They picked the perfect actor for a political ad loaded with f-bombs.
Samuel L. Jackson will film a provocative spot supporting President Obama’s re-election bid as early as tomorrow — telling voters to “Wake the f--k up, Vote for Obama.”
The ad is a riff on Jackson’s viral video “Go the F--k to Sleep,” where he narrates a children’s book written by Adam Mansbach.
It’s paid for by the Jewish Council for Education and Research Super PAC — which earlier this summer aired an ad of comedian Sarah Silverman offering “free lesbian sex” to billionaire Sheldon Adelson if he stopped supporting GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
“It’s definitely going to get attention,” said Mansbach, who is writing the script for Jackson’s ad and said it would appear on YouTube on Sept. 24.
Okay well that's ALMOST as good as the idea in my headline. I know I'll certainly post the advertisement!
By they if you have NOT heard Jackson read "Go the fuck to Sleep." You are in for a treat.
Thank Zeus, Mr. Jackson is on our side!
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------------
Wake The Fuck Up! Vote For Obama.
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Damn. That is splendid.
Obama2012
I guess I'm getting old but I don't understand what is so cute, important, meaningful, whatever about using this word in a campaign ad or a children's book.
ReplyDeleteI think it may be our advanced years and where we come from a time when foul language was absent from the nursery. I'm sure that word was often used in the political arena but probably restricted to the back rooms. Sad to see it introduced in an Obama ad, though, as it really isn't necessary to get his supporters to vote for him. On second thought, this may appeal to the younger voter and get them fired up.
DeleteIt is an adult book actually, humor for those of us who are terminally sleep-deprived because of those children who refuse to sleep at night. This video by Tim Minchin is actually even better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faOymld4lpQ
DeleteI think an ad like this will have a huge backlash. President Obama is known for being a cool-headed, classy individual. I hope Jackson reconsiders this ill-advised project.
@5:00 AM:
Delete1 The book is for adults.
2. Have you had children and been sleep deprived? If so, you'll find Mansbach's book funny. (I was going to say "funny as fuck.")
3. The ad is not for everyone. Age has nothing to do with it. There aren't many here older than I and I cannot wait for Jackson's ad.
4. Important and meaningful: how better to get the message out that we can't be apathetic this election than to bookend Samuel Jackson's "go to sleep" with "wake up"'? Many lives are at stake. Not all messages need to have kittens.
All bets were off when that asshole Cheney told Sen. Leahy to "Fuck off" on the senate floor.
DeleteAn actor in a political ad can say whatever the hell he wants to and if your knickers get twisted DON'T FUCKING LISTEN TO IT. It is not geared towards old farts like you and my dad. it is geared to younger, hipper, less anxious about words people like my 23 year old daughter.
I'm with anon 5:00. I knew the book was for adults, but it didn't appeal to me in the least... nor does the thought of an expletive-ridden campaign ad.
DeleteI'm not a prude or have "sensitive" ears. We simply don't use that sort of language in our household. Oh, we watch and hear plenty on TV, but I've never had the problem of "getting the joke" or "getting the message" WITHOUT the colorful words added.
And I'm a big fan of mobster-type films that use PLENTY of "sentence enhancers" -- I hear them, I just don't mimic them.
Oh well, the Teabaggers will have a field day with it -- so watching them have fits over it should be entertaining. :D
Anonymous7:21 AM
DeleteLOL...I love your comment. You said it beautifully.
I used to think F*ck was a BAD word until I heard Sarah Palin's grandson say it on the Bristol's reality show that she said showed her REAL life.
DeleteSo if I hear any false rage and hooping and hollering, I'll provide a link to the video clip and let them convince themselves that a "3 1/2 yr old boy hearing and repeating the "F-Bomb" and "I HATE YOU" to his mother and aunt on a television show is preferable to an adult-humor book/audio which clearly intended to be a parody of a sleep-deprived daddy.
Those of us who EARNED the right to laugh about this parody have a helluva lot of respect for Mommies and Wives, and women in general! And rightfully so!
You either know or you don't know or you knew once but forgot. And if you don't know, it ain't funny. But if you do know, then you remember that when you're that delirious, you will pray for the least little bit of relief, even if you're the biggest atheist who walked the face of the Earth. FACT.
