Let's all join the National Guard!!!

[spmetla]

As an Army National Guard Officer I'll say that I've always been annoyed by our commercials as well. If we got to do even half of what is advertised I wouldn't mind it but heck, even my State's lack of funding means that most weekend drills are spent at the armory cleaning weapons and conducting all the briefings that Army requires annual, quarterly, etc. Eight years ago when I signed up at least there was money available for training in the field with actual ammo instead of just yelling bang bang and more than just one annual live fire run.

Seeing as we're just a more localized system of Reservist there shouldn't be any advertising, recruiters and the people transfering from active duty work well enough already. Besides, if that commercial is capable of making someone want to join the Army National Guard then I'd rather not have him in my unit.

That being said, I think the Army has bad commercials in general, Army of One?, Army Strong?, I still think that be all you can be was better.

Funny recruiting commercials:
Austrian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFDdg760kdc

Ukrainian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4a01PpeoK8

[Megas Methuselah]

Lotsa boy-love in this thread.

[Prussian to the Iron]

Lotsa boy-love in this thread.

dont ask dont tell, Meth. dont ask dont tell...

[Husar]

Ukrainian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4a01PpeoK8

Just wanted to post that.
also, the Austrians recently made a cheap copy of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99qUW_9m0eY

[Lemur]

Ukrainian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4a01PpeoK8

Tothis day, this remains my favorite military commercial of all time. There's something abut the glossed-out blonde bringing the tank dude an earthware jug that cracks me up every time.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Tothis day, this remains my favorite military commercial of all time. There's something abut the glossed-out blonde bringing the tank dude an earthware jug that cracks me up every time.

Yeah, but the bloke who translated it was either a lousy Ukrainian speaker or most likely, exaggerating. I speak fluent Ukrainian, and the words do not match, not at all. The meaning is rather distorted. But sheesh, that was one cheesy commercial.

I wonder how old it is - the music is early 2000s, and even then it was seen something as awkward folk rock... Then again, the commercial makes a point of military service under contract - and IIRC, Ukraine is still using the levy system of all able-bodied 18-year-old males. The general contract bill has yet to be passed into the law. So if we take the legal chronology, the commercial should not be too old.


The earthenware jug is symbolism, just as the sol' (salt) and kalach' (bread) that the traditionally-dressed girls treat foreign visitors with. I wonder why they stuck it there, though. The commercial does not harken back to the past of Ukraine in any other manner, so sticking in the jug in was oddly anachronistic.


EDIT: Check out this Austrian recruiting commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99qU...eature=related

A copy of the Ukrainian one. Did the Ukrainians steal it from the Austrians? Or did the Austrians do the same, but vice versa? Hmmm, why do I have a sneaking suspicion it was the former option...

[Husar]

EDIT: Check out this Austrian recruiting commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99qU...eature=related

A copy of the Ukrainian one. Did the Ukrainians steal it from the Austrians? Or did the Austrians do the same, but vice versa? Hmmm, why do I have a sneaking suspicion it was the former option...

Well, I know for sure that you stole it from post #20...
I am rather sure the Austrians stole it from the Ukrainians as the austrian one is rather recent, in fact it caused a bit of a stir earlier this year in austria for being sexist and some minister apoligized for it IIRC.

Oh and thanks for the explanations on the ukrainian video.

[The Wizard]

EDIT: Argh, spmetla got there first

Well then: not really a recruiting video, but still!

[drone]

This thread is ground zero for a Lemur's disease outbreak.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Well, I know for sure that you stole it from post #20...

Oh, so sorry Yeah, I did not check your link... In fact, I somehow seemed to have skipped over your post, despite my unwavering policy to read the whole thread before posting.

I am rather sure the Austrians stole it from the Ukrainians as the austrian one is rather recent, in fact it caused a bit of a stir earlier this year in austria for being sexist and some minister apoligized for it IIRC.

Wow, talk about setting new lows, stealing from the Ukrainians ... But 'sexist'? Since when is a story of boys trying to impress girls sexist? I mean, I know about the objectification of women, but this is perfectly natural behaviour.

EDIT: Just for the record, I hold Ukrainian citizenship as well as Russian, technically, although the reality is quite complicated. Also, I am, crudely speaking, half-Russian and half-Ukrainian, although my mother has strong German as well as Russian roots, and my father has hazy Polish roots in tandem with his main classification as a Ukrainian.

[Crazed Rabbit]

That Ukrainian one is the clear standout, but let's not forget the old 80s army commercials, complete with terrible jingles and attempts to sound totally radical;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebjl...eature=related

And of course, The Army; where you learn how to become an engineer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBiG...eature=related

CR

[ajaxfetish]

I mean, I know about the objectification of women, but this is perfectly natural behaviour.

Perhaps it's possible for perfectly natural behavior to be sexist?

Ajax

[Yaropolk]

Yeah, but the bloke who translated it was either a lousy Ukrainian speaker or most likely, exaggerating. I speak fluent Ukrainian, and the words do not match, not at all. The meaning is rather distorted. But sheesh, that was one cheesy commercial.

