It’s the type of TV commercial we’ve grown accustomed to: the mock feel-good reality event with actors portraying actual people. In this one for pasta sauce company Prego, my bullshit detector maxed out. 1 – An event crew sets up dinner. It’s well-staged, designed for effect: wood chairs with wicker seats, long wood table, colorful glasses.… Continue reading Is Prego’s “Welcome to the Family” Ad Real or Fake?
Category: Dissecting Reality
“Vibrant” Means “Squalid”: Celebrating 7 Years of Vibrancy
Vibrant! Nothing wrong with vibrancy, is there? Actually, there is trouble in River City and it is vibrancy. In 2010, when I wrote the piece below, I had identified a certain usage of the term vibrant to mean, basically, a squalid, crime-ridden city area of some diversity that needed a positive spin and so: vibrant! I… Continue reading “Vibrant” Means “Squalid”: Celebrating 7 Years of Vibrancy