs must be purchased varies wildly by region, so this isn't necessarily just a "back in my day" thing. I've experienced what you just described as an outloud conversation with people within a year of my age who went to high school in different cities and in some cases, states, each side equally Whaaaa at the other, in both directions.

Is the video we're talking about an ad or just a stupid thing that happened to real teens?

Edited December 14, 2016 by theatremouse

[Brattinella]

Wow!  You have to buy a TICKET to go to the prom??  Egads!

I think part of the yearbook cost went to prom costs, as I recall.

Edited December 14, 2016 by Brattinella

[Jaded]

All the damn Old Navy commercials with Amy Schumer. They are annoying and obnoxious. The latest one especially where she runs into an old boyfriend, his wife and kids.

[frenchtoast]

Responding to prom discussion in Small Talk.

[LoneHaranguer]

On 12/12/2016 at 9:28 PM, backformore said:

I see it as confidence.  The kid is shy, hides behind dad.  the superman costume, and the superhero pose he does, gives him the confidence to talk to the other kids, who then are friendly to him.

Haven't they seen The Incredibles? There's a scene arguing for capes being a bad idea for superheroes; doubly so for this kid, who's going to get laughed at the first time he has a mishap with it or some other kid uses it to prank him.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Haven't they seen The Incredibles? There's a scene arguing for capes being a bad idea for superheroes; doubly so for this kid, who's going to get laughed at the first time he has a mishap with it or some other kid uses it to prank him.

ITT: Kids are evil little shits.

[ennui]

Walmart ad -- Dad looks around the house to see what people need as a gift, orders online, and picks up in the store. I think the daughter gets a veterinarian Barbie or something. Anyway, the young son scootches closer to the small tv and Dad orders a huge tv. Umm, maybe the kid needs glasses, not a bigger tv. 

Edited December 14, 2016 by ennui

[peacheslatour]

30 minutes ago, ennui said:

Walmart ad -- Dad looks around the house to see what people need as a gift, orders online, and picks up in the store. I think the daughter gets a veterinarian Barbie or something. Anyway, the young son scootches closer to the small tv and Dad orders a huge tv. Umm, maybe the kid needs glasses, not a bigger tv. 

Doesn't that kid know that doing that will make him go BLIND?

[Knitting Hippie]

50 minutes ago, ennui said:

Walmart ad -- Dad looks around the house to see what people need as a gift, orders online, and picks up in the store. I think the daughter gets a veterinarian Barbie or something. Anyway, the young son scootches closer to the small tv and Dad orders a huge tv. Umm, maybe the kid needs glasses, not a bigger tv. 

What irks me is that he sees his wife on the couch reading a book and orders her a laptop/tablet. She looked perfectly comfortable! Not everyone desires an electronic device to read a book....

[ennui]

32 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Doesn't that kid know that doing that will make him go BLIND?

Radiation from color television will cause sterility and cancer. You should sit at least five feet away. (1969!! http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1969/04/09/page/70/article/survey-finds-radiation-in-color-tv-sets)

[Brattinella]

Seriously, LG, I am in the market for a new phone, but it will NEVER BE YOU.  This commercial with Gordon Leavitt and the Bye Bye Baby theme makes me puke.  I mute it instantly and I will never give a dime to your company.

[millennium]

I suppose this makes me a terrible person, but that's okay, I'll own it:

The Subaru "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" campaign, featuring a bald teenage girl (whom we assume is undergoing chemo) with a ukelele, some goofy little kid intent on saving wild things in our National Parks, and some curmudgeonly old codger and his home health aide all singing -- painfully off-key -- "Put a Little Love in Your Heart."

Singing off key is not endearing.   It's not cute.   It's not charming.  

It's annoying.   Especially when heard several times an hour.  The fact that a cancer kid, or some tween do-gooder, is doing the singing doesn't mitigate the awfulness of it.   

[amass]

call me crazy... but I like the xfinity ad... .I know I know.....

teenagers talk in hyperbole - it's what they do! She is smiling when she comes in to her grandparent's house - so despite what she said she IS happy to be there....

Edited December 15, 2016 by amass

[St. Claire]

6 hours ago, millennium said:

I suppose this makes me a terrible person, but that's okay, I'll own it:

The Subaru "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" campaign, featuring a bald teenage girl (whom we assume is undergoing chemo) with a ukelele, some goofy little kid intent on saving wild things in our National Parks, and some curmudgeonly old codger and his home health aide all singing -- painfully off-key -- "Put a Little Love in Your Heart."

