The other day I had a discussion with a coworker about the beauty of written words within advertisement. We talked over letter combination, word structure, syllables, and even font treatments. It was a lot cooler than it sounds.

We started talking about different commercials and their treatment of written words – one that was shared, not by me, was a Dodge commercial promoting their new Charger:

My friend’s point was the way the video led up to the end. The typeface of MAN’S LAST STAND. It was powerful. But you know, I couldn’t very well sit through that without the heavy sighs and the “oh wow”s.

Those poor men. Making all of those compromises and over-extending themselves all in the name of…um…I guess a Dodge Charger? Well, whatever makes it worthwhile, fellas.

Knowing me, my wise friend was at the ready to share some response videos from the female perspective. The one below has been the most popular:

So…that was kinda funny. And I admit to some “yeah sister!”s and “mmmhmmm!”s from me while watching this video, but then somewhere around the middle I was like oh…how sad. I mean, maybe it’s because I can relate to the women more than the men…but, I don’t know – did you see the seething hostility on the faces of these actresses?

Check the earlier video of the men – most of them look bored, or silly, and the script is purposely written in a way so that the observer can smile and relate – even this feminist. Yes, you men make concessions for us. (Slight sarcasm alert:) Thank you for wiping the sink after you shave and for tolerating my mother. But honestly, the car at the end was pretty badass. I felt like there was a glimmer of hope for these sad men – GO! RUN AND BUY A CHARGER!!

The video with the ladies, however…yeesh. The anger was dripping from every word, and daggers were being driven with eyes. It’s unfortunate because the message in the words was lost – we women do get paid less than men do for the same work and that shit’s unfair. Sometimes we’re cheated on, many of us struggle with weight and self-esteem issues, and don’t even get me started on the objectification of females. Make no mistake about it, we’ve got a long way to go – certainly this video is no “last stand”.

Worse, at the end there was nothing that the women were standing for. “WOMAN’S LAST STAND” proclaimed the words! But…there was nothing…even the men got a sweet car. Does that mean we stand for nothing? Does that mean this video is it?

God, I hope not. Or else you’ve just wasted a shit load of time reading this – as much as I’ve spent writing it.