05 December 2011 | A Not So Subtle Message

A friend of mine sent me a link to view a commercial by Rosemont Copper, a Canadian outfit wanting to get a foothold in Southern Arizona. The clip was very heartfelt and with a charming spokesman who was profuse in his thanks to all the support the community has voiced for the company in its desire to bring jobs and economic security to the region.

I hate commercials like this. Not because I have some particular ax to grind about open pit mining, but because it's just pure theater, absolute propaganda. Each time I see some commercial from Dow talking about the "human element" or ExxonMobile carrying on with leading the charge for renewable energy, all I see is a bunch of suits in a some office all nodding in agreement. They hate the actual message but realize they need to throw something to the ignorant masses to make them feel better about oil and gas. All I see is a cynical ploy at message manipulation.

Advertising is all about lying, to be sure, whether it's cosmetics promising to make you appear younger, shampoos lying about repairing split ends (truth is, nature takes care of that when your hair falls out: all other claims are bullshit), or smartphones making your life more complete. I understand this, it's a part of life in a first world country. But corporate commercials like the Rosemont Copper one just irk me to no end. Like I said, it's not because I am for or against this particular company, but because it's just so obviously phony. All of these companies are jumping on the "job creation" bandwagon while leaving out the salient details about how open pit mining or hydraulic fracturing really affect the environment. What I see is are businesses laying the groundwork for lobbying for less regulation, less oversight. "We can't create jobs if the federal government is insisting on rules!" Kind of reminds me of the "stop me before I kill again" taunt. "I can't create jobs so you will suffer," is the understood subtext. "Help me help you." Sure, right, never heard that one before.

Every time I see of these commercials, I think of an episode of "Seinfeld" when the character Elaine confesses to playing up her orgasms: "Fake, fake, fake!" That's the best way to sum up these 30-second propaganda pieces. I just wonder who exactly is buying this crap.