This is our country? (read that any way you want)

I am sure you are familiar with the John Mellencamp jingle pandering to those unsatisfied patriots out there who haven't bedecked their cars with quite enough yellow-ribbon and American flag magnets (Oh say does that star spangled decal yet... stick?). Okay, I won't bash them too much, I just find it a bit campy... Mellencampy, perhaps.This commercial, produced by Chevy (which I am sure y'all have all seen while waiting for various timeouts) uses the song as its official jingle (an embedded youtube video is available at the bottom, read to it first!):

The dream is still alive
Someday it will come true
And this country
It belongs to folks like me and you
So let the voice of freedom
Sing out through this land
This is our Country.

So, what is it that bothers me? Is it the creeped-out feeling I get seeing images of only the most ridiculously white heterosexual stereotypes one could come up with, coupled with a chorus claiming ownership of the United States? Go on, find a non-white man in this ad. So lets analyze, in order:

Our role models are cowboys! Cool! JIMMY OVER THERE IS WHERE WE USED TO BEAT UP YER GAY UNCLE JIM-BOB. HAVE SOME CHEW. crap. I thought maybe they'd be gay cowboys.

We eat massive amounts of lumber for breakfast each day? (well, its accurate that we do... in a wasteful sense).

Two men discuss how disappointed they are about Huckabee not being in the ad. WE WANTED TO MEET OUR NEXT PRESIDENT! GET ME SOME MORE EGGS!

Our backbone is some sort of heavy machinery. Presumably this is some sort of oil rig? Backbone, Achilles heel, same thing....

Next, we have an NRA pandering photo op for ______ (insert presidential candidate here). Is the wingman the dog? Or is the wingman the hunter? Either way, I WANT A DAMN PHEASANT FOR DINNER. THE SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS PROTECTS MY RIGHT TO HAVE A FREAKIN' PHEASANT WHENEVER I WANT.

Our philosophy is that our perfectly groomed, perfectly white boys will become boyscouts and use their merit-badges to protect our right to have a freakin' pheasant. Wait a second... there aren't any women in here either....

Oh, but it isn't over yet. It gets more disturbing. Insert a photo of dead NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt. Dead people don't belong in advertisements. And how exactly is that our attitude? I can't even come up with an italicized quip here.

Lastly, the most disturbing part of the ad comes at the very end. 'This is our purpose' flashes on the screen as a delightfully diverse baby boy is shown on the shoulder of his father. Oh wait, my screen was tilted wrong. So I have learned that the purpose of life is to breed and produce another generation of uber-white babies who rape the environment, vote for idiots, love their guns, and watch NASCAR. THIS IS OUR COUNTRY.

*moment of silence*

TOO MUCH! So here it is:




Sure, I just over analyzed an advertisement. But it honestly always has disturbed me, and still does every time I see it. It makes my skin crawl a little. Ah, well, I suppose its better than the original, which shows ground zero, and post-Katrina New Orleans mess, MLK junior, and hippies, among other things.... in order to sell trucks.

WHAT THE HELL!?

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, CHEVY!?!?!?!

I think this post still applies to politics and sexuality... if you have any qualm with that... well you just aren't an American patriot like me.