Flirting With Disasters | My Fellow Americans | Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
A couple traveling to San Diego are told by their parents that in San Diego people bump other people's cars to pull them over and then mutilate them and steal their cars. So when their car is followed on the freeway, they assume that this will occur. As it turns out, the following car's occupants have merely found the wife's sweater and are trying to return it. However, when the following car approaches them, the wife sprays mace at the other driver, while driving on the freeway.
This sequence occurred for about 3 minutes in total.
This movie was somewhat underground and aimed more at adult viewers, so the influence to children may be minimal. However, the scene could give the audience the idea that that is one way to protect themselves while driving rather than staying calm and avoiding any contact with others while driving.
Although it is clear from the context that the couple was trying to protect themselves, it is very dangerous to interrupt someone's driving while the car is in motion.
In the movie it went on without accident, but getting in panic while driving is not a good example of driving.
The scene where their parents telling a rumor about drivers in San Diego could affect someone who do not know anything about San Diego to believe that it is true, and encountering a similar situation, they could get into panic.
Prominence...1
Riskiness...3
Realistic Nature...3
Total Score...7
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Two former presidents are trying to find out about the current president's dirty work and are followed by the Secret Service. The former presidents escape through several cities, but are finally found by the Secret Service. They jump into their Hyndai and drive off. While driving away, their car hits the Secret Service car and collides into a giant sign, which falls onto another Secret Service car, totalling it. They drive over a planter and hit a Jack-in-the-Box sign, the nose of which smashes their windshield and gets stuck there, blocking the driver's view.
This sequence lingered only about 2 minutes, but the theme of two old people running away and breaking everything and causing disaster occupies the majority of the movie.
This movie portrays the sequence as funny. At the same time, it represents the way old people drive their cars, making viewers think that old people in general are bad drivers and not physically capable of driving safely (stiff backs, less alert, etc.)
Although from the context of the movie it is obvious that the former presidents lives are in danger, and they have to run away, they showno concern for the cars nor drivers which they hit.
The sequence gives viewers the idea that car-chasing is exciting and fun, and while driving away, it is OK to hit anything as long as they can get away from those that are chasing them. The car maneuvers on screen suggest the idea that a car can be a weapon.
Prominence...3
Riskiness...4
Realistic Nature...2
Total Score...9
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Two teenagers (Beavis and Butt-Head) are involved in a serious conspiracey which also happened to be a battle between former husband and wife who are now on opposite sides. The wife made Beavis and Butt-Head help her bring a magnetic chip from Las Vegas to D.C. by using a tour bus. However, they were kicked out due to their behavior (which is usually horrible) and they were caught by the husband and taken away in the trunk of his car. While in the trunk, Beavis and Butt-Head decide to jump off the car while they are driving on the freeway. Butt-Head tells Beavis that if they could jump off and run as fast as the car, they would not be injured. Then Butt-Head pushes off nervous Beavis without warning, and Beavis rolls on the freeway, hitting and pushing a car off the lane, causing a domino crash of many cars.
This cartoon is very well-known to be very bad and anti-heroistc, but the behaviors that are displayed show no concern to the consequences and suggest that is funny. Several places that suggest that characters brake traffic laws but do not get caught.
Because this is cartoon, the effect of what happened does not seem serious, but because this is what a lot of kids and young adults watch, it could contribute to that generation's bad driving attitude.
Prominence...3
Riskiness...4
Realistic Nature...2
Total Score...9
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First scene starts with big letters saying, "Hay. wait for us!" In a blank background, a car driving ziz-zag is going everywhere while a voice is explaining the feature of the car (horsepower, etc.). There are some colorful animated fringes on the rear of the car, following everywhere the car goes. Every few seconds, the background becomes a regular road, suggesting that the car is actually driving on the road that is full of ups and downs. Finally, the car stops, and the background stays as the road. Quote: Rest of the world has tough time just keeping up.
The two quotes clearly tell viewers that this car is faster than other cars--suggesting aggressive driving.
It starts with a somewhat cartoon-like approach; however, by the end of this commercial, the picture has become realistic and viewers are shown that the car is actually driving on a road.
This commercial encourages the competition of fast driving, or aggressive driving.
Prominence...3
Riskiness...3
Realistic Nature...3
Total Score...9
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A car is going on a wet road (probably after rain?), making big splashes. The car turns curves without slowing down, skidding into the next lane. The camera angle changes, which makes the car look like it is spinning in one place. A voice explains the features of the car with the words such as "speed," "luxury," and "power," and concludes by saying, "Own one, and you'll understand."
This commercial suggests that driving fast is a "luxury," encouraging competition of fast driving, or aggressive driving. Also, driving fast on a wet paved road is very dangerous.
Prominence...3
Riskiness...4
Realistic Nature...3
Total Score...10(Congrats...NOT!)
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This commercial starts with a phrase "shall we dance?" Then the screen shows a car driven on an empty road. The screen shows sords such as, "right foot forward," "left foot forward," and "turn." Then it goes, "double-time," and the screen shows the car being accelerated significantly and speed away. At the end, the screen goes back to the car and finishes with the word "bow."
This commercial portrays driving as a playful, fun activity by comparing driving to ballroom dancing, which could lead to drivers' lack of seriousness behind the wheel. Because the "double time" was the end and climax of this commercial, it also suggests that being capable of speeding up beyond the speed limit is the best feature of the car, making viewers and especially owners of BMW's want to speed up while they are driving.
Prominence...3
Riskiness...2
Realistic Nature...3
Total Score...8
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Alanis Morisette sings her song "ironic" while driving a car with 3 clones of herself. Those girls are playing and partying in the car, having a good time. There is another version of this video shown occasionally which uses exactly the same plot, starring a 5-year-old "Alison" driving the car with 3 of her clones instead of Alanis.
This song was very popular this past year and the video won the VH1 network's Best Music Video. It is likely that many young people have watched this video. It is a bad influence that a celebrity like Alanis Morisette is behaving badly in a car because young people who admire Alanis might thing whatever she does is "cool" and imitate her behavior. Particularly hanging one's body out of a car is a common behavior which is done frequently on TV, rarely with any consequences, therefore, most young people are probably already familiar with this image. Also, showing a 5-year-old drive a car so well(without any accidents) might encourage other young children to try driving without license or proper training.
Prominence...3
Riskiness...3
Realistic Nature...3
Total Score...9
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In the opening sequen