Very sick and so watching a lot of tennis on television. The use of religious imagery in ads is striking! In a commercial for Theraflu - a tasty Novartis cocktail of pain relievers (acetaminophen), antihistamines (chlorpheniramine maleate), cough-suppressants (dextromethorphan hydrobromide), and decongestants (pseudoephedrine hydrochloride) - a man sits on his bed in traditional stripped PJs. Nothing remarkable in this except his body is transparent. All the pillows, blankets and linens on the bed can be distinctly seen through him. His family is in the bedroom with him but don’t seem to be aware of his presence. After he drinks a cup of Theraflu, his body warms and becomes solid again and his family rejoices. In the 19th century many a traveling patent medicine salesman may have made many bold claims for their products, but none as bold as this! Theraflu can bring the dead back to life. I found another commercial on You Tube which was even more specific about the miracle that is Theraflu.
Yet religious imagery is not reserved for pharmaceutical truths alone. In a commercial for the Jeep Liberty a squirrel drops though the open sun roof to join the driver singing Neil Diamond hits. The pair are joined by two kingfishers and then by a baritone wolf who eats one of the birds but spits it out at the driver’s pained look. The message is clear. You are not just a saint if you buy a Jeep, you are Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, birds, and the environment. Those are pretty big shoes to fill in these days of global warming, but then the Liberty is a pretty big car.
You may comment on this passage with my blessing.