@anon 5:00... though this book looks like a children's book, I do not see this as a chldren's book, but a tongue-in-cheek little support book for parents.
ReplyDeleteAs mother of a daughter followed by twin sons just one year later (in the time of dinosaurs), I completely understand the total exhaustion of young parents trying to keep it all together.
Don't worry about use of the F-bomb because, for better or worse, it has become common usage. Give it a break, please, and see the wry humor of it all.
I am very much looking forward to that ad!
Interesting way you framed it, as a support book. Now that you mentioned it, it's exactly what it seems to be. Kind of a cheeky insider's guide. If it were serious, it would be part of a joint retail promotion with Benedryl or some of the things that parents have tried over the years to get kids to sleep.
DeleteIt's a narrow market but very creative and will do well if targeted properly to his fans and movie lovers as well as younger parents who, if they weren't Samuel L. Jackson fans before they saw this parody book & heard the audio, they will be afterwards.
This IS funny! The self-righteous will howl and then Sarah can speak out on behalf of "Family Values". Her hypocrisy always makes for a great punch line.
I'm with Anonymous @5:00am.
ReplyDeleteElecting a president is serious, and it seems demeaning to the activity to drop F-bomnbs. There's a host of reasons to vote for Obama, "waking the fuck up" is not one.
I see it alienating some voters, and doing so needlessly.
Since it's only going to be on YouTube I don't see the big deal. Oh, wait...
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there. Very topical. Well done.
DeleteSo it's a sign of bad parenting when a certain 3 or 4 or 5 year old from Alaska throws an "F" word at his aunt, but telling your kid to go the "F" to sleep is ok? And making an unnecessarily crude ad for our very erudite and classy President is also a good thing?
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm showing my age, too. Civility in discourse,whether at home or in politics, people. Please.
Moron, it is an ADULT book, not a child's book. Damn read the fucking comments.
DeleteThey aren't telling their children to"go the fuck to sleep",
DeleteIt is a joke, fool.
But then again, so is Brisdull.
1. There were only two posted comments at the time I posted.
Delete2. The article as posted by Griffin refers to a children's book.
3. The narrator clearly states in the audio that he did say "go the f... to sleep" to his daughter several times, and that she said the same to him.
4. Now, for the sake of all who come in contact with you, dammit listen to the audio, get a fucking dictionary and look up the meaning of "civility", moron.
A. You have no children that caused you to lose sleep because you've never had a job where you had to perform in peak mental condition each day without excuses. Because you're stupid.
DeleteB. You have no sense of humor or sense of irony, therefore, you have no understanding of how surreal things and absurd real human conditions lead to humor because real people need humor to maintain their sanity because of the endorphins which are released during laughter, among other times of pleasure. Because you're stupid.
C. You have no friends or family with whom you've discussed one another's exasperation in adult situations about parenting. Because you're stupid.
D. You just have no social or communications skills, no means of reasoning or understanding anything that doesn't follow your own simple, narrow-minded perspective. Because you're stupid.
E. YOU JUST DON'T HAVE A FUCKING CLUE OR A LIFE. Because you're stupid.
F. Any of them. Because you're stupid.
G. All of them. Because you're stupid.
Very bad idea. The people who won't be offended probably are Obama voters already, but the other side will have a field day with this.
ReplyDeleteWhy would this group do such a thing?
Very, very bad idea.
Republican heads will explode. They have been trying to convince everyone that Barack Obama is fabricating a race war and the scary "you know whos" are going to take over the country. This will reinforce that fear.
ReplyDeleteI love it. Let the explosions begin.
Why is this a good idea? Is president Obama even aware of this? Did he co-sign for its content? I don't know any reason for using this in Barack Obama's campaign. It is simply offensive. It is not a positive message. Would the president be comfortable showing that to his daughters?
ReplyDeleteIt will be fodder for the right-wing nut jobs and they will have a field day with it. This ridiculous message will alienate people who might have voted for Obama. It is childish, offensive and just plain fucking stupid!
No, not a good idea at all. Only hope that this ad does not end with "I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message".
DeleteIt's not THAT type of ad. You probably won't see it if you don't search for it. And if you do seek it out and are offended, you got what you were looking for. The hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth are unnecessary.
