“Board of Unnecessary,” commercial for milk.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding it (I’m definitely not), but the premise of this ad seems to be “We don’t get why there are all these other kinds of milk, like soy milk and almond milk — what’s the point?”
Uhhhhh, well, milk industry, the point to all these “unnecessary” substitutions is that there are people who don’t want to buy milk. Obviously, there are health issues for some, but for others (for example, me), alternatives are necessary because of you, the milk industry, and what you do.
You pump your cows full of hormones and cram them in tiny sheds or barren lots. They live short lives of supreme discomfort, separated from their calves and hooked into machines. They are the lifeblood of your industry, and you treat them with unconscionable disregard.
(We could also take into account all the pollution your practices cause, but I’m trying to stay focused here.)
That is why people buy alternatives to milk, just in case you really didn’t know, but I kind of think you secretly did.
(Side note, while we’re talking: can we just agree that it’s really gross how aggressively you advertise to children? It’s one thing to ask an adult to be complicit in cruelty — they can make their own decisions — but kids don’t know what a factory farm is. Is “Joe-Camel-ing” a verb? Because it should be.)
I would love it — LOVE it — if dairy-free alternatives to milk were unnecessary, and you, the milk industry, have the power to make them so, but it wouldn’t be by just saying so in a commercial, it would be by majorly reforming your practices. It would mean taking a real critical look at the compromises and rationalizations you’ve made in the name of higher profits, acknowledging your mistakes and making a good faith effort to be better citizens of this earth. I’m not saying you can’t do it, but it is going to require more than just strong bones.
