One Of The Most Beautiful, Touching and Meaningful Commercials I Have Seen In Years - Great Beer Too!


Selene

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This Guinness beer commercial featuring a wheelchair basketball game will put dust in the eyes of even the most macho and stoic of viewers -- even before the heartwarming twist! (Mobile and tablet users: Watch here!)

http://archive.indystar.com/interactive/article/20130909/NEWS09/309090033/VIDEO-Guinness-wheelchair-basketball-beer-commercial-will-make-you-tear-up-

If you are not moved ask yourself why?

A...

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This Guinness beer commercial featuring a wheelchair basketball game will put dust in the eyes of even the most macho and stoic of viewers -- even before the heartwarming twist! (Mobile and tablet users: Watch here!)

http://archive.indystar.com/interactive/article/20130909/NEWS09/309090033/VIDEO-Guinness-wheelchair-basketball-beer-commercial-will-make-you-tear-up-

If you are not moved ask yourself why?

A...

Why were the guys with working legs playing in wheelchairs?

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Why were the guys with working legs playing in wheelchairs?

Normally, I would react to this question with a degree of anger.

However, since it is you Bob...

The reason is because they are "friends."

One of them is in a wheelchair, possibly a disabled Veteran.

They are showing their love and support for his still being part of their group by all playing with his "handicap."

Beautiful.

Make sense to you now?

A...

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Why were the guys with working legs playing in wheelchairs?

Normally, I would react to this question with a degree of anger.

However, since it is you Bob...

The reason is because they are "friends."

One of them is in a wheelchair, possibly a disabled Veteran.

They are showing their love and support for his still being part of their group by all playing with his "handicap."

Beautiful.

Make sense to you now?

A...

Bob is the ultimate "straight man", and doesn't know it. I am glad you cut him slack on this one...

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This Guinness beer commercial featuring a wheelchair basketball game will put dust in the eyes of even the most macho and stoic of viewers -- even before the heartwarming twist! (Mobile and tablet users: Watch here!)

http://archive.indystar.com/interactive/article/20130909/NEWS09/309090033/VIDEO-Guinness-wheelchair-basketball-beer-commercial-will-make-you-tear-up-

If you are not moved ask yourself why?

A...

What a beautiful depiction of "peace on earth to men of good will". :smile:

(...and I don't even like beer :wink:)

Greg

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BaalChatzaf said:

Why were the guys with working legs playing in wheelchairs?

end quote

I know! Were there any bets being made? Don’t they want to win? Obviously a guy used to a wheelchair would have better control of the ball, and “sit down” foul shots would go astray if you’re not used to doing them. I liked Elaine Bettis’ s rant on “Seinfeld” against “cripples” getting the best parking spaces – that’s unfair discrimination against the ambulatory.

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We once had quite a showdown here on OL over making an exception in competitive sports for an act of kindness to a human being in an unfortunate situation:

Shaya, Objectivism and Kindness

The basketball players are playing the same game and I love that about them.

The Shaya discussion was when I firmly decided my kind of good guy included both competitive excellence and kindness. I reject the idea that you can't have both. You can.

Well... as the thread showed, some people can't. They only see faking reality, but refuse to see the context of making an exception or the value of this type of solidarity. They are openly hostile, too. They actually call this evil.

These are good people, not bad. So I respect their opinion while firmly disagreeing. My impression is they don't respect mine.

Oh well, I guess I won't sleep worrying about it...

:smile:

Incidentally, neuroscience has my back on this. Performing an act of generosity and watching a person rise momentarily to the actor's level as a result actually triggers surges in feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, etc. It ends up being a very selfish thing to do.

I think some people in O-Land get scared of feeling even the slightest pleasure from such an act because this sentiment can be easily manipulated by the ill-intended through victimization stories and the like. I don't believe they are sociopaths totally lacking the relevant emotional response because, if they were, they would not have had such a visceral reaction on that thread with such fanatical-sounding condemnation. So I think it's mostly previous hurt and fear. (I recognize this because I have gone through it in my attraction to Rand.)

My kind of good guy, also, fights dirty against those who fight dirty (at his own discretion), which oddly enough, is part of the same dynamic (one day I might work on a lengthy explanation), but that is another issue. Even that has it's limits, though. Just look at the mess in places with long-standing feuds.

Michael

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Just look at the mess in places with long-standing feuds.

Michael

Michael:

Seems to be the description of the Modern American Family...I am seeing more and more intra familial feuds than I ever saw before.

I have some assumptions as to why. Needs a lot more thought though.

A...

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Well... as the thread showed, some people can't. They only see faking reality, but refuse to see the context of making an exception or the value of this type of solidarity. They are openly hostile, too. They actually call this evil.

The interesting thing to me is that on the occasions when I've stopped pulling my punches against intellectually weaker opponents in Objectivist forums -- stopped extending them Shaya-like kindness -- and instead adopted their "crush the opponent" attitude, they've screamed and wailed that I'm an big meanie. They don't seem to like their philosophy of competitive excellence so much when they're the "slow child."

