I’ve seen others recently, but the two I saw today are a Capital One commercial and a Progressive commercial.

In the first, the Capital One guy is talking to a couple of people. He is asked what he does for fun, and he does not know what to say. Then, they cut to him getting ready to sleep at the bank.

Another is the Progressive commercial where Flo talks with another woman about vacations. The other woman doesn’t seem to know what a vacation is. Flo begins describing what one is. In the end, she says she doesn’t really know, gives up, and says she’s never been on one either.

I was thinking about them while driving and came to the title thought.

  • Ultraword@lemmy.ml
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    5 hours ago

    They’re pushing for more and more. All the recent talk about increasing the retirement age. The idea that being a stay-at-home mother is somehow oppressive and bad, and the solution is two parents working is actually better.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      The idea that being a stay-at-home mother is somehow oppressive and bad

      Orthodox Conservatives can’t seem to square that circle. You’re supposed to be a hustler, bringing in those bags, living the ultra-shiekh lifestyle with the 2.3 kids and the Mega-McMansion and the expensive cars and clothes and whatever the fuck else. But then you’re also supposed to be this very humble, folk-of-the-earth religious traditionalists with a one-income household and a giant quiver-full of kids and a military career and also I guess you’re supposed to grow your own corn or some shit?

      Everything’s just optics. Nothing is real. When push comes to shove, you aren’t supposed to exist at all. Other people are supposed to stare at an AI facsimile if you and be jealous of how well it is doing at everything.

  • verdi@feddit.org
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    5 hours ago

    Metallica, has a really great early album whose title is very educational on how ond should deal with this type of ijustice

  • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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    15 hours ago

    Not just commercials, TV shows, too.

    Last season, The Rookie had an episode where a rookie trainee cop, who was living in his car, got an offer from his best friend in college, a successful NFL quarterback, to be his head of security. He’d live in the guys mansion, and get paid about 4x what he was making as a cop.

    All of his cop friends talked him out of it because " you wouldn’t be living your life, you’d be living his."

    Yeah, what’s wrong with that? Your life sucks, you’re working full time at a dangerous job, and you can’t afford to live anywhere but your car. Why wouldn’t you rather live your friend’s life?

    Of course, he gets talked into staying a cop and living in his car, because that was the more honorable choice, somehow.

    • krooklochurm@lemmy.ca
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      3 hours ago

      The rookie is just… so fucking bad.

      I like Nathan Fillion but it’s so. So. Bad. Everything about it is bad. The acting, the story, the characters. It’s just crap.

    • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      But if he stays in his current career, he’ll eventually be able to afford a second car, maybe. To dry his laundry in for example.

      • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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        We’ve reached a point in American society where living in your car is not only a viable living option, but a better one than many, since so many people can’t even afford a car.

        Now that Larry Ellison, the world’s 2nd richest Psychopathic Oligarch owns Paramount and CBS, we can expect to see a lot more MAGA propaganda about how poor people get all the breaks, and ruthlessly exploit the hapless wealthy, just so they can waste it on luxuries like food, homes, and health care. It just isn’t fair!

    • CottonMcKnight@midwest.social
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      Dang that young guy could’ve saved a lot of money for the 4-8 years his friend was in the NFL and would’ve been able to go into a different career pretty easily.

      What is the Rookie even? Copaganda?

      • RamenJunkie@midwest.social
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        4 hours ago

        Eh, not really. It way more grounded that moat Copaganda shows like Law and Order. Funny too at times, since its a pseudo comedy series.

        • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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          It was a fun show at first, but it has definitely been veering into copaganda territory for the last few seasons. I hate watch it now.

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    14 hours ago

    The commercials on the in-seat entertainment on Singapore Airlines are insane.

    Three in a row with exactly the same moral: if you don’t make your kids multi-millionaires, you are a failure and you will die forgotten with a worthless legacy. It doesn’t matter if you’ve already got enough money to live comfortably, you need a lot more. Invest for the future by buying this fucking wristwatch.

