First we had the “What would Jesus drive?” campaign against SUVs, and now Ariana Huffington’s Detroit Group is running TV ads alleging that SUV owners are supporting terrorists. “Patterned after the commercials that try to discourage drug use by suggesting that profits from illegal drugs go to terrorists, the new commercials say that money for gas needed for S.U.V.’s goes to terrorists.”
While I once again agree with the goals of the campaign, this is also a bit much. There are many times when I get annoyed thinking about the fact that some people insist on buying expensive, gluttonous Mercedes and Cadillac SUVs that will never leave the pavement as a status symbol rather than for any real utilitarian purpose. And as recently as yesterday I went off on a rant about some people driving as if they own the road when they are in a big SUV or truck. Judging from the response in Metafilter’s discussion area, I’m not the only one. Still, I’m surprised at the audacity of this campaign in today’s hyper-sensitive PC climate. I guess I’m not the only one, as many TV stations are not airing them. I have yet to see any here in my area, although apparently they were aired over the weekend in the D.C. area (as well as New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit) during several news programs.
