There are no words. Actually, there ARE a few...
When I was pregnant (and indeed, for probably the first 8 months of my son's life, despite evidence to the contrary), I suffered from 'childless' syndrome. If you're a parent, you've no doubt encountered this syndrome as childless friends, family, and complete strangers peppered you with wisdom and advice as to how to raise your children. I like to think I did not suffer to that extreme in pregnancy, but I was just certain I would be the perfect parent. I would never lose patience, I would eat and feed my child healthy food (NEVER sweets!), and I would keep him entertained with healthy activities such as reading, building with blocks, and the study of Newtonian physics. Never, NEVER would I deign to poison my child with the likes of TELEVISION. At least not until he was old enough to learn about it from his friends.
Now that my son is two, I've had a year and a half to discover the experience that is not showering for four days and finding the time to do so only by using 15 minutes of "Dora the Explorer." My toddler is addicted to the movie "Cars," and rather enjoys "Happy Feet." He usually watches some combination of the two (and his "All About Trains" mini-kidocumentary) at least 3-4 times per week. That said, I do try to limit his screen time and I've always been rather offended by built-in DVD players in minivans. Corny as it may seem, I prefer to tell stories, sing songs, and let my son observe the nuances of his dad and I ranting about religion and politics.
Despite my distaste for that particular parenting tool, I've always managed to do little but roll my eyes when commercials appeared touting the device as one of many special features in a family vehicle. Chrysler's latest Town & Country commercial, however, is rather infuriating and - dare I say it? - even a bit offensive.
Though Youtube has failed me this time in providing the commercial for your own viewing pleasure, allow me to recap:
Now, my husband's and my families live a good 3 hours away. I will not deny that there have been trips in which I wished desperately for a portable dvd player to give us a moment's peace. But I've submitted only once that I can recall, pulling out my laptop to play "Cars" for my distressed toddler.
I am offended, however, by the idea that marketing personnel would seemingly glorify the dazed and glazed look that often comes over a child entranced with the television. I also find it rather painful that a commercial would encourage parents to effectively drug their children into calm and complacency. Truth be told, I am so disturbed by these commercials that I am finding it rather difficult to speak intelligently on the matter.
I'd like to write to Chrysler and express my displeasure. However, firstly I'm not sure I could speak with intelligent conviction to them either, and secondly I doubt it would matter to them. Because let's face it, advertisers try to make their product into what their potential consumers desire. The fact is, many mainstream parents would rather pull down a DVD player and have the instant gratification of quiet children than make the effort to interact with their kids, or provide more than a digital disk for entertainment. After all, a DVD creates far less mess than a stack of books, or crayons ground into the carpet, less noise than children's music or noisy toys, and requires far less effort than "I Spy" or "What Color Is That."
The whole situation just makes me incredibly sad.
Now that my son is two, I've had a year and a half to discover the experience that is not showering for four days and finding the time to do so only by using 15 minutes of "Dora the Explorer." My toddler is addicted to the movie "Cars," and rather enjoys "Happy Feet." He usually watches some combination of the two (and his "All About Trains" mini-kidocumentary) at least 3-4 times per week. That said, I do try to limit his screen time and I've always been rather offended by built-in DVD players in minivans. Corny as it may seem, I prefer to tell stories, sing songs, and let my son observe the nuances of his dad and I ranting about religion and politics.
Despite my distaste for that particular parenting tool, I've always managed to do little but roll my eyes when commercials appeared touting the device as one of many special features in a family vehicle. Chrysler's latest Town & Country commercial, however, is rather infuriating and - dare I say it? - even a bit offensive.
Though Youtube has failed me this time in providing the commercial for your own viewing pleasure, allow me to recap:
- INT. HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA
Mayhem. Students are shrieking, hollering, and causing a general ruckus. Paper airplanes litter the air and an apple flies past the camera screen.
CUT TO - A MIDDLE AGED MAN, POSSIBLY A TEACHER OR PRINCIPAL, IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM
HE reaches up and flips a mini dvd sreen down from the ceiling.
CUT TO - THE STUDENTS IN THE CAFETERIA
as they fall silent and stare, slack-jawed at the screen.
NARRATOR
(some bull about how important it is to always have a dvd player at hand to keep children in check)
CUT TO - INT. MINIVAN
you can see a family of four as we look in through the winshield. Father and mother in the front, a boy and a girl in the back, mesmerized by the built-in dvd player.NARRATOR
(the usual blah blah about the Chrysler Town & Country and how wonderful a built-in dvd player is)
A bit later, a similar commercial aired, touting the tagline, "When kids get what they want, you'll get what you want."
Now, my husband's and my families live a good 3 hours away. I will not deny that there have been trips in which I wished desperately for a portable dvd player to give us a moment's peace. But I've submitted only once that I can recall, pulling out my laptop to play "Cars" for my distressed toddler.
I am offended, however, by the idea that marketing personnel would seemingly glorify the dazed and glazed look that often comes over a child entranced with the television. I also find it rather painful that a commercial would encourage parents to effectively drug their children into calm and complacency. Truth be told, I am so disturbed by these commercials that I am finding it rather difficult to speak intelligently on the matter.
I'd like to write to Chrysler and express my displeasure. However, firstly I'm not sure I could speak with intelligent conviction to them either, and secondly I doubt it would matter to them. Because let's face it, advertisers try to make their product into what their potential consumers desire. The fact is, many mainstream parents would rather pull down a DVD player and have the instant gratification of quiet children than make the effort to interact with their kids, or provide more than a digital disk for entertainment. After all, a DVD creates far less mess than a stack of books, or crayons ground into the carpet, less noise than children's music or noisy toys, and requires far less effort than "I Spy" or "What Color Is That."
The whole situation just makes me incredibly sad.