(www.sass-pants.com) — If this isn’t the most random mail solicitation on the planet, I don’t know what is. It came today in my husband’s post office box.
On the back of the envelope is a testimonial from Pat Robertson, so you know it’s gotta be good. [[snort]]
But seriously, nothing can beat the front: “You can help feed an elderly Jewish person for just $2.40.” Um, okay? I’ve heard of Feed the Children (I sponsored a kid in Guatemala during high school) and I was roundly amused by Heifer International when I somehow made their mailing list for reasons still unclear to me — both respectable organizations, don’t get me wrong — but this is a new one.
Priceless.
Contents Copyright © 2008 Kristen King
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Perhaps “Stop Junk Mail and [Attempt to] Save a Dying Planet” would be a good post topic on this one? ROFL (wonder if I could get people to send ME money to by muzzles for the lions that eat missionaries….?)
If I were an elderly Jewish person, I’d be highly offended by the photos depicting what appears to be poor people. Okay, if it’s to help feed POOR Jewish elderly, say so! But what if you’re Mrs. Horowitz and your husband is a top cardiologist? Sorry, sister. You’re not getting a dime from me!
Things like this are why I believe proofreading (and common sense) is dead.
Bizarre, but why funny? Certainly not “priceless”… It’s worth exactly 2.40. What is the name of the soliciting organization and what does Pat Robertson have to say, if I may be so bold?
*tss*’s last blog post..part two: sitting on a bag of frozen green beans, (or: the coefficient of friction)
you know – something that strikes me here:
when you “feed the children”, which “children” are you feeding? there is something implicit that most Americans understand, or something explicit which they have seen on television commercials for the Feed the Children project and other similar projects: the children are impoverished, often of color, living in foreign nations. but the project isn’t called “Feed the Impoverished Children of Color in Foreign Nations”.
why go into all of this? because the solicitation could have said, “Feed the Elderly” – in which case we would have understood without question that the elderly named were impoverished elderly. this wouldn’t have been funny at all. it might have been a solicitation from Meals on Wheels or any other service that contributes to the welfare of impoverished elderly.
if in any way adding the word “Jewish” is the thing that makes this advertisement funny, i ask you to ask yourself exactly why that is.
*tss*’s last blog post..part two: sitting on a bag of frozen green beans, (or: the coefficient of friction)
@MIKCTR, sounds appropriate to me!
@Lori, that was what struck me as being particularly absurd in this situation. Like, gee, let’s find some stereotypically Jewish-looking people, get them to pull pathetic faces, and slap some kerchiefs on the women to make they look sad and impoverished. And then stick them on the front of an envelope!
@TSS, in crafting a response to your comments, I realized I was writing a whole blog post, not just a quick response, so I’m going to create a post to answer your questions. I’ll post the link here.
In the meantime, those who also find this solicitation amusing, please comment on why it amuses you. Those who think I’m a jerk for finding this funny, please comment on why I suck. Seriously.
My second post: http://tinyurl.com/5zl6t8