If You Buy It, Then...

After spending some time in class about the subtle details of advertisements that many of us do not notice, I went to youtube and found some interesting new adds. I came across a commercial for vitamin water that was actually banned. In the commercial, it shows two Bears playing football, and then Brian Urlacher comes up and tackles one of the bears. Then it pans to him drinking some vitamin water. Finally, a man says "power of nature" and then on the screen it says "It works, for Brian Urlacher".

The logic in this commercial is somewhat odd. Usually in sports drinks commercials, you see some explanation for why the drink is good and how it helps you perform at your peak. This, however, seems to get lazy. The only justification for the quality of their product is that it works for Urlacher, so it must be good. Although I find the commercial to be funny, when I take a deeper look I am not very drawn to drink vitamin water. Have advertisement agencies been getting lazy?

$176 in One Month

As part of an experiment, a CNN reporter tested himself and his budgeting skills. He was going to last one month surviving only on government provided money. He could spend only $176 during this entire month, and he learned what it was like to be in a position without privilege. He said that the hardest part about living on well-fare is making sure that you leave yourself enough food for the next meal. He was very meticulous about his spending, and had to re-train himself in the kitchen.

This man of privilege was able to experience the lifestyle a less fortunate person. It was very shocking and humbling to see how much of a struggle it is for families to live like this. Many people wrote on the reporters blog saying how $176 was a fortune relatively speaking. It was also a bit unsettling to see the nutritional challenges that less fortunate people have to go through. Getting enough protein proved to be difficult during the month. It is very humbling to see this man living off what a New Trier student might spend on lunch in a given day. This scenario gave me a bit of a reality check on the poverty situation.