Article by Ey@el

Original en français

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Every year in the UK, big chains such as Sainsbury's or John Lewis commit to substantial budgets on TV commercials, which, it must be said, often turn out as pure gems both artistically and ethically. The so-called Christmas Spirit is being sold to us. In this regard, the Great Manipulators succeed every time in getting us to lower our guard by playing heavily on our weakness which is our feelings and emotions (and also turns out to be our greatest strength as opposed to those shadow psychopaths who totally lack the ability). And it does work! If you tell me you don't get emotional watching the above clip, I simply won't believe you. However, the underlying message is pretty clear: consume our products to create a better world and forget also that thanks to your money we can control the world and viciously keep plundering it with no regard whatsoever to its living inhabitants whether humans, animals or vegetals. What we're showing you is as virtual as the reality we've tricked you into. I would even go further and point to an existing parallel between the trampoline and our modern society: however much we jump and bounce back, we'll never get any higher or further than the set boundaries of our pen. The above clip is John Lewis's Christmas 2016 commercial and the final scene has been edited out to turn it into a parody for our enjoyment. I guess Winston is in reference to Churchill, often pictured as a bulldog (initially the dog was called Buster). If you wish to compare both versions, here's the link to the original.

Ey@el