I wonder how old it is - the music is early 2000s, and even then it was seen something as awkward folk rock... Then again, the commercial makes a point of military service under contract - and IIRC, Ukraine is still using the levy system of all able-bodied 18-year-old males. The general contract bill has yet to be passed into the law. So if we take the legal chronology, the commercial should not be too old.

My friend, you have to polish up on your fluent Ukrainian. The translation is spot on, they did a great job. The tune is a rap song, "Black BMW" which was released in 2005 and went multi-platinum in the former Russian states. It's about the rapper showing off his Black BMW to some girls - which is what they're mocking in this commercial. Ukraine has a 2 year conscription at age 18 where recruits go through basic and specialist training. After 2 years most recruits are discharged as sergeants, but some choose to sign a voluntary contract to stay on and make the military their career. This commercials tries to convince enlistees to do the latter.

As for the sexist comment, the standard really depends on the country. This video just reflects reality. In Ukraine there are very few opportunities, and any man with money will get a gaggle of girls around him. The last time I went to Ukraine was 6 years ago. I went to a spa, the owner advertised the services of their call girls right in the sauna - buy one get one free for the night for $20. I am sure that prices might have gone up, but the scenario is just as likely today.

[Strike For The South]

My friend, you have to polish up on your fluent Ukrainian. The translation is spot on, they did a great job. The tune is a rap song, "Black BMW" which was released in 2005 and went multi-platinum in the former Russian states. It's about the rapper showing off his Black BMW to some girls - which is what they're mocking in this commercial. Ukraine has a 2 year conscription at age 18 where recruits go through basic and specialist training. After 2 years most recruites are discharged as sergeants, but some choose to sign a voluntary contract to stay on and make the military their career. This commercials tries to convince enlistees to do the latter.

Oh snap

[Centurion1]

Ill start up the beatbox, i feel a rap off coming up in here.

[Aemilius Paulus]

My friend, you have to polish up on your fluent Ukrainian. The translation is spot on, they did a great job. The tune is a rap song, "Black BMW" which was released in 2005 and went multi-platinum in the former Russian states. It's about the rapper showing off his Black BMW to some girls - which is what they're mocking in this commercial. Ukraine has a 2 year conscription at age 18 where recruits go through basic and specialist training. After 2 years most recruits are discharged as sergeants, but some choose to sign a voluntary contract to stay on and make the military their career. This commercials tries to convince enlistees to do the latter.

O chim ti ghovorish? Ya rozmovliau po ukrainiski bez niyakih problem. Moya ghramatika mozhi bute ne zovsim doskonala, ale ya ymiu perevoditi ne girshe byd'-yakogho hohla

Shchozh, zvidki ti, ah? Ya prozhivav v Kyiv ta v Chernivtsah, v Ukraini. A ti yak?

'Ny!?!' does not qualify as 'WTF'. Not in this reality. Then, moving on, 'duzhe hochetsya vodichki napitis' is literally translated as 'I really wanna get a drink of water until I am sated', whereas the 'wouldn't mind a sip of water' is a rather liberal translation - a middle ground could have been reached. Furthermore, the slutty-looking blond with a pseudo-beret says 'Military/Army [contract], [pause] for now' and not 'Army stupid lol'. No 'asshole' in the end either, just the grandma reference as already translated. Additionally, Overlooking the 'hero's' instead of he proper plural 'heroes', 'zbroini sili' means 'armed forces', and not simply the 'Army'.

Overall, nitpicking aside, the translation was made vulgar, which the original was not. As the Israeli and Australian tourism ads showed, even certain minor oaths (more in the Aussie case) stir quite some controversy, something that is not true in the case of the Ukrainian ad.

Anyhow, personally, I like this version better.

Ukraine has a 2 year conscription at age 18 where recruits go through basic and specialist training. After 2 years most recruits are discharged as sergeants, but some choose to sign a voluntary contract to stay on and make the military their career. This commercials tries to convince enlistees to do the latter.

Ahh, I see. So they have not passed the bill yet. Too bad, Russia already did, and the same largely goes for most other CIS nations. I believe, though, the bill was promised to be implemented in 2010. But I suppose there are more important things to do. At the same time, it is likely that abandoning the mass conscription could be a budget-tightening measure.

[Yaropolk]

You're quite fluent then! But I still think they did a great job translating to make it sound like conversational english. What bill are you referring to? As far as I know none of the former CIS countries have repealed the draft.

[Aemilius Paulus]

That being said, I think the Army has bad commercials in general, Army of One?, Army Strong?, I still think that be all you can be was better.

Hey! That one was pure stroke of tasteful genius. Proof? This:


EDIT:
This 80s commercial is quite effective IMHO, and much more subtle in comparison with the other fodder the Army churns out:

Admittedly, any person of the average .Org level can see right through this ad, but frankly, the demographic the Army targets is not exactly a fan of Hemingway's writing style...

[Major Robert Dump]

Army recruiting commercials are bad in general. National Guard commercials are downright idiotic and embarrassing. If you think those are bad, you should see some of t-shirts made on the local and state level. A stryker and a NASCAR racecar whould never be on the same t-shirt.

