swimmers in commercials

I'm baffled with this discussion. Since when have we all started expecting that something on TV will be portrayed accurately??? :rolleyes: As for me, even though it's portrayed stylistyically, I'm glad that the IS swimming in commercials and on TV. Yeah, even if it's salt water, at least my glass is always half full. ;)

Originally posted by Michael Heather Much as we would all like to think that the drug commercials are directed at the children imperiled by the easy acquisition of controlled substances, they are not. They are a stark and graphic reminder of what we, as parents, will witness if we abrogate our duties to our children and society in raising those children. Public school systems have become a joke, acting little more than a child care system, rewarding children for feeling good about themselves, rather than actually learning something that will matter for the rest of their lives. And this has come to pass because we, the parents, have not lived up to our jobs to provide the atmosphere at home that rewards thinking and creation with challenges and hard won praise. Maybe we are too busy tracking practice times or rushing off to the next meet. I know this is kind of a downer, and I have traveled off topic, but how critical is it to stay focused on this one? Hi Mike, I like your post! Sort of the Legacy of the "ME" generation, isn't it? No, we can't have it all, there are choices to be made. But seriously, how can you expect parents who have trouble understanding that healthy self esteem comes from doing a good job, making sacrifices and right choices, rather than from 'having it all' or a quick gratification... How can you expect they will teach that to their children. Kind of sad. heh, you got me started on a pet peeve topic now! And no, I don't think it's the responsibility of the schools or the government to take over parental responsibilities. I did like it where I was raised, where there was still a lot more stigma in society about certain things, then it is here in the US, or at least in So. Cal. No, I don't have the solution for this, althought it does seem like for a job well done, you need a healthy set of parents, and the help of the 'village'. Without the parents, there is only so much the 'village' can do, and without the 'village' there is only so much parents can do. Okay, I'm off the soapbox for now

Originally posted by aquageek cinc - not sure anyone is stereotyping CA kids. Not sure where you got that from. Also, where do you get your facts that the majority of CA kids are hispanic. Seems to me you are the one stereotyping, since more kids allegedly have to avoid gangs than drugs. If people didn't look at 'sterotyping and generalizations' as truths, perhaps they wouldn't see them so upsetting. One can't make statements and conclusions based on sterotypes, and then expect them to given any more than an anecdotal entertainment value. Personally, it's somewhat entertaining to see how people stereotype things, but I don't make value judgements or important decisions based on stereotypes. Unless of course you're doing market research in preparation for a tTV commercial shoot, in which case sterotyping your target audience may come in very handy. You actually have a chance to appeal to a slightly larger percentage of the target audience. Perhaps that's why the swimmers in commercials have less then flawless thechnique... Apealing to the 250+milion of americans who can't swim 500Y, rather than the few hundred thousand (I'm guessing here USA swimming and Masters combined?) who can. I know - I know, nice try tying it back into the topic. :p I bet it's more like, that people making the commercials just didn't have clue, or didn't care. ;)

You know what the best part of this is? Achieving the end result! They did exactly what they intended.....got is all talking about their products! Then when we go to the store and look for merchandise....their name sticks in our mind....and we are more likely to buy that product!!! As far as the school thing goes.....if the schools are that bad in your area...take charge and do something about it...instead of complaing about it. We ARE the majority..the elected ARE the minority. Believe it or not everbody but the President of the United States is elected by the masses....that's US!!!!

Originally posted by tjburk You know what the best part of this is? Achieving the end result! They did exactly what they intended.....got is all talking about their products! Then when we go to the store and look for merchandise....their name sticks in our mind....and we are more likely to buy that product!!! Actually, I've seen just about all of the commercials that you guys are talking about,. and I couldn't name one of the products. (Not untill I start reading the posts) I did notice the swimmers though.

Speaking of swimmers in commercials, I'm sure we have all seen the Encyte spot that has "Bob" swimming at the party. I have always wondered if these types of drugs would be helpful in Masters Swimming or create to much drag!;) I'm sorry. I tried to keep this as g-rated as possible:D

Public Schools a joke, surely you jest (oh wait I live in Oregon where they were asking some teachers to work for free or even cut days off the school calendar to help balance the budget due to fiscal changes, even Gary Trudeau of Doonsbury poked fun of Oregon). In regards to the commercial and how realistic is it - my experience as a high school swim and water polo coach is that the sport is not as pure and innocent as we would like to think. I am not saying that all high school swimmers are addicts but the swim team members is a represantation of society so you are more than likely to get someone who hhas or is using a substance. In regards to using real swimmers in commercials, I was an extra in a McDonalds commercial and they used some real swimmers - Pablo Morales, Carolyn Steinseifer and Nancy Hogshead.