Sing it with me; “Blue Bell homemade ice cream, just like the good ole’ days.”
In the unlikely event that you are unfamiliar with this jingle, or if you don’t have Blue Bell Ice Cream in your area, allow me to tell you how I feel about this particular advertisement.
If I hear it when I’m driving, it makes me want to pull over to the side of road, forcibly rip the radio out of the dash with my bare hands, find Howard Kruse (the CEO of Blue Bell Ice Cream), and place my radio in such a position that the jingle comes out of his mouth every time he smiles.
You might be concerned that the reaction I just described is a little extreme, or that perhaps I’m off my medication, but the reason this jingle bothers me so much is that it taps into a trend that is one of my greatest pet-peeves. That trend is for advertisers and politicians to ask us to recall the “good old days” in order to further their particular agendas.
They want us to fondly remember an America from decades ago when everyone shared family values, all women were June Cleaver, and the biggest problem anyone had to face was someone spiking the punch at the Elks Lodge. There is a slight problem with this; that America never existed.
I was born in 1958. Allow me to outline some of what the decades since then have held both nationally and personally.
1950’s
Nationally – Korea, McCarthyism, Central High School in Little Rock, AR.
Personally – Diaper Rash
1960’s
Nationally – Kennedy Assassination, Bay of Pigs, Cold War, Vietnam.
Personally – Dodge Ball.
1970’s
Nationally – Returning Vets, Oil Crisis, Watergate, Disco.
Personally – Acne.
1980’s
Nationally – Iran/Contra Affair, Aids, Challenger disaster.
Personally – Weight gain.
1990’s
Nationally – Gulf War, Kosovo, World Trade Center bombing. Y2K
Personally – Hemorrhoids.
2000’s
Nationally – 9/11, major recession
Personally – Ear hair, AARP.
My point is not that every decade since I was born has been horrific. For every bad thing that has happened, both collectively and personally, a hundred wonderful things have happened. My point is that the “good ole’ days” is a myth and there is no point in history that we can point too that is utopian. To do so for business or political gain plays on emotions in a way that is dishonest and manipulative.
Right now, in this decade, I’m happily married, I have a great career, and I make a comfortable living. I also have a son and step daughter who are two of the greatest people who ever lived, and a brand new granddaughter.
I’m living the “good ole’ days” right now. I don’t need anyone to point to me to bygone times in order to sell me ice cream or get me to vote for them.
But I’ll have to admit, Blue Bell ice cream is REALLY good.
This pet peeve is the reason the movie 'Far from Heaven' is named what it is. The director was sick of everyone idolizing the 'Fabulous 50's' where there was rampant racial hatred, homophobia and a rigid clas and race structure that hurt lots and lots of people. Not some wonderous utopia....
ReplyDeleteThey're the "good ole' days" because we know we got through them. Having survived (and, usually, progressed), we selectively remember the highlights rather than the lowlights. Your perspective, though, is right on target--these days can be every bit as good, or better, than some foggy utopian memory.
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