Pee Wee and Crack

by Francis

The stage is set. Pee Wee comes on, and the tone is grave. There is no music, only the haunting voice of the star of a "children's" program speaking in a voice that is decidedly not his usual tone. Pee Wee warns against the dangers of crack. "It isn't glamorous, or cool, or kid stuff."
The image of childhood communicated through this public service announcement is that children are in need of guidance. The child is positioned as aspiring to be cool above all else, through any means necessary. Pee Wee warns that you can die from crack and it is thus not worth trying crack even once (because no one knows how much it takes to kill someone) to attain you "cool" status. Children are the manifestation of innocence, and corrupting them with the dangers of crack cocaine will surely be the end of their idealic role as arbiters of progress and blank slates with the ability to save not only their parents but the American culture as a whole. Smoking crack could not only kill a child, but the underlying message in this PSA is that using crack could strip a child of their innocence and make them unable to serve their parents as in home "celebrities" who offer a new hope, as well as a sense of import/prestige within the home, and a new channel for the diminished agency parents suffered after WWII and the rise of bureaucratic and corporate prevalence in society.

Women, Know Your Limits

by Eric

This PSA begins with three couples at a dinner party – drinking, laughing, and enjoying themselves. Then the conversation becomes serious, talking about the economy, which is a normal topic for gentlemen. However, the guests are upset when one of the gentlewomen decides to offer her obviously uninformed opinion on the matter – her husband even threatens to leave. The scene breaks to show a scientific study with proof of the differences between male and female reception of knowledge. The last portion of the announcement returns to the dinner table, where a more appropriate comment regarding kittens is shared by the woman. This selection is a perfect model for young ladies to follow. It is obvious, from this PSA, that girls are unaware of the dangers of education, and must have impressed upon them the importance of social etiquette. The creators of this informative clip wish to maintain the innocence of children in the home, especially the young girls, and can only hope that when they grow up they do not embarrass themselves or their loved ones.

Above the Influence

by Tsunami

The PSA I chose was an abovetheinfluence.com commercial concerning smoking marijuana. The commercial itself is very simply drawn as if done by a child. The dog and boy, which are the two main characters, do not look realistic either and also appear as if drawn by a child. The background setting consists of a basic window, an uneven doorway, and an uneven seat which the boy is sitting on. Four colors, yellow, green, black, and red, are the only colors used in this commercial. Moreover, the characters do not actually speak or move their mouths; rather text appears next to them implying that the words are the dialogue. The words themselves have the same rough appearance of being created by a child. Even the animation of the cartoon characters seems childlike. The characters’ movements are irregular and do not flow smoothly as professional animation does. As far as the sound is concerned, there is music which sounds like whistling; a simple, happy, yet somehow somber tune.

Because the PSA is constructed and drawn in such a juvenile fashion, it’s as if the commercial itself is conveying the idea that even a child would know not to smoke weed, as if it were created by one. Therefore, if the viewer was a teenager or an adult and took marijuana, it could be conceived as a slight to their intelligence. The teen or adult would not want to be seen as a child as far as intelligence is concerned. In addition, the older male human character in the commercial is the one smoking pot and the dog is the one who is above the influence. In this way, it is again the adult who is being considered a child, crossing the boundaries and age, and disappointing the responsible dog with his drug addiction.

Jack Black and Piracy

by Evan

Public Service Announcements are very serious and have a serious theme. Most of the time they are explained with a serious man or "expert" who knows what they are talking about. This is most of the time though. The Piracy P.S.A. with Jack Black is hilarious. He makes fun of the P.S.A and puts his own twist on it. The subject matter is a serious topic but anything with Jack Black makes me laugh. At the end he makes fun of the "pirates" by calling them Douches. He explains how he puts all his time into his music and helps everyone have a great time but as soon as the pirates come and take the music for free he can not make rockit sauce anymore which in the end leads to no more kick ass rock and roll. Don't steal music is the theme and I believe that it is expressed fairly well using this satirical way of doing it.
Children who see this know who Jack Black is. I don't know anyone who is not a fan of his work. He makes funny movies, good tunes and rocks my world. The majority of children also feel this way and like him a lot. The best way to get something done is to be nice to someone and get them on your side. This Puts Children in charge and now that children are in charge they make the decisions and it feels like a favor to Jack Black when they don't steal his music. Now that they have done the favor they have become a good person and not stolen music.

Littering PSA

by Melanie

The public service announcement (PSA) I chose to describe is the one in which littering is discussed. In it there is a Native American who is canoeing through a river. As he rows, trash hits his oar, and the further along he rows, the more trash he sees. Finally he docks right next to a busy highway. As he stands, attempting to take in all of the pollution and litter, a car driving by throws out a pile of trash right at his feet. The camera then closes in on the Native American’s face, which has a single tear running down.

The commercial contains dramatic orchestrated music. The tone is low and worrisome. It makes one feel the panic within the Native American. The music has a large effect on the commercial, because it is the primary noise heard throughout the PSA, and sets the serious tone. The only voice at the end makes the main point, “People start pollution, people can end it.” This is what most would refer to as a call to action; meaning the PSA urges people to do the right thing, and every little bit will help.

The image of childhood that is being communicated is the idea that as a child you can do anything. In other words, one person makes a difference. The idea of littering is if every one does their part to help, the world would be a cleaner place. Another image of childhood that might be communicated is the panic a parent may feel when they realize the environment might be ruined for their children. They also want to make a difference because they do not want their children to grow up in a harsh area that is trashed, especially if they knew they were partially to blame.

Flintstones Winston Commercial

by Allyson

This commercial blurs the line between advertising and children’s television. Children first see Fred and Barney talking. By seeing familiar faces, children assume that this is a program for them, and not just an advertisement. Then, their wives enter doing outdoor housework. The men comment about how they hate to see their wives work but they keep standing around watching, implying a very simplistic view of gender roles. Then, Fred and Barney find a secluded place behind a boulder to have a cigarette. They seem to be hiding from their wives as if they know they are doing something wrong. As soon as the audience knows that they are going to smoke, we see the Winston label prominently featured. After the two men discuss the unique flavor and freshness, the women throw their domestic tools at the men as if that was the appropriate retribution for treating their wives like slaves. In the end of the commercial, we see Fred and Wilma enjoying Winston cigarettes. The closing shot is of their whole neighborhood under a Winston billboard turning off the lights for the night in a hyper-real sort of way (Everyone goes to sleep at the same time in this town?). It appears as though Winston cigarettes have brought together the Flintstone family. The producers imply that their product is a panacea for all families by showing the entire town in peace in the end of the commercial.

This commercial communicates that childhood is nothing more than a time during which it is easy to sell a product. The label is grossly oversized so producers want it to stick in children’s minds, perhaps so that when mommy takes her children to the store to buy her cigarettes, they suggest Winston because Fred and Barney like them. The kids might even permanently associate them with each other by knowing Winston as “the Flintstones cigarettes”.