All you really need to know about George Bush’s America in a thirty-second television advert

This post was written by MJ on 27th Jan, 2003
Even if the game didn’t live up to its advance hype, at least the Super Bowl’s ads entertained.
(And let us pause now and pray for all those poor souls who had to watch the Global broadcast of the game. Howdyalike Izzy now?)

Terry Tate, office linebacker, was acclaimed as the crowd favourite, even if none of us knew what a rampaging office worker has to do with shoes; easily the worst was the anti-drug spot from the US’s Office of National Drug Control Policy.

It starts off with a thirtysomething woman soundlessly worrying over a pregnancy test. “Their will be an addition to their family soon,” a super explains, as the camera cuts to a man, assumedly the woman’s husband, looking on. “Their lives will change dramatically.”

And as the camera cuts to a young woman, evidently their daughter, the punch-line: “They will be the youngest grandparents in town.”

And then the voice over: “Smoking marijuana impairs your judgement. It’s more harmful than we all thought.”
Ah, finally, two of fundamentalist America’s worst tendencies, together at last: Mindless, hypocritical puritanism on recreational drugs and opposition to abortion.

The anti-drug spot was sandwiched between two Budweiser ads. Readers are invited to draw their own conclusions.