    The other common theme is that the adult children in each of the adverts all look like the worst fucking slicked-back-hair entitled assholes you’d ever meet.

  • Griffus@lemmy.zip
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    15 hours ago

    I’m guessing this is an American problem? Cause commercials in Norway is more about what chocolate to bring on a hike, what chocolate brand is made both for enjoyment and to repell trolls, and that you won’t be able to enjoy your weekend without Kim’s chips.

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        24 hours ago

        They heard that Millennials and Gen Z like fatalistic humor and decided to try and cash in on it. But, like… it’s not fun when it’s a corporation saying “Ha ha, you’ll never retire.”

        • Doomsider@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          “Ha ha, you will never retire because we know we don’t pay you enough to!” - The majority of corporations in America

          Yeah, that is hilarious.

  • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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    16 hours ago

    it sorta of does, and its also propaganda in a way too, makes you think a certain way to buy something, and get distracted at more important things. thats why commercials for sports, Shows(especial -AGANDA) shows.

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    16 hours ago

    They also try to promote a positive image of “work-life blend” in order to try and spark people’s enthusiasm for working pretty much 24/7.

    As in, “work-life balance is a bad concept because it makes work look evil. Let’s put work into all aspects of life, make you live and breathe work, then you won’t think about it”

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    I’ve seen some of those while out and about. In the first place I have a long gap, often months, between seeing commercials (and thanks to Lemmy for being part of what makes that possible). It feels like they are advertising the high that comes from sleep deprivation. That’s not being locked in, it’s killing yourself.

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    Forget commmercials. Most people I know/met lately seem to think anyone who isn’t working 60-80 hour weeks is a ‘loser’.

    working 30-40 hours now is considered ‘lazy’.

    • tlmcleod@lemmy.ml
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      4 hours ago

      I don’t even wanna do 30 a week. That’s over a full day of time i could use for myself if i didn’t need fucking money so badly. Those 60-80 willingly people are fucking nutso

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      I think it’s fine to work 60-80 hours a week if you’re in a place in your life where you don’t have anyone to go home to and you can actually make more money off it (either as a contractor with an hourly rate, or a business owner). Not for long though, because it gets lonely.

      Most people shouldn’t work more than 40 though. Definitely if you have a family, go home and spend time with them. There’s a saying in my language that translates to “work doesn’t run away from you”, as in, there will always be more work to do, but your toddler won’t always be a toddler.

    • MajorasTerribleFate@lemmy.zip
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      You probably can’t change their mind, but you can remember that their opinion doesn’t define you. And also you have just as much power over them (that which they grant you), which you can use to try to instill in them a sense of living their own life instead of working for the glory of the Corpos.

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      Met a vet doc that disparaged a vet that leaves at 5: “8-5 and then she’s gone. Nobody wants to work any more”

      • MajorasTerribleFate@lemmy.zip
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        Infuriating. The point of advancing society and dividing labor into specialties is so that we can create more for our world than if each of us tried to a little bit of everything (farming, crafting, medicine, etc.) beyond the small amounts we choose for joy or satisfaction. And then with that, we get to have more free time, because we actually only need so much to make our society work and improve at a reasonable pace.

        The people who think we all need to bust our asses got hoodwinked by the ownership class into producing even more for their overlords.

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    The first one at least seems to think people want the people who do work for them to not have a life. Indicates they think their customers have no empathy or class solidarity; which is probably mostly true. We use a lot of products that involve slave labor or something close to it.

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      most upper middle class professionals I have met in my life do not have lives other than work. they take their 2-3 weeks off on expensive international vacations, but have no hobbies and their social life is just drinks with co-workers. Work is their religion, their family, and their entire identity. Your job is who you are and there can be no separation from it.

      even if they do have a hobby it’s only viewed as valuable in terms of productivity. like working out for more energy/health so you can be a more productive worker. or reading non-fiction to improve your work productivity/knowledge, etc.

      they ‘have it all’ but yet they are deeply unfulfilled and unsatisfied with their lives and think more work and promotions is what is going to fill the hole.

      i just went out with a woman this weekend who is a head pharma research scientist. asked her what she does in free time/hobbies and her response was “i don’t have time for enjoying life.” and she was really proud of this and started condescending to me because I actually enjoy life.

      • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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        yea i noticed that too, i was in JD recently and most of the potential jurors, were programmers, engineers. they mostly had very motonous lives, yes they were all sorta of forced to explain thier lives to seek out potential biases or if your making up a bias to get of JD(we spent several days listening to thier lives and bias), oh i this and this but i do. you know these People have shit ton of free time, because alot of them were chosen to be on the jurors, most of them are probably working from home anyways. and was reaffirmed on a jurty duty forum.

        i had like 2 brothers in tech, and they are practically this, at least before the layoffs, had thier hours spent on the jobs, then randomly go an international vacation, but no other hobbies, and they do workout and listening to roegan. and he thinks his free time is chastising the rest of the family for whatever problems, inadequecies they have.

        i assume she earns more than you? its almost always comparing incomes to you or oanother person, and then make judgemental comments how come you are so much poorer, you can go do this and this to get rich.

        or its a wierd ego thing, about im a PHD/MD, and you dont have a degree.

  • Nemoder@lemmy.ml
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    I had the exact same thought. I get the intent, it’s a “hello fellow kids, we understand you!” but the fact that there are so many people in that situation to make it relatable is already depressing enough without making it sound like it’s the normal everyone should just accept.

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      That isn’t even the message, the message is “our workers don’t have lives because they are so dedicated”.

      Its not something to accept, but aspire to.

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    2 days ago

    The cold medicine commercials are big on going to work while ill. If you can’t sleep because you’re sick as fuck, please don’t come to work and pass it to the rest of us!

    • bigfondue@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      Next time you’re out at a restaurant, keep in mind that American restaurants for the most part do not give their employees sick days at all. Bon appetit

    • UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml
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      If you can’t sleep because you’re sick as fuck, please don’t come to work and pass it to the rest of us!

      Someone should tell my boss

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        Over here in Germany there’s no sick pay when you’re self employed, but there is (by law) when you are an employee.

        I had been self employed from my 20s to 50s and am an employee for 6 years now.

        I was in hospital last week to get my back fixed and am on sick leave for 4-6 weeks now. It’s still fucking amazing to me, that I can heal up now and will still get my payment into my account end of the month.

        Having things like that written into law is amazing.

        • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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          Must be nice…

          coughs up a bloody lung diseased with covid

          'Scuse me while I go work my job assisting the elderly and disabled.

          • froh42@lemmy.world
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            Ah fuck I hate that, when people go to work sick and infect everyone else. (Yes I understand you need to, and it’s not your fault. So I hate your boss.)

            The history is interesting, we got health insurance and paid leave in the 1880s from Bismarck. He was trying to appease workers so they won’t flock to the socialist or social democrat parties which were booming at that time. At the same time Bismarck outlawed left wing parties. (It was a stick and carrot approach).

            In 1969 we had a bipartisan left - right government (“great coalition”) and they put up to 6 weeks of paid sick leave into. law.

      • Sc00ter@lemmy.zip
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        23 hours ago

        My job offers time off. Its 1 bucket of time off. If you want more time off, you have to work more OT to “offset” it

      • Mac@mander.xyz
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        2 days ago

        I’ll be sure to do that the next time i’m making these decisions.

      • UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml
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        1 day ago

        Legalize cocaine so I can free base some crack before work and I’ll be ready for anything (like getting fired).

    • CodingCarpenter@lemmy.ml
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      I just saw a new one from the NyQuil company last night that they’re now making pain quill? So now they’ll sell you what I believe is just liquid ibuprofen and liquid cold meds so you can go to work even with that awful headache from being sick