Singing off key is not endearing.   It's not cute.   It's not charming.  

It's annoying.   Especially when heard several times an hour.  The fact that a cancer kid, or some tween do-gooder, is doing the singing doesn't mitigate the awfulness of it.   

I will be terrible with you. I cannot stand those commercials. I am happy to support various charities (including St. Jude's- they get a ton from me all year long) but those commercials annoy the bejesus out of me.

In other car-commercial-hating news, the Chevy commercial with everyone talking about Santa granting them this awesome car are grating on me. The lady who tells Santa that she wants to "...go fay-est..." especially makes me want to throw sock balls at the television. 

Edited December 15, 2016 by St. Claire

[janie jones]

2 hours ago, amass said:

call me crazy... but I like the xfinity ad... .I know I know.....

teenagers talk in hyperbole - it's what they do! She is smiling when she comes in to her grandparent's house - so despite what she said she IS happy to be there....

All the more reason the grandparents didn't need to buy all that shit.

[Brattinella]

8 hours ago, millennium said:

I suppose this makes me a terrible person, but that's okay, I'll own it:

The Subaru "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" campaign, featuring a bald teenage girl (whom we assume is undergoing chemo) with a ukelele, some goofy little kid intent on saving wild things in our National Parks, and some curmudgeonly old codger and his home health aide all singing -- painfully off-key -- "Put a Little Love in Your Heart."

Singing off key is not endearing.   It's not cute.   It's not charming.  

It's annoying.   Especially when heard several times an hour.  The fact that a cancer kid, or some tween do-gooder, is doing the singing doesn't mitigate the awfulness of it.   

OMG you must be living in my head!  NOTHING worse than listening to off-key singing, especially when it is LITTLE KIDS!  It is not cute, not funny, and instantly muted.  We have some local ads who commit this heinous crime, Campfire Girls in particular, who cannot sing!  They SCREAM, all 150 of them!  They scream C-A-N-D-Y to the tune of Bingo was his Name-O.  The girl who does the Univ of Phx is a grievous offender as well.

[SoSueMe]

4 hours ago, St. Claire said:

I will be terrible with you. I cannot stand those commercials. I am happy to support various charities (including St. Jude's- they get a ton from me all year long) but those commercials annoy the bejesus out of me.

In other car-commercial-hating news, the Chevy commercial with everyone talking about Santa granting them this awesome car are grating on me. The lady who tells Santa that she wants to "...go fay-est..." especially makes me want to throw sock balls at the television. 

Hahaha, sock balls! I never had a name for them,  now I do :)

[topanga]

On 12/14/2016 at 1:16 AM, Jaded said:

All the damn Old Navy commercials with Amy Schumer. They are annoying and obnoxious. The latest one especially where she runs into an old boyfriend, his wife and kids.

But isn't that family beautiful? I kept staring at the parents because they looked like supermodels I should know. And their children were just as cute. 

Amy looked tore-up, but I think that was the point. You should see me when I drive the kids to school in the morning. Amy looks hott in comparison. LOL

[TattleTeeny]

On 12/14/2016 at 4:20 PM, Knitting Hippie said:

What irks me is that he sees his wife on the couch reading a book and orders her a laptop/tablet. She looked perfectly comfortable! Not everyone desires an electronic device to read a book....

I was staunchly "book only" until I got one! Now, while I still buy actual books often, I see all the awesomeness of a tablet! Suddenly want a certain book at 2am? Boom, you have it! Want something "fluffy" between your "real" reading preferences but don't feel like having the actual book taking up space on your shelves when you're done? Perfect! Don't want anyone to know what you're reading? Also perfect (I have never really cared about this). Don't feel like carrying a gigantic hardcover around (yes, I bought Under the Dome twice--once in HC and then in its Kindle edition for this reason)...reading on the treadmill (or watching stuff on Netflix, which was also great while I was away for the weekend over the summer and couldn't fall asleep without a TV on)...not sure what book(s) you want to take along on vacation and/or don't want to devote suitcase space to them? It's marvelous!

Edited December 16, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[Neurochick]

17 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

I was staunchly "book only" until I got one! Now, while I still buy actual books often, I see all the awesomeness of a tablet! Suddenly want a certain book at 2am? Boom, you have it! Want something "fluffy" between your "real" reading preferences but don't feel like having the actual book taking up space on your shelves when you're done? Perfect! Don't want anyone to know what you're reading? Also perfect (I have never really cared about this). Don't feel like carrying a gigantic hardcover around (yes, I bought Under the Dome twice--once in HC and then in its Kindle edition for this reason)...reading on the treadmill (or watching stuff on Netflix, which was also great while I was away for the weekend over the summer and couldn't fall asleep without a TV on)...not sure what book(s) you want to take along on vacation and/or don't want to devote suitcase space to them? It's marvelous!

