Wednesday, November 17, 2021

What is spicy? What!?

I ask because of this dumb ad that keeps popping up on YouTube. It's Kumail Nanjiani driving a car through some city streets and weaving around flaming wreckage. At the end, he remarks "Ok, that's spicy." And then the ad ends. That's it. And it's driving me (absolutely no pun intended) out of my mind. 
To be clear, nothing against Kumail Nanjiani.
He is a--are we still saying snack?
Dear Lexus, I'm not buying a Lexus 
because you interrupted my YouTube watching.
Oh, and also because I can't afford a Lexus. 
Now, let me stop you right there. No. The ad has not done its job. I realize it's living--as the expression goes--rent free in my head, but I am not now, nor will I ever buy a Lexus. Because that's what they're selling. As much as I love Kumail Nanjiani, and I do, this ad is dumb and frustrating and I hate it. I'm sorry, you know what? Hate's a strong word...let's say resent. I strongly resent all advertising, like in general, but particularly the commercials on YouTube which interrupt whatever you're watching, sometimes mid-sentence, to sell some nonsense you don't care about. Mid-sentence! Can you beli-

The Eternals is a film that forces us to ask
the questions what the fuck are the Eternals?
I'm left with so many, many questions. Questions like, what's going on here? Why are things on fire? And crucially, what does he find so spicy? My understanding is that he's using it in the colloquial sense rather than the literal, but doesn't spicy mean sassy or rude? Is the destruction all around him a result of sassiness? At no point am I thinking to myself: why not buy a Lexus? And then, afterwards, go see The Eternals. There's-huh? Oh, forgot to mention, this is an ad for The Eternals

Because synergy. I guess the thought here is that we're going to be so intrigued by the mystery created by Kumail Nanjiani's assertion that spiciness is afoot that we'll go to the site, watch the full ad and be persuaded to buy both a ticket to the movie and a forty thousand dollar luxury sedan. But mostly all its succeeded in doing is make me shout at the screen "What? What is so spicy?" 
Above: Actor/writer Kumail Nanjiani remarking on the spiciness of the situation.

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