A controversial television ad, airing in Washington on Sept. 16 during “The Daily Show,” warns viewers: Eat McDonald’s and die.
The darkly humorous 30-second spot, produced by nonprofit group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), shows a middle-aged wife in a morgue grieving over the corpse of her obese husband.
This is funny, but the kicker comes when the camera pans down to the hand of the corpse, which is holding a half-eaten hamburger. The last shot, and the best part, shows the iconic Golden Arches outlining the feet of the corpse with the text “I was lovin’ it”, a take on McDonald’s “Im lovin’ it”.
Who has beef with the fast food giant? The nonprofit group, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), produced the ad to bring awareness to heart-disease related deaths. The message is simple enough: eat shit and you will turn to shit.
The ad is part of a multi-city campaign airing in major cities with high obesity rates, so expect to see it in every major city except New York and Los Angeles.
September 18, 2010 at 7:12 am, johncbailey said:
Many opinions on this ad, and I see your points in most cases. Mine is from the point of view of the actor playing the dead guy. Thing is, I didn't know what the job was, just $200 to play a dead body for a day. Struggling actor. A guy. A job. Sure, my body type and age were right for what they needed, but as I laid there for 8 hrs, I realized that I WAS that guy. Whether you end up seeing these images or not, my body at one point was covered with fast food containers and cold french fries. Feet taped together for juuuuust the right angle to have the Arches superimposed. Ironically, treated like a side of beef. Consider: It was MEANT to be incendiary. Remember elementary school? “Meet me by the backstop after school” and the whispers of “fight…backstop…3 o'clock”?? You think the PCRM doesn't WANT a public fight? That they used the Arches thinking they WOULDN'T be sued? That they don't already have a cadre of pro bono vegelawyers with mountains of evidence? McDonald's has lost this fight before, and PCRM knows it. McDonald's: “Eat lots of our food and have fun!” PCRM: “Don't do that. Avoid fast food and meat, eat healthy (veggie), live longer. Oh, and btw, Mickey D's? Bring it.” Yes, there are many others out there promoting the fast food nation without remorse, but PCRM decided to load for bear. So, judge as you will.
All I know is, if the ad was shot today, I wouldn't get the job. Because I played the dead guy? No, because I know how to eat healthy and I want to die slower. Oh, and I enjoy cooking. Was the experience just one more, ironically “real”, wake-up call that I had a unique way of relating to because of what I do? Yes. From “being” dead, not from watching the ad.
Healthier, mostly meatless eating habits, fast food = trail mix and fruit, and 30 lbs later, I'm Lovin' It.
October 26, 2010 at 6:31 pm, The Walkman and How It Changed Us | Death and Taxes said:
[...] can’t claim that the Walkman made the world a slimmer place– more people are fatter now than ever. But it did make those who wanted to sweat in the first place hit the pavement harder. [...]