Episode 58: Episode LVIII
Added 2021-02-09 13:27:59 +0000 UTCHello War on Cars supporters!
Our new episode is here! We take a look at the Super Bowl car ads - and some ads that were about car culture even if they weren't for cars - and talk about what they say about America and what we're up against in our fight against automobile dependence. We hope you enjoy it! As always, it's available wherever you get your podcasts.
Oh, and check out our new Patreon tier! We have signed copies of Crash Course by Woodrow Phoenix, each one featuring original art by Woodrow himself. We're really excited about this, so grab one before they're gone.
We'll also have transcripts of past episodes on our website. Look for those starting next week.
Thanks as always for your support!
- Aaron, Sarah and Doug
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The Super Bowl is more than a football game — it’s a massive opportunity for the automobile industry to inject slickly produced propaganda directly into the eyeballs of over 100 million television viewers. In these trying times, how did car companies handle the task of making their pitch to the public? What do these ads, dripping with nostalgia, say about America, politics and the future of our planet? What does Will Ferrell have against Norway? What was up with that Bruce Springsteen ad for Jeep? And what about all the ads that weren’t directly about cars but had everything to do with car culture? Aaron, Sarah and Doug critique this carnival of capitalism and consumerism.
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SHOW NOTES:
Vulture rounds up all the 2021 Super Bowl Commercials.
Emily Atkin of Heated wants to talk about GM’s Norway ad. Was it cover for the company’s many years of climate denial?
Norway had a “56 percent EV market share for sales in 2019 while they were just 2 percent in the US.” (Lili Pike at Vox.com)
“If Bruce Springsteen’s Jeep commercial doesn’t bum you out, congrats on the purchase of your new Jeep.” (Chris Richards at The Washington Post)
This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Design.
Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek.
Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: thewaroncars@gmail.com
