The Power of Commercials; The Supply of Virgins

My local NPR radio outlet announcer warned me not to be alarmed if I noticed a suicide bombing in progress this weekend in downtown Los Angeles. It would just be a realistic recreation of a suicide bombing intended for an Iraqi anti-bombing commercial. Here's a news article.

"That's not gonna work," I thought. "The best way to dissuade a suicide bomber is to give the guy a job with a future."




Or maybe find him a religion which promises virgins before he dies, not after.

But I like watching good commercials. And I like watching explosions. So I really want to see this when it's finished.

In our culture you can get people to change their attitudes or change their votes or spend their money foolishly by repeatedly showing them commercials.

Who would ever think a tv commercial could stop a fanatic in Iraq from blowing himself up?

Only someone who fanatically believes the "free-market" can solve any problem.


Maybe we should be showing Iraqis things like this. It's a commercial from Europe for "Lynx". (They sell the same crud in the US under a different name with different commercials.)

It's really a very sweet and well-told one minute story. Apparently it's too sexy for Americans. Imagine what the Iraqis would think. (Leslie likes the music. Click here if you agree with her.)

Maybe they could stop suicide bombings by running ads in the Middle East announcing that you stand a better chance of getting yourself a virgin by becoming a fundamentalist Mormon.


The supply of virgins is a big issue in parts of Utah. According to this article in the LA Times, Warren Jeffs (who might be in Texas following in the footsteps of David Koresh) is the head of a religion which "believes that men need a minimum of three wives to be granted complete salvation." I'm pretty sure they insist that all brides be virginal.


More videos.

Virgins must advertise. Here's a gay friendly tv ad (or is it?). Here's one in a mental hospital.

Not everything can be "virgin" but some things are just like it.

Non-sequitur: Trying to lose weight? Here's a video to help ruin your appetite.

Read 'bout Suicide Bomber Barbie by Simon Tyszko here.

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