DeleteLook at what the Governor and AG are doing in Virginia RIGHT NOW if you want to be offended about something. This is a joke. But the events happening in VA are real life and affect real person's lives. Shift your outrage to things that matter and don't look up jokes on the internet that you know will offend you, if you are open to listening to and thinking about a suggestion from a stranger.
You all haven't even seen it yet!! LOL ! Maybe it won't be what you think. I find it hysterical that you are critizing something that you haven't seen! It sounds like the actual script isn't even finished.
ReplyDeleteSure enough sounds like a bunch of teabaggers doesn't it?
DeleteSounds like a bunch of civilized people as opposed to crass, vulgar ones.
Delete10:11- I am a college educated 26 year old who says 'fuck' regularly in everyday conversation. It's part of my vocabulary, and has many different connotations depending on the context.
DeleteIt's just a word. Even if you say 'frig' instead of 'fuck' you are using a word that implies the use of 'fuck'
It's really not a big deal. And to say that those who use 'fuck' are uncivilized, is just dumb. No one gasps or blushes when I, or anyone else for that matter, say fuck in everyday conversation. This is no longer the early 1900's
And I don't feel this is an age issue either. My grandmother is in her late 80s, and she curses so much, she could put a sailor to shame.
I wanna take your granny with me to a sailor bar just to see them boys blush. But we gotta go Dutch. Your granny might break me otherwise. I like to hear some of the older ladies smoothly work a little salty language into a conversation. It keeps the bartender amused as well.
Delete8:01- I swear, my grandma is a superhero. On the outside, she appear to be a sweet old lady, with a cigarette in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, she seems to be so tiny and frail. But last year, she tripped on a rug and slammed her face into a glass coffee table. She BROKE her neck, cut her face up, but didn't wake my aunt up for about an hour, because she thought she was fine.
DeleteBroken neck? No biggie. But, while in the hospital, she kept trying to sneak away to smoke her cigarettes, because god fucking damn it, she's lived this long! Let her have a fucking cigarette, fucking bastards.
And dont get her started on the piss water that they call coffee. The hospital, she swears, was trying to kill her.
It's the nicotine an coffee that keeps her going.
Typical comments....I for one think it's hysterical, but I also laugh outloud at Mad magazine and Monty Python. This was not made for children, and it reminds me of many nights of a single mom with 2 bratty kids while a full night of work lay ahead before my bedtime, LOL. As far as an Obama ad on Wake Up America...yeah it's about time it did. I find most of the GOP lying ads extremely offensive...so our side acts like an adult and uses that word to make a really strong point on Utube, so what...grow the f*** up!
ReplyDeleteMad Magazine and Monty Python aren't trying to be taken seriously. Therein lies the difference.
DeleteFor comedic purposes -- if this were something aired on some Comedy Central show -- I wouldn't have a problem with it. As an actual Campaign Ad (endorsed by PBO or not), I don't think it will have a positive impact.
7:47 lol Get real. This won't be a television ad in any medium, and if you don't think Sam L Jackson does tongue in cheek humor that is discernible from "serious", then you don't "get" any of his best work.
DeleteRelax and Think.
And Chill the fuck down, a little!! lol
I think using the F-word is off message entirely. It will certainly gain attention, but I seriously doubt that it will help the cause.
ReplyDeleteIf any poutrage by pearl-clutching hypocrites who would not be offended at all by turning Medicare into Couponcare is contrasted skillfully with a clear and sincere "fuck that idea", it may work quite well with those younger voters who don't bat an eye at the "f" word, but realize that they will get a useless coupon when they get to be retirement age.
DeleteCourtesy of the same weasels who tried to get them thrown off their parents' health insurance and who are promising to do so immediately if they win the election.
I think an ad using the meme about America being 'fucked over' by the GOP would resonate well in many circles.
ReplyDeleteAn ad that lists the specific job bills and unemployment extensions vetoed by the GOP. Hostage holding of the FAA bill as well as the debt ceiling limit and explains the consequences/impact to the average taxpayer.(loss of revenue, union busting - FAA; increased interest rates for years to come). The infamous McConnell statement should be the lead into the ad. A clip showing the human suffering after tornado while Cantor's rhetoric about no federal help without an offset (to drag on for months) is heard in the background as well as his other callous statements made, and his picture along with his title and party affliction should also vbe isible during the disaster scene.