You're right, tablets are great to take on cruises; just upload what you want to read and there you have it, without having to pack a bunch of hardcover books. 

Here's a commercial I detest.  For one, why doesn't the She Shed have a large TV inside of it?  Why is the She Shed outside the house, while the Man Cave is inside?  I mean if there is going to be a Man Cave and a She Shed, they should both have WiFi; and then the women wouldn't have to go into the Man Cave to watch TV. 

Edited December 16, 2016 by Neurochick

[Prevailing Wind]

I got a refurbished Kindle in case I have to be in the hospital (bad knees & hips). That's also why I converted all my tunes to mp3s & got two 16 gig mp3 players.  I've found the Kindle's handy for doctors' waiting rooms (and that interminable wait once you're in the examining room) and taking on vacation. It's a lot lighter to pack than several hardbacks and/or paperbacks.

And, luckily, my cell phone & the Kindle use the same charger, which I can plug into the "accessory" doo-hickey in the car (formerly, the cigarette lighter) while I'm on my Road Trips, so everything stays freshly charged!

[TattleTeeny]

Even paperbacks that don't take up much space. I get kooky and neurotic when packing (with clothes and books)--"What if I don't feel like reading this once I get there?!"..."What if I lose it or drop it in the pool?" (the latter of which could still happen with a Kindle, and be even worse!)..."What if I finish it too fast?" I don't know why I act like I am vacationing in a remote desert with nothing but that's me; it's a wonder I can get out the door.

Also, as an example, I read (and liked) the Hunger Games series. However, with a normal-sized condo that sometimes feels cluttered with two of us living here--both bibliophiles--I no longer feel like I need to hang onto every book I read; space is valuable (haha, only during my last move at age 40 did I finally donate all my Norton anthologies from college! There were maybe 12 of them [English lit major], each at least three inches thick and hogging up the shelves!). So, lighter fare, non-Stephen King fiction, run-of-the-mill poorly produced true crime (you know, the ones with loads of typos, flimsy and smudgy newsprint-style pages, and black-and-red covers), and cheesy "V.C. Andrews" are Kindle purchases. 

And Kindles, man--they stay charged for a long time. I got lucky with mine; bought it a year or two ago on Amazon's "deal day" or whatever it's called for a mere $65!

Edited December 16, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[LoneHaranguer]

1 hour ago, Neurochick said:

Here's a commercial I detest.  For one, why doesn't the She Shed have a large TV inside of it?  Why is the She Shed outside the house, while the Man Cave is inside?  I mean if there is going to be a Man Cave and a She Shed, they should both have WiFi; and then the women wouldn't have to go into the Man Cave to watch TV. 

I think the point is that you can use their TV service over WiFi so you don't have to be in the house to watch a show, just within normal WiFi range, like in that shed. If you were to put a large TV there, it's likely to get stolen. Either group could have kicked out the kids watching TV in the living room, or at least sat down and taken control of the remote. No reason why that house couldn't have had a She Cave inside, except that it wouldn't have fit what they wanted to push.

[proserpina65]

4 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Also, as an example, I read (and liked) the Hunger Games series. However, with a normal-sized condo that sometimes feels cluttered with two of us living here--both bibliophiles--I no longer feel like I need to hang onto every book I read; space is valuable

They still have these things called 'libraries'.

I stare at a computer all day at work - I don't want to do it when I'm reading for pleasure.

On a commercial note: do the Amy Schumer Old Navy commercials seem to be getting more and more obnoxious to anyone else?  I mean, now she's trying to steal someone's husband - you'd never have caught George & Wheezie doing that.

Edited December 16, 2016 by proserpina65

[iMonrey]

There's a new iPhone commercial that has grade-school children acting out Romeo and Juliet. The commercial begins like a real theatrical film where Romeo and Juliet are around seven years old, acting out the classic balcony scene against a realistic set. Then it turns out one of the dads is filming a school play with his iPhone, which must makes the movie look real. 

Nonetheless . . . why in the hell are grade school children performing Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet? You know they die at the end, right? That is not an appropriate play for children that young to be performing! Never mind the dialogue is way too sophisticated for them to understand, the very basis of the story is inappropriate for children that age. It's just disturbing all around. You'd think the parents would be up in arms the minute they heard the school was putting this play on with their little kids, not showing up to proudly film the damn thing!

