First let me say this: I like electric cars for city use. I own and drive one. That said, this has got to be the stupidest professionally produced commercial I’ve seen in quite some time. The ad agency that serves Nissan (as does Nissan management) deserves a smack upside the head for promoting the idea that you can hug a polar bear. Some people are actually stupid enough to try it.
Watch the video of the Nissan Leaf commercial below, then have a look at some of the polar bear attacks on people.
Here’s a few comments gathered in this article at the New York Times:
The ad garnered mixed reviews online. “As subtle as a box of hammers to the face,” a writer for the Web site Autoblog opined.
The advertising blog Copyranter was even less charitable, calling the spot “outrageously manipulative” and “hubristic,” and pointing out that the millions of non-electric cars that Nissan continues to produce each year were “helping to destroy the bear’s ice pack.”
Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic posted the commercial on his blog with the headline “Smug Alert.”
Now let’s have a look at what polar bears actually do to people given the chance:
here’s another:
and another:
Even in sealed captivity they’ll try, though this person was asking for it:
So if you are so inclined by the Nissan commercial “huggy” portrayal, go ahead, hug a polar bear. Win yourself a Darwin Award.
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a test for Gebius,. I challenge some devoted greenie to buy one, crawl out of their yurt in the Rockies and drive it to Cancun for the climate take over pep rally. It would never make it. Electric problems all the way. By the time they spent 80% of drive time hooked to a charger, the trip would take months.
Dr. Dave says:
September 10, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Michael says:
September 10, 2010 at 8:38 pm
“…I was also wondering how good polar bear meat is to eat? I was hungry at the time.”
______________________________________________________
It tastes about the same as Giant Panda.
Cut meat into one inch squares. Marinate in a mixture of extra virgin olive oil, Cajun blackened seasoning, Thunderbird apple wine, ground sassafras root, ginger, garlic salt, crushed habanero pepper and cumin.
Roll in a batter of egg, balsamic vinegar and crushed graham crackers.
Deep fat fry until well browned.
Serve covered with Rudy’s BBQ sauce.
Tastes like Buffalo Wings.
(You knew it was coming)
I don’t think anyone is saying electric cars are a perfect solution for everyone. I don’t agree that they are less efficient however. There are energy conversion losses involved with burning fuel at a power plant, then transmitting that electricity vast distances through the grid to your home charger but its not greater than losses already in most fossil fuel powered vehicles. Now if the power plant is based on falling water, combined cycle, or nuclear, the advantage for electric becomes greater.
Anthony, this is a little OT, but what sort of electric car do you own?
I had an argument with a staffer at the Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal in Ketchikan a few weeks ago. I happened to mention that I would be always carrying a stainless steel revolver on my hip at last-ditch protection against bears. The woman screeched that