The 'fucked over' meme can also carry over to the GOP's war on women(site specific State bills, what party introduced them and dates and what they entail) ... orchestration much??
Also, another showing specifics of what's ahead for us regarding SS and Medicaid/Medicare under the GOP.
And to counter the GOP faux outrage regarding upsetting their delicate sensibilities, show footage from the various GOP politicians talking about throwing acid at women's faces, etc.. there is such a treasure trove out there to shine the light on all these cockroaches. Fuck yeah!
While I would never read this book to my grandbabies, as they would surely pick up the word and use it indiscriminately, everywhere and all the time, I can certainly relate to the book :) It is funny and for adults, not kids.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, I'm not sure that Jackson's "support" for the parent using the f-bomb is the best way to show his support for the president. While we can put that word into the ad in our head, having it said out loud will likely upset many people and add to the hateful aspect of political discourse.
IT IS NOT a children's book. It is for ADULTS.
DeleteSlowly now for those who find it hard to read for content...
DeleteIT IS AN ADULT BOOK. Got it, not a book for grandbabies (whatever the fuck those are).
1smart is well aware this is a book for adult, as they stated in their comment. cool your jets guys.
DeleteOkay a few things.
ReplyDeleteThis is NOT an official advertisement that will start with "I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message" This is put together by the Jewish Council for Education and Research Super PAC, and they can spend their money in way they see fit.
So I do not see this as having any negative connotations for the President at all.
However we need to stop projecting our OWN fantasy of the perfect President on Obama. The President was raised in Hawaii, where every other word is "fuck." He also hung out with the stoners in high school and has never attempted to pass himself off as a saint in any way, shape, or form. (Have you all never read his books?)
As for Samuel L. Jackson, well he is an acquired taste to say the least, but he DOES have a huge and rabid following on the internet, and this ad will receive a substantial amount of attention from those who may not spend ANY time thinking about politics or educating themselves on the issues. So in fact it might very well "Wake them the fuck up."
In other words it will doubtfully have any effect on the outcome of the election, but it IS entertaining, and obviously a subject which inspires an interesting dialogue.
Which is essentially why I posted it.
Sam is also the richest actor in the world. For a man who certainly will pay a higher tax if Obama wins, it says a lot about him that he is more interested in America than his own bottom line.
DeleteI disagree, Gryphen. I think it's one more thing for the right-wing to point to as how wrong Obama is for America. After all, look at what his supporters think is appropriate for television, look how they choose to communicate, the list goes on.
DeleteIt's an unforced error. There is nothing to gain.
"The President was raised in Hawaii, where every other word is "fuck.""
Delete------------------------------------
What a silly generalization. I lived in Hawaii for years, and I can assure you that it is like any other place; the number of times that you hear the word "fuck" is related to who you are hanging around with, not which state you are in. There are many places you can be or live in Hawaii where you can go all day without once hearing the word fuck.
I have no problem with the ad, the book, or Samuel L Jackson.
Wen to college there right around the time that the President would have been in high school.
DeleteI had NEVER heard the "F' word used so frequently, and I came form rough and tumble Alaska.
All I am saying is that he was not unfamiliar with its use growing up.
Once again, read his book.
Gryphen, whether or not your statement is accurate, it has nothing to do with the ad. The comments aren't about Obama being offended by it. LisaB2595 said it right. It very well may become an unforced error. Why take the chance?
DeleteExactly. If the comments posted here are any indication, you can see that a good number of the President's supporters would not see this ad in a positive light. The President may have grown up hearing this word day in and day out and even today may have no problem hearing it used in conversation but I'm not so sure he would welcome the fallout that it would undoubtedly bring. His opposition would have a field day with it.
DeleteSooo...let me get this straight. If an undecided voter or a traditional Democratic voter hears someone say the word fuck in an Obama ad, it will make them vote Republican? Regardless of the policy issues?
DeleteInteresting. Talk about easily persuaded and ill-focused.
Don't be ridiculous. The President's supporters are not going to vote Republican because of some ad with the 'F' word in it. Talk about using hyperbole to make a point.