[Bastet]

52 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I stare at a computer all day at work - I don't want to do it when I'm reading for pleasure.

That's why I don't use any sort of e-reader, although I am thinking of getting one just to use on long trips where I'll be moving from place to place several times, because it saves room and weight and it's important to pack light for that kind of travel.  But I haven't done it yet, because it's not the only way to keep myself in reading material without loading up my suitcase -- I like to pack one book, then when I'm finished with that, donate it to a library wherever I am at the time and go buy a new book - especially if it's something about the place I am or written by a local author - and just repeat until I come home. 

Anyway, since they've probably been married at least as long as however old the kid is, hopefully he's heard her mention she might want to give e-reading a try and thus it's a nice gift. 

But with the kid and the TV, I, too, have the "Get that get some glasses!" reaction.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

They still have these things called 'libraries'.

Yes, I know that. No time for them, and they solve only one of the issues I listed above. Plus, if the power goes out, I'm still able to read comfortably.

Edited December 16, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[ABay]

At home, I mostly use my Kindle to check email and listen to podcasts, although I have read a few books on it. I just enjoy the act of reading more with paper. When I travel, however, that Kindle is worth its weight in platinum because I can pack it with podcasts and videos, as well as use it for internet stuff. At the end of long day of being a tourist, it's more restful for me to watch or listen than to read anything other than a guidebook.

[TattleTeeny]

I prefer book-books too; I'm just really happy with the convenience of a Kindle in addition to that. I'm probably 25% Kindle/75% real book at this point. 

[Mabinogia]

I actually prefer reading on my kindle. I don't have a color one, but the paperwhite kind. It is not at all like looking at a computer and is actually much more soothing on my eyes than reading an actual book. When my eyes start to get tired, I just make the text bigger. haha

The Amy Schumer commercials bug the crap out of me, but mainly because she bugs me. I just don't get the appeal. Much like as soon as I see that commercial for some kind of coffee thing with Sofia Vergara I cannot change the channel fast enough. That woman's voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Interestingly, it is audio that makes a commercial annoying more than anything else. That voice, or bad singing. There was this commercial, was it orange juice, where they did the old 19040's recording of that song that starts with Good Morning, good morning. It's this drawn out, high pitched girly woman voice that burns my ears and as soon as I hear the G I rush to turn the channel or hit mute. If I miss, oh, I am sooooo irritated.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

I actually prefer reading on my kindle. I don't have a color one, but the paperwhite kind. It is not at all like looking at a computer and is actually much more soothing on my eyes than reading an actual book. When my eyes start to get tired, I just make the text bigger. haha

Haha, I almost always change the font style to a sans serif, and make the page color a pale tan/parchment kind of thing. Also, sometimes when I am reading a real book, I forget what I'm doing for a second and tap on the side of the page instead of turning it.

[LoneHaranguer]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

That is not an appropriate play for children that young to be performing! Never mind the dialogue is way too sophisticated for them to understand, the very basis of the story is inappropriate for children that age.

It's possible that the school changed up the story for the kids. Shakespeare is beyond a lot of adults too, commonly noted examples from Hamlet being "Get thee to a nunnery" and "To be or not to be...". Most people don't know that "nunnery" was also a word for brothel, and, as explained by the Fonz on Happy Days, Hamlet was talking about suicide in that soliloquy.

[Bastet]

20 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Shakespeare is beyond a lot of adults too, commonly noted examples from Hamlet being "Get thee to a nunnery" and "To be or not to be...". Most people don't know that "nunnery" was also a word for brothel, and, as explained by the Fonz on Happy Days, Hamlet was talking about suicide in that soliloquy.

Not to mention all the people who think Juliet is wondering where Romeo is ("wherefore art thou Romeo?").

[LoneHaranguer]

18 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Not to mention all the people who think Juliet is wondering where Romeo is ("wherefore art thou Romeo?").

It doesn't help that comedy and variety shows have done skits where that line was the cue for the actor to come on stage with something like "I'm here darling".

[Pickles]

Sarah Jessica Parker and her Stash perfume commercial. Ack. Lots of posing with the back of her dress unzipped. Lying on the bed, I guess mid-orgasm. No thank you.

[Brattinella]

I think the children doing Romeo and Juliet are charming.  I don't think it is inappropriate at all.  And what is wrong with expanding your vocabulary at any age?