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Volkswagen's 'Happy' Super Bowl Ad Stirs Controversy: Video

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3,456 views Jan 29, 2013

Volkswagen’s upcoming ad for Super Bowl XLVII doesn’t feature scantily clad bikini models, singing dogs or an adorable pint-sized version of a famous movie villain. There are no pyrotechnics, driving stunts or rock bands, either. Instead, it centers on the quest of a lowly office drone named Dave, who drives a VW Beetle, to improve morale in his workplace.

While that’s not particularly controversial in itself, this is: Dave, who’s from Minnesota, speaks with an island patois that some find demeaning to Jamaicans. Worse, one extreme feels that the video portrays Jamaicans as lazy, though we have a hard time seeing that ourselves.

Dave seems like a pretty busy guy to us, yet he still finds the time to give his co-workers an attitude adjustment. In fact, we find ourselves wishing for an employee or two like Dave, who can turn an ordinary grind into a reason to laugh and smile. If that’s what driving the new Volkswagen Beetle does for your outlook on life, we say sign us up.

What’s your take on this? Is it demeaning in any way, or, as the video itself implies, do people just need to chill out a bit and not take things so seriously?