OK, I need to vent a bit here. Yesterday was the Super Bowl, and Baltimore won (I think), and the biggest things I am hearing about it are the power outage, that it was a close game (which I think is good), and that there was a "racist" Super Bowl ad for Volkswagon. The add in question? Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0xPWAtaa8
So, now that you watched it, you can understand my venting a little bit better.
As far as I can see, a white guy is talking with a Jamaican accent, turning anything that is negative into something that is positive. So, where is the "racism"? Is it the fact that it is a white man speaking with a Jamaican accent? Is that racist? Only black people can use that accent? So, by that reckoning, only white men in kilts can speak with a Scottish accent. Really? Is it the idea that it stereotypes Jamaicans as being fun-loving, happy people? Does this mean that I can no longer say that Chinese respect their ancestors, or that First Nations people care about the environment because it is racist? It boggles my mind a bit to think that people are so uptight about being politically correct about things that some harmless fun needs to be analysed beyond sanity?
When Valkswagon was asked about the ad, their representatives said that the ad was screened in front of hundreds of people, including 100 Jamaicans, and not a single complaint was made. The country of Jamaica seem to be cool with the ad, and people all over the internet are typing their frustrations at the insane complaints and accusations of racism for this ad. So I decided to get to the bottom of this and find out why it was deemed racist by some. Believe me, I am strong in my views against racism and all other sorts of prejudiced attitudes that infects our culture, so I wanted to research the other side before weighing in.
Guess what? When I searched for the ad on Google, it was very difficult for me to find any of the sources of the people who think that this is racist. Instead, I found people of all creeds and colour as flabbergasted as I am about the supposed controversy. So it gets me wondering where the outcries are coming from, and what the true motivation is. The conspiracy theorists out there might place the blame on VW themselves for cooking up or embellishing the controversy to further advertising effectiveness (the ad cost them $8 million to air during the Super Bowl, and this debate is getting them countless free advertising). The cynic is likely stating that this is the act of some narrow-minded party poopers who are only looking to get attention. Still, when someone says "controversial", it gets people talking. No, this ad is not racist. Some may be offended or uncomfortable, but maybe they just need to stop thinking about it, and then they just might realize that this is by far a non-issue. VW will sell some cars, get some publicity, and then we will move on to the next big non-issue.
My Top 10 list comes from Flickchart, a site I discovered a week ago where you can rank your favourite movies. According to their rankings based on my choices, my Top 10 Favourite Movies of All Time are:
10. Star Trek: First Contact. I know, many of you are expecting all of them to be the Top 10. No, I am a little more diverse than that. This is my favourite TNG film, and I saw it several times in the theater. I love the effects, the dialogue, and the hat tips to the franchise in general.
9. The Lion King. I think that this is one of the greatest films for animation, and has Disney's best musical score. It has action, comedy, romance, redemption, betrayal, and seems oddly Shakespearean. A must have for any movie fan.
8. The Incredibles. I love super heroes. I love most Pixar (not Cars, though). This movie is my favourite so far of all of the amazing Pixar films out there. So much to see, yet not overwhelming. I pick up new things each time a watch it.
7. The Muppets. A great movie, and I liked it even a bit better than the Muppet Movie. It was made by true fans, and Henson would be proud of it.
6. The Dark Knight. Not just a great super hero movie, but a great action movie. Heath Ledger gives a brilliant performance as the Joker, and it has enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. I only wish Ledger had not died so he could have been in Dark Knight Rises.
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. This is the best of the Tolkein based movies, and it is just so amazingly well done. Best of all, the LOTR series got people reading the books again, and that is always a good thing.
4. The Princess Bride. I can watch this again and again. It is a timeless classic, that is perfect for the whole family. I still giggle at the dialogue, and found the writing to be sharp and precise. The story-telling does not get much better than this.
3. Star Trek (2009). Yes, this is a reboot, but it is done with so much care and detail to not only satisfy the die hard fans like myself, but also bring many more fans into the fold. I am looking forward to Star Trek: Into Darkness this summer.
2. The Avengers. People who normally hate super hero movies enjoy this film. Yes, the fact that it is recent may play a big part into its ranking on my list, but it is a truly great movie and encases everything that a summer block-buster should have.
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. No big surprise here. If I could only keep one movie from my collection, this would be hit. Trekkie or not, I would be hard-pressed to find someone who could effectively argue that this movie is not a great film. Revenge, sacrifice, friendship, and the no-win scenario all rolled into one. By far my all time favourite.
