I don’t know whether it’s showing in the U.S. at all or if it’s only up here in Canada, in honor of MTV returning to the airwaves up here (big deal), but they’ve had a campaign running with the theme being the “drought” since MTV has been gone. It showed various ads that were often a little gross like an athlete wringing out his sweaty sports sock into his mouth because he was so thirsty, or a housewife licking the inside of her dishwasher to quench her thirst. The tag line was always “The drought is almost over”.
And now it is. Apparently MTV is back. Without much fanfare in my home, I might add, since I don’t believe we have it in our current package. The new ad horrified me.
It shows humans dressed in blue jeans and white MTV t-shirts, falling from the sky, in the imitation of rain, with the slogan “Something in the water”. They don’t fall gracefully from the sky like the people in that sports drink commercial; they fall heavily, landing with thuds on the pavement. Eventually, the camera pans up and people are just falling endlessly from the sky.
The first time I saw it tonight, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was about the commercial that bothered me so much but I knew something about it disturbed me. When it aired a second time during my television show, I realized what the problem was.
It reminded me of September 11th. The entire attack on and consequential collapse of the World Trade Centers was appalling and terrifying and horrifying beyond words. Obviously. But you know what image remains burned in my brain to this day, so fresh it’s like I just saw it? The image of people who were so desperate and afraid that they jumped out of the buildings, falling to their deaths. It took me weeks to stop seeing that in my head. The first night I saw it on the news, I saw it every time I closed my eyes. Maybe it’s because of my immense fear of heights. Maybe it’s because I can’t – thank God – imagine being in a situation where jumping out of an 80th floor window seems like a better choice than staying put. I don’t know. Maybe it’s all of that plus the sheer horror of that day. All I know is that the MTV commercial brought it right back and I’m sure I can’t be the only one who thought of that when it aired.
I fully plan to change the channel the next time it comes on. And I’m still deciding whether it’s a waste of my time to write a letter to MTV.
I am so glad that I haven’t seen that. My first year in school I saw a man commit suicide by jumping off the roof of a highrise in downtown denver. I still turn my head away when I see scenes like that on tv and after watching that documentary by the two French (?) brothers I definitely can’t stand to see or hear those scenes.
I’m really, really glad that I don’t live in the right country (ies) to have seen that ad. It would disturb me a lot for exactly the same reason.
I’d write to MTV – the image of those people on September 11 still haunts me and I can’t bear to watch documentaries about that day because I *know* that they will always be mentioned…and it brings up a deepseated horror in me too.
Yes, that commercial was very disturbing. Poor Mad and Guy (Nick’s grandparents) who never watch TV almost died when they saw it in between AI (which they are addicted by the way, and as I said they NEVER watch TV).
Anyway, the Drought ones were just gross and this one was WOW! I couldn’t believe it; yes sex sells, but bodies plunging to their death from the sky? WTF, a new selling tactic?
Anyway, by the way, AI sucked last night… I wasn’t impressed.
Ugh yeah…I saw the dishwasher one not the falling form the sky one. We’ve been turning off the tv alot here where there are comercials I mean if we’re disturbed, how do you explain that nonsense to a preschooler? Thank goodness for PBS 🙂
I just saw that commercial for the first time and that’s exactly what I thought too. I was shocked that MTV would use a scene of bodies falling from the sky to promote their debut. I was immediately reminded of 911. I’m half-tempted to write them, but I’ll bet they’re getting lots of letters already. I’m willing to bet that ad gets pulled…
I’ve never seen the commerical, but as I was reading your description, I was also thinking of 9/11. and what you wrote about your horror of the falling bodies – I could’ve written that myself 🙁 That’s so f’ed up!
This is a joke right? I think the commercial is beautifull and fresh on Canadian tv. You all think of 911? Then don’t watch movies with explosions, fire, smoke, big buildings, etc. because that would remind you also of 911. This is a bunch of crap…