This Ad Isn't Helping Israel, Guys

‘Killing Jews is Worship’ posters will soon appear on NYC subways and buses

So first off, I don't understand the judge's decision. Must the MTA accept all advertising? So if I want to create an ad featuring a naked woman straddling an armadillo with the message, "Time to ride the horny armadillo," the MTA can't say no? They've just got to roll with it?

I'm all for free speech, but there's nothing in the 1st Amendment that says a publisher HAS TO publish anything it receives. Otherwise, my very convincing article about how we actually evolved from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who were warped back in time (as alluded to in the classic video game, "Turtles in Time") would have been published in the New York Times.

Secondly, Washington Post reporter Michael Miller writes, "Making the case all the stranger is that the posters are not the work of an Islamist group, but rather a pro-Israel organization." But is the "American Freedom Defense Initiative" even pro-Israel? Because this ad does nothing to convince anyone to support Israel. It does the exact opposite.

The most convincing argument among liberals inclined against Israel is that "the country is not a place of freedom and justice, but a place where Arabs and Muslims are subjugated, segregated and subjected to discrimination and prejudice." All this ad does is, well, reveal that this supposedly pro-Israel group believes "all Muslims are terrorists." Which plays into the hands of Israel's critics. If critics call you a country founded on prejudice... maybe don't launch an ad campaign that highlights your prejudicial viewpoint?

If you want to place an ad convincing people to support Israel, then why not create an ad like this:

That took me all of 2 seconds, so excuse the clunky language. My ad team will refine it in our brainstorming sessions. But hell, it makes a much better point. It's easy to say Israel shouldn't exist, that Israel is an apartheid state. But what do you want instead? Gaza?

What other country in the Middle East would you hold up as an example of equal human rights? What other place could an Arab and a Jew even consider having a friendship? That's the best argument for Israel-- its government may be a right-wing nut factory, its rights record sometimes spotty, its military sometimes overzealous (sounds kinda like a country closer to home) but Israel is the only functional democracy in the Middle East that doesn't punish its people with Sharia law and allows freedom of expression (Israel is the only country in the region to have a free press, according to freedomhouse.org). It's not an evil country, hanging gay people, stoning women, arresting and torturing dissenters. It's an imperfect country, but so is the United States.

And yet the American Freedom Defense Initiative's ad plays up the viewpoint of the far-right-wingers, the messianic settlers, many of whom--just like the far-right-wingers in America---are xenophobic, racist, bigots. There are some people in Israel who believe all Muslims are terrorists, just like a lot of people in Texas do. But they're not representative of Israel. As much as the American Freedom Defense Initiative's ad makes them out to be.

I looked into this group (again, something that took me 2 seconds) and I have to disagree with reporter Michael Miller's characterization of the AFDI as a "pro-Israel group." Up until recently, the organization was actually called "Stop Islamization of America," which, as the name suggests, had little to do with supporting Israel and everything to do with spreading anti-Islamic rhetoric. Knowing this, it's clear the ad isn't aimed at convincing anyone to support Israel. It's aimed at spreading anti-Islamic hatred. Something the judge in this case should have realized.

If I were the MTA, I'd defy the judge's order. But since I'm not, I can only urge this. Deface every one of these stupid ads you see. Tear them, write over them in permanent marker, cover them in stickers. Because this ad is not how to support Israel. Not if our desire is for peace and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Hate may grab attention. But love wins hearts.

This Ad Just Maybe Misses The Mark



Hey Ladies, Want A Raise? Then Just Wash Your Hoo-Ha.

How Has AT&T Or Verizon Not Used This In An Ad?

Those map commercials, both Verizon's version and the AT&T Overweight Luke Wilson response, annoy the hell out of me. How they haven't mined the world of horror movies for an inspired commercial, I'll never understand:

The Most Annoying Commercial In The World

I can't remember a time when the Associated Press ever ran a story about an ad annoying people. But the ubiquitous "Saved By Zero" Ad campaign launched by Toyota to herald their 0% financing event has apparently ruffled more than a few feathers:

"It's pretty much unanimous that everyone I've talked with thinks it's very annoying," said Colin Anderson, a 19-year-old freshman at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He created the Facebook group "Stop Playing Toyota's 'Saved by Zero' Commercial" after first seeing it a week and a half ago. The group has since swelled to more than 1,200 members and is growing.

At issue is that hypnotic, red bouncing 0% sign (which would have been a great costume for Halloween, by the way) and of course, the song "Saved By Zero," which seems designed to penetrate into the furthest reaches of your skull, staying there until it finally eats your brain from the inside, all but forcing you to go down to the nearest Toyota dealership in order to beg a salesman to run you over with a brand spanking new Corolla.

Esquire Magazine has a piece here about the ad.

The ad, below, might be tolerable, once. But on TV, it often appears in bunches. Like a street gang, one Blood might not scare you, but a pack of them will:



Who does that song? Well, the original "Saved By Zero," is by a band called The Fixx. Hear the original, less annoying version, here. Ironically, the song's meaning appears to run counter to result it's producing in the TV watching audience:

The Fixx’s impressionistic songs are inspired by events in their lives as well as in the world around them. “Saved By Zero’s” minimalist view came from the experience of touring. “Part of the routine,” said lead singer Cy Curnin, “is becoming more lightweight, doing away with encumbrances. Zero is the point of relaxation.” --Shuttered Room/Reach The Beach songbook

Relaxation. Yes, what most of us are trying to do on Sundays while watching football. Until the "Saved By Zero" ad comes on and sucks away whatever happiness remains of the weekend.

There's some speculation on who actually sings the ad version, here. Presumably, once we know who is responsible, we can eliminate them and all memory of this song from the earth.

A group called Empire State Human did a cover of "Saved By Zero," but I don't think it's the one used in the commercial: MP3 Sample

Hopefully, someone gets to the bottom of this soon.

This Ad Blows

... actually, it's AMAZING. Creative, get's its message across. When you watch it, you'll understand.



(discovered on Clicked)