That being said, they are aiming for a lower common denominator because they need fresh bodies. Like it or not, the Guard had taken a huge burden in the Iraq war, and our government does not want to pay for that many full-time soldiers. Oddly enough, rather than aiming for a demographic of, say, young people who want to join the military but also enjoy successful civilian jobs, they seem to aim for kids who need money for college and people who thought Shock and Ya'll was a cool name for an album. Of course a lot of people like that join, and turn out to be good soldiers, but the commercials are hihgly insulting to the average person's intelligence and I would hate to think that someone thought it was one of those commercials that got me to join.

Although I gotta admit, the Marine fighting the giant monster is pretty damn fruity.

[The Wizard]

Oh please AP even I swell up with misplaced patriotism presented with that second vid of yours

[Husar]

Oh please AP even I swell up with misplaced patriotism presented with that second vid of yours

Perhaps because hometowns, loving parents, nice tanks, nice helicopters, flags and freedom aren't exclusively United Statesian?
At least those russian paratroopers are manly and don't go all mushy when they sing a song.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Perhaps it's possible for perfectly natural behavior to be sexist?

Of course.This is an obvious statement which feminists are fond of using but sexism differs. A commercial, an advertisement displaying common courting behaviour, flirting, is not the same as for instance, a commercial showing a woman walking by and all the men stopping and staring. The first merely depicts as common of a behaviour as it gets, a man attempting to attract a woman. The second likewise depicts a common occurrence, but the implication behind it is that women are treated, or rather, are to be treated as sexual objects, as opposed to say, exclaiming over a woman's intelligence.

One cannot avoid the first type of behaviour, as it is as essential as sexual reproduction, but the second does not necessarily have to be so. Women choose men, and men choose women, but since men are generally the ones with the more unbalanced sex drive, with the greater desire to mate, a woman chooses the man she wishes to date, and not vice versa. That is the opposite of sexist, instead, it is the empowerment of women. In accordance with this environment, males compete in modern-day mating displays.

Unless the feminists wish to regress to forced marriages and the days when women were but property, they would be wiser to keep quit for once. Unfortunately, there is no middle ground, unless you have a striking difference in the prestige of a male and female which skews the balance into the male side, enabling the male to choose as he wishes instead of vice versa. But I am sure the feminists do not wish that.

Oh please AP even I swell up with misplaced patriotism presented with that second vid of yours

When did I deny that I do not? But the picture of the American town did not seem to appeal to me much, so I was not as responsive to that video. But there are ones to which I do respond. Still, you assume many things. Your persona is different from mine. Each personality responds differently to the same stimuli, even if there are not as many so-called 'basic personalities' as most people who are fond of saying 'unique' would like. Who says I am not like HoreTore?



Hard to say now, now that I forgot how I felt during the video. But yes, I am not denying that some of the videos do appeal to me. They are superb, considering the targets of the recruiting ads, and that appeal is only partially lost to most other people.

EDIT: Ugh, I finally watched that video PI posted. Wow, I was not aware it was possible to misplace a soundtrack any more... Nice music, but this is no Peter Jackson production...

[Centurion1]

Military ads are often superbly done. im not surprised at all when i see a good military advertisement.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Military ads are often superbly done. im not surprised at all when i see a good military advertisement.

It all depends on what your interests, likes, dislikes, loyalties, etc are.

Like I said, HoreTore....

[bobbin]

but since men are generally the ones with the more unbalanced sex drive, with the greater desire to mate, a woman chooses the man she wishes to date, and not vice versa.

Not strictly true, women have just as much of a sex drive as your average man it's just that it isn't as socially acceptable for them express it, if a man has lots of sex it's seen as something positive, if it is a women it's a negative thing.

That is the opposite of sexist, instead, it is the empowerment of women. In accordance with this environment, males compete in modern-day mating displays.

I'm sure they would rather get equal pay and not be made to feel insecure by pratically eveything in the media.

From looking at the ads I'd say they were pretty sexist as they imply that all women care about is money and power and that it is the only way men can get them. It's all done with a sense of humour and so it's supposed to be taken very seriously but the sentiment is still there, I mean blackface was done with a sense of humour but it was still wrong.

As for good army ads this one for the royal marines does the job pretty well.

[The Wizard]

tl;dr

Too serious

[Aemilius Paulus]

Yeah, well, all my posts are tl;dr, generally speaking

My strategy is that after navigating through half an hour of text the opposing debater is too tired to counter with any sort of logical defence.

On a more serious note, most of my school and college essays are tens of pages of mind-draining archaic, legalese and overly obtuse language, kept just at the right level and tone to prevent it from being mere pretentious diction. Behind those words are solid arguments, but before one gets to that, they would need to go through the overly-longwinded essay at least 10-20 pages above the assignment. So far, this tactic works well, and I have won a few essay contests, but I feel that once I go to graduate school, such essays will be the norm

[Ironside]

Why Swedes got good rep for peacekeeping. Say what you want, but it's very honest. And very non-american.

https://www.youtube.com/swedisharmed.../2/Ql9H12cNWk4

The tv commercials are in the style of quick mental tests, more aim for brains than brawns. Not found on youtube.