These are good people, not bad. So I respect their opinion while firmly disagreeing. My impression is they don't respect mine.

I think they're a mix of good and bad.

I don't believe they are sociopaths totally lacking the relevant emotional response because, if they were, they would not have had such a visceral reaction on that thread with such fanatical-sounding condemnation.

The anger and rudeness was really weird. It's odd enough when someone can't empathize with someone else's struggles which were unchosen, accidents of birth, but to actually express anger about others' empathy and compassion for them is very disturbing. Especially when these people who lack compassion are so quick to attempt to solicit it when they feel victimized.

J

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I'm reminded of Lizzie Velásquez, whose story I've seen now and again online. What motivates certain people to be angry when they see her, and to bully her and suggest that she kill herself?

It's like, "Not only can I not empathize with what her life must be like, but there's something in me which makes me very excited about the idea of adding to her burden."

WTF? What drives that? MSK says that it's "mostly previous hurt and fear." I can't comprehend it. What type of hurt of fear would cause that type of behavior?

J

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They are showing their love and support for his still being part of their group by all playing with his "handicap."

Beautiful.

Make sense to you now?

A...

Sounds plausible.

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I'm reminded of Lizzie Velásquez, whose story I've seen now and again online. What motivates certain people to be angry when they see her, and to bully her and suggest that she kill herself?

It's like, "Not only can I not empathize with what her life must be like, but there's something in me which makes me very excited about the idea of adding to her burden."

Jonathan,

I'm going to probably piss some people off real bad, but facts are facts.

There is a predatory component to this. It's innate in being a carnivore mammal. Some call it the law of the jungle.

(Humans are carnivores by nature and only become vegetarians by choice, but even so, much of the innate baggage of being a carnivore never goes away.)

The best way to get a wild animal to attack you is show a sign of weakness--real weakness. The jungle kills off the weak and that's just the way it is. If you are knocked down in the jungle and can't get back up, you can eventually expect to be dinner for some animal or other.

This isn't a hard and fast rule, but it is certainly valid more often than not. The most vicious attacks by lynch mobs are made not during the takedown of the victim, but after the fall.

They teach this in MLM marketing (and other direct sales training). The purpose is to encourage sellers to adopt a stance of certainty and strength, not weakness, when before a prospect (and in any negotiation) to avoid this automatic innate kill/contempt urge.

So I believe people who are disgusted and hostile by signs of Shaya-like kindness are actually not just taking a principle (like not wanting to "fake reality") to a contextless Platonic ideal, but, also, as part of the mix, they are allowing their emotions to react according to the lowest form of animal consciousness possible--the jungle level.

Rather than being premised on rationality as they tell themselves, a major part of their emotional drive is pure subhuman instinct.

This is not the whole story, but definitely part of it.

Michael

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WTF? What drives that? MSK says that it's "mostly previous hurt and fear." I can't comprehend it. What type of hurt of fear would cause that type of behavior?

Jonathan,

This is a separate issue, so I'm making a separate post about it. I have observed that a lot of people get attracted to Objectivism because they were hurt growing up for their competence. Their sense of fairness had been violated over and over by people who tried to shame them into giving a spot they earned the hard way by doing their best to a weaker person just because said person was weaker. Shame was heavily involved as a manipulation, but it seemed like their feelings of pride and fairness were always the target.

This happened to me constantly. I can witness that you get one hell of a resentment flowing after a while and one hell of a grudge against anything that smacks of that.

I believe part of the hostility in that Shaya thread was due to similar experiences by these people I call good people. (Not one of them to my knowledge is a con artist, killer, etc.--they are good people and would probably be good neighbors.) The fear comes from finally finding moral approval for doing your best in a philosophy and group of like-minded people, but seeing someone in the new tribe (like lil' ole' me :) ) say it's good to look after weak people.

Uh oh. Is that bait and switch? And out come the fangs.

But as in the post above, I don't see this as a simple matter. There's instinct, a contextless premise and God knows what else in the mix.

Like I said, I know about this because I lived it and worked through it.

Here's one for you. One of the most liberating moments I had regarding Objectivism was when I admitted to myself that I liked helping other people, not that I did it for trade (the trader principle), although sometimes I did--but that I liked it, that it made me feel good, that I could do it part-time and that was OK, and there was a way to make room for this in my life without becoming a victim.

For example, I think it's cool to help an old lady across the street if you come across one. Frank O'Connor used to take maimed animals and nurse them back to health on the sly. I think that is way cool. No apologies.

The world opened for me at the moment I let this thought in and I no longer had to prove anything to anyone anymore. Just being me as I came out of the box was great in itself. What a relief that was!

Michael

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I've found it's possible to have a lump in my throat and a sour taste in my mouth at the same time.

Is this ad about the joys of friendship, or is it egalitarianism by stealth?

(With what I know about the ad industry, it's both - grabbing me with the ole beer-and-friendship sell, and slipping in a mirror reflecting today's prevailing philosophy. Message in a message.)

