Bothered by the vonage commercial with the racist comment?

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 12, 2011 Posts: 3

What is wrong with you people??? Isn't it possible that a white elephant simply means a white elephant! If I (a white person who actually auditioned for the Vonage commercials) made a comment about a white elephant in the room - it would have been about a white elephant.

Someone could have just as easily said "Blue elephant in the room". The point of the saying is that there is something large and looming that people are ignoring. Would a blue elephant comment upset the smurf community. Seriously, you were all mad about something before the commercial aired. Get a grip and a life too!

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 17, 2011 Posts: 7

That is really your response to what has been said? It's almost as if you didn't read anything but the title. Thankfully they have since pulled this ad from rotation but, I'll still respond to you;

A commercial is supposed to be a piece of propaganda for a company to entice new customers. So we as an audience are supposed to identify with the folks in the commercial. Now yes you could say it's like a neon green horse in the room but, the viewer response to that would be that you are a fool. What they said is would be the equivalent to someone just learning English and saying "piece of pie" or "Easy as cake". I'm not saying to make fun of them, I'm saying take a second and tell them the proper saying. Saying blue horse or other such nonsense is like an inside joke and you make the audience feel left out cause they don't get it. The point isn't that he mis-spoke a phrase, if he is just a regular guy I can see why he would be nervous. However, to let that get through the whole process and onto TV is just a slew of folks half-assing their jobs. And if you think I'm wrong why don't you use some phrase about "not wanting to talk about the white elephant in the room" at work tomorrow and see how folks respond to you.

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 12, 2011 Posts: 3

This is unfathomably ridiculous. Nothing was 'mis-spoken.' The guy used the adjective "white" to describe the elephant of which he was speaking. Clearly it was based on someone's 'style' - - - be it the ad agency, writer, actor, whomever. There is no right or wrong within someone's personal style of speaking and who made you the judge? I can say or write anything about anything to any of my colleagues at anytime and because they like me - and are inherently happy people - no one has the least bit of interest in judging how I say or do things.

The white elephant in any room is born of judgmental perception.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 20, 2011 Posts: 4

Linda, you are clearly an imbecile.

The imbecile in the commercial is not talking about any elephant in any room.

The imbecile in the commercial is badly mixing two metaphors:

1. "The Elephant In The Room": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_in_the_room

and

2. "White Elephant": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant

Linda, you and the irritating imbecile in the commercial need to catch a spaceship back to Planet Douche, and breed--your children will be even more moronic than you are.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 20, 2011 Posts: 4

My Favorite Mixed Metaphors (and a few malapropisms)

We could stand here and talk until the cows turn blue.

You could have knocked me over with a fender.

He was watching me like I was a hawk.

I’ll get it by hook or ladder.

He’s a wolf in cheap clothing.

They’re diabolically opposed.

He received a decease and desist order.

I wouldn’t eat that with a ten-foot pole.

Take a flying hike.

I shot the wind out of his saddle.

He’s not the one with his ass in a noose.

A loose tongue spoils the broth.

It’s all moth-eared.

I can read him like the back of my book.

From now on, I’m watching everything you do with a fine-tuned comb.

It’s as easy as falling off a piece of cake.

He’s like a duck out of water.

These hemorrhoids are a real pain in the neck.

It’s time to grab the bull by the tail and look him in the eye.

I wouldn’t be caught dead there with a ten-foot pole.

I hope he gets his curve ball straightened out.

It’s time to step up to the plate and lay your cards on the table.

He’s burning the midnight oil from both ends.

You can’t change the spots on an old dog.

It sticks out like a sore throat.

It’s like looking for a needle in a hayride.

People are dying like hotcakes.

He’s a little green behind the ears.

You can’t go in there cold turkey with egg on your face.

We have to get all our ducks on the same page.

The fan is gonna hit the roof.

I have a lot of black sheep in my closet.

I'm sweating like a bullet.

And my all-time favorite:

She’s suffering from a detached rectum.

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 12, 2011 Posts: 3

Clearly it was based on someone's 'style' - - - be it the ad agency, writer, actor, whomever. Who made you the judge of anyone's style?
You think (laughably) that wikipedia is the God of truth in diction?
In order to avoid blowing a gasket, you should probably consider avoiding media of all kinds, as well as all of the other things in life that you can't control. There's a big world out here, and you are not in charge of it.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 20, 2011 Posts: 4

<sigh>

Wikipedia is merely a repository of information.

In this case, we're talking about two metaphors that are also cliches, which were mixed badly by a semi-literate buffoon with a speech impediment, on a bad Vonage commercial.

From the context in the dreadful commercial, it's obvious that the guy just "got it wrong"--as many semi-literate people do, when they are using phrases they simply don't understand.

It's a textbook case of a (bad) mixed metaphor, other racist implications aside.