Two television commercials appeared during the 2002 Superbowl that suggested rather strongly that drug sales fund terrorist activities around the world. The ad I wish to examine is one in which items (presumably to be used for terrorist acts) flash on the screen, and in between, prices are listed. The ad is reminiscent of the popular credit card commercials depicting items' prices and containing a final "priceless" item. The difference is, the first advertisement shows guns, a fake ID, a box cutter, and several other dangerous items. The commercial opens with a nighttime view of a house. As the screen flashes to fake passports, the idea of something illegal or immoral is carefully reinforced. As the image changes, a price appears on the screen against a blac

On one hand, I believe this commercial was unfortunately successful in that it effectively conveyed its message to the target audiences. The problem is that the commercial took the war on drugs issue a step too far. It said in no uncertain terms that drug use causes terrorism. Despite being apparently erroneous, the messages do a wonderful job of stirring emotions. Sadly, in today’s age of information, customization, and pre-fabricated everything, many people do not make the effort to research and read things for themselves. An emotional response is all one needs to make decisions today. People have an attitude that logic and reasoning should be left to computers and people they elect do think for them. Finally, a majority of Americans do not use drugs. That fact alone ensures that most people will find the message grimly accurate. Our culture tells us to believe what we read in newspapers and see on television, so most people do.

The multiple images shown throughout the commercial do serve a specific purpose. The house and the computer, for example, establish the subversive nature of the activities that will follow. It would be hard to assume that terrorists coordinate and perform their attacks without the help of computers, so while illustrating this, the commercial manages to quietly accuse computer companies and computer hackers of aiding terrorism. Along the lines of hackers, cyber-terrorism has recently become a bigger problem, so perhaps the computer depicts alternate (but still highly damaging) methods of terrorism. The next image is hard to forget: a clip of a man purchasing a box cutter. The recent attacks in New York and Washington still remind all of us that even pocketknives and box cutters could be used to highjack a commercial airliner. As despicable as this reminder is, its purpose is effective and clear. The continued images are ra

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