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I've found it's possible to have a lump in my throat and a sour taste in my mouth at the same time.

Is this ad about the joys of friendship, or is it egalitarianism by stealth?

(With what I know about the ad industry, it's both - grabbing me with the ole beer-and-friendship sell, and slipping in a mirror reflecting today's prevailing philosophy. Message in a message.)

Tony:

It is a possible perception.

It also exposes a "weakspot" most Objectivists are not even aware exists. It is ok to feel sympathy for another fellow individual.

The line in the philosophical sand is when you should feel pity. You should feel that you should sacrifice your skills/self/etc. to the "handicapped" fellow individual because it is the higher/better moral choice which is bullshit.

I do not perceive a "stealth egalitarianism" in this commercial, although, looking through your eyes I can.

It does not look like any of the four (4) "handy capable" players are not playing to their fullest skill and capacity. No "gimmes" here.

I still maintain it is beautiful.

And Guinness Stout is THE beer.

A...

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Just look at the mess in places with long-standing feuds.

Michael

Michael:

Seems to be the description of the Modern American Family...I am seeing more and more intra familial feuds than I ever saw before.

I have some assumptions as to why. Needs a lot more thought though.

A...

Michael, I'd like to hear your ideas on the matter when you have them sorted out.

Consider an ancient family, the first one recorded in Genesis. A son murdered his brother. In millennia, not a whole lot has changed.

Greg

Greg

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It does not look like any of the four (4) "handy capable" players are not playing to their fullest skill and capacity. No "gimmes" here.

I still maintain it is beautiful.

It also seemed to me that they were playing at the outside limit of their abilities... and that's not the least bit condescending.

Greg

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Greg,

You mean Adam (Selene)?

:smile:

Michael

Yep, I think he does.

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It does not look like any of the four (4) "handy capable" players are not playing to their fullest skill and capacity. No "gimmes" here.

I still maintain it is beautiful.

It also seemed to me that they were playing at the outside limit of their abilities... and that's not the least bit condescending.

Greg

Precisely.

Had they been holding back, they would actually be humiliating their comrade.

====================================================================

I was just remembering pitching to my son with a solid wiffle ball - sucker hurt if you got hit with it.

LOL...

I throw really fast and I have excellent control. He was 8-9 and he had his full arrogance on his face as he dug in with the bat.

I told him, that's my plate [bob Gibson's statement before he tried to kill you with a 100 MPH fastball at your chin] that you're crowding.

He smirked.

I threw just under his chin with pure heat and he ended up flat on his back with dust kicking up all around him.

I said that I may just have saved your life.

He learned a very solid lesson.

Later in the day he said, "I never expected you to throw at me and thanks."

Very smart young man.

A...

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Has it occurred to any of you gentlemen that the wheelchair-bound player, considering himself to be at the advantage, may have been allowing his able-bodied friends to level the playing field in their favor? Or perhaps, that the men, rather than feeling sympathy for their friend, felt respect for his ability to perform so well at a sport they'd never tried and that it was their respect and competitiveness that drove them to attempt to mimic his accomplishment?

For whatever reason, my first thought when I saw the commercial was a recollection of the band Hootie and the Blowfish. Their drummer once said that they are not one black guy in an all-white band but actually three white guys in an all-black band.

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Has it occurred to any of you gentlemen that the wheelchair-bound player, considering himself to be at the advantage, may have been allowing his able-bodied friends to level the playing field in their favor? Or perhaps, that the men, rather than feeling sympathy for their friend, felt respect for his ability to perform so well at a sport they'd never tried and that it was their respect and competitiveness that drove them to attempt to mimic his accomplishment?

For whatever reason, my first thought when I saw the commercial was a recollection of the band Hootie and the Blowfish. Their drummer once said that they are not one black guy in an all-white band but actually three white guys in an all-black band.

That's a nice reversal, but before we go embroidering on the 'story' as given, perhaps one should see it as it was intended: for maximum feel-good impact - so it had to be the creative director's intent to show the able-bodies descending to the handicapped player's level, in camaraderie. Without seeming patronising, of course.

I was considering the possibility that this fellow desires, needs nor deserves not one whit of sympathy. He might well be able to blow those jocks away, with what really counts - character, mental strength and knowledge. That's my own embroidered version.

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Has it occurred to any of you gentlemen that the wheelchair-bound player, considering himself to be at the advantage, may have been allowing his able-bodied friends to level the playing field in their favor? Or perhaps, that the men, rather than feeling sympathy for their friend, felt respect for his ability to perform so well at a sport they'd never tried and that it was their respect and competitiveness that drove them to attempt to mimic his accomplishment?

Well, me not being a gentleman, I will still answer.

I did think of what you explained. And the more I think about it, the more beautiful this commercial becomes.

I think you raise a significant point, as did Tony.

Our individual assumptions will change the meaning of the event we are seeing.

Tony wondered about the intent of the creator of this commercial and I wonder what it was.

A...

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