Deletelooking forward to seeing it!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the ad and send the link to my 27 and 21 year old kids... Of course the old farts won't get the humor so they won't get the link... Or the joke!
ReplyDeleteDefine old farts please before I go the beast on you. LOL
DeleteGina is referring to my peer group, but some of us old farts would laugh our asses off about this book, but our husbands wouldn't understand the humor because they didn't lose a lot of sleep with the kids. It's a generational thing.
DeleteBut all of my children, sons and daughters alike, would think this is funny because they can relate to the experience. They would get the biggest kick if I were the one showing it to them because they don't realize that, whatever lack of sleep they experienced, their Mom did that times two. Plus, they might note that they all had more brothers and sisters than the number of children they parented. When that finally sinks in, they'll feel sorry for me and build that big house for me on a hill in the country that I don't want. LOL
No, we don't say the F-word around here and never have. Maybe "damn" when someone's attention is elsewhere and they need to be awakened. But I've heard the Fword- and it IS a word. And depending on how it's used, it can be a tasteless, vulgar word, a sign of anger, or a shocking expletive used in the funniest joke you ever heard. It's all in the context of how it's used and in whose presence. I can't even remember jokes long enough to repeat them and never have, even when I was as YOUNG as Gina and NOT an old fart--- thanks again, Gina, you bitch ;) just kidding ;).
But no, reading it to my grand kids would not be funny at all. But neither would cursing in front of them or in public. Neither would it be permissible to allow the children to view adult material of a sexual nature or even violence that adults might enjoy in many classic movies, because they're kids and we're adults.
Anyone that gets their panties in a wad because they don't want their children to be able to look up a video with bad words on You Tube is dazed and confused about what's important, and they better have an internet filter. Because if the kids can look up videos just to hear bad words, then they don't need to be on the internet unsupervised anyway, because hearing bad words is not the worst thing on the internet, I assure you.
But parents are people too, and some just want to fuss and complain instead of doing something productive. Go to an active PTA meeting and the loudest complainers are often not considered to be the best parents, they just want to pretend that they are. Sometimes they are and their complaints are valid, but way too much energy is wasted on the minutiae that matters so little either way it turns out. I've seen many smart, dedicated parents get frustrated with trying to be a member of a group like that, but seeing how one another
interacts with other adults has spawned many a friendship outside the group among those intelligent, caring parents who just don't have the time to fool with the riff-raff of personal politics in a parent org.
And I can pick those same people out of a group of commenters. They're ankle-peckers.
Some people say that the use of the word 'fuck' will paint Obamas campaign in a bad light, but Sarah Silvermans 'free lesbian sex' ad has already been posted, and no one from either side is screaming that Obama is buying his election with lesbian sex.
ReplyDeleteSam L Jackson is well known for his use of the word Fuck. That's the joke.
Chella, I think Sarah Silverman was just trying to give the old coot Adelson a heart attack so he would die and his estate would be tied up in probate until the election was over. The only problem with that is there are more billionnaires than there are female comedians that will do the lesbian scissors with the old rich sugar daddies. So we need to recruit Sarah S some helpers. These are more interesting subjects than Teabagger lies and Brisket's sorry parenting.
DeleteYes, Samuel L. Jackson says Fuck the way it should be said.
Be cool honey bunny.
Samuel Jackson could read the phone book and I'd pay to see it. This expletive ridden ad, paid for by a PAC, is sheer genius, and it won't hurt President Obama one bit.
ReplyDeleteHow much money has been funneled into the GOP machine and how many Ads have aired repeating outright LIES, quotes taken out of context, etc etc about President Obama?
I see it more as a scathing satirical middle finger to the entire Supreme Court Decision that allowed exactly this type of thing to happen.
With the FCC and it's obsession with appeasing the "pearl clutchers" of the world, will probably bleep the expletive, or Samuel will do a Celo Green "Forget You" version of the song "Fuck You", anyway.
And I'd let my teen and adult children see it, because they'll see it faster if I forbid it.
This is the worst idea imaginable.
ReplyDeleteI am appalled. I can hear the rethugs going insane already. This is a disaster that is completely avoidable.
I hope they really don't do this.