Friday, March 28, 2008

The Orkin Man is Anti-Immigration

No comprendo this ad. So, a giant termite comes to your door and asks to use the telephone. So, you call in The Orkin Man to regulate. So, the termite rolls off in a low-rider that looks like it's straight out of East LA and the bug's gonna go rob a convenience store and tip a 40 with his amigos. Again, maybe I've been reading AdAge critic and legendary curmudgeon Bob Garfield too much, but the choice of car and demeanor of our "pest" gives the spot an oddly discriminatory vibe. Is that my own stereotyping? Perhaps. Am I overreacting? Probably. But you can't tell me the auto selection and portrayal of Tommy Termite isn't a little off-putting (and not just because he's a creepy, talking termite!). I mean, wouldn't it have been funnier if he was driving a Prius or something a little more conservative? I guess termites aren't green. And I think I need a nap.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The car looks to be a very stock Buick grand sport about 1970, not a low-riding '64 Chevy riding on three wheels.

I believe you're trying too hard to find a racial inference in which there isn't anything mentioned, referenced, or assumed in anyway or in any derogatory manner whatsoever.

I wish people would stop focusing on race; this country will never move forward as long as it continues to hyphen the American status.

Hyphens = segregation

Too many people in America are focusing on the problems, not the solutions to those problems. In other words, we will never be equal as long as we are defined by our skin color.

Anonymous said...

Hi there. I have made some researches about Orkin. It specializes in providing pest control services. The company focuses on extermination of destructive insects or other animals that attacks crops, food, livestock, etc. At the present time, the company has more than four hundred locations all over the United States and Canada. Orkin, Inc. is considered to be one of the leading companies in the industry. And on www.pissedconsumer.com I found computer reports about the company.