Friday, August 28, 2009

Happy Friday

Yippee, it's the weekend. It's also pissing down rain.

Pat's away for like the third day in a row, and Kristin is holding down the fort. And making weird sartorial choices again. Today she's wearing that weird combination of a sweater that looks like bathrobe and that gong necklace thing that she's worn a few times in the last few weeks. I know that the anchors probably outfit themselves, but surely there is SOME stylist-type person on staff who can run down to H&M or something and get her a more attractive necklace. ANYWAY.

The news is pretty dull this morning, so I'm turning again to the commercials. There's one that's been running for awhile now that really bugs me. It's a commercial for the Edge Condominiums in Williamsburg. It's a retro-looking ad trying to ape 1940s/50s aesthetics and commercials, exhorting people to "buy an Edge Condominium... for your country!" in a nod to those old war bonds ads. It's got the drawings of the pinup girls, '40s-sounding music and even faux distress lines, to make it look like you're watching an old film strip.

"Sounds kind of cute," you might be thinking. "Why is she so annoyed by that?"

Because it basically panders to the type of stereotypical Williamsburg person that everyone thinks about when they think about that neighborhood - a trust-fund fueled, hipster douchewad that's only concerned with aesthetics and has gobs of money to throw at a place like this because they're independently wealthy.

Now, before I go any further, let me hasten to add that I personally know and like several people who live in Williamsburg. I know that not every person who lives there is a hipster d-bag.

But several people who live there do fit that description, and the people who made this ad are targeting that exact type of person and trying to up the d-bag quotient just that much higher. Even worse, a lot of developers who bought huge plots at the exact height of the market are now having problems selling, which means empty buildings, which have in many cases been taken over by squatters, which is not an ideal situation for anyone who lives in that neighborhood. Williamsburg does not need another high-end condo unit, anymore than the East Village needs another frat boy bar.

As annoying as it is though, I would STILL rather watch that commercial than the Carmel "Sex and the City" nonsense.

2 comments:

  1. For reals, Kristin's outfit today was disturbing. And her hair... it looked like she stuck her finger in a light socket or was up to shenanigans in the supply closet.

    As one of those Williamsburg non-d-bags (I hope), those commercials make me laugh, because they are so desperate! Sure, I no longer have a view of the city, but at least there isn't the influx of residents to clog up the L we were all worried about.

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  2. You were one of the "several people I know and like" I was talking about! And yeah, I think you nailed it with the word "desperate" - I couldn't quite articulate what I meant that day, but that's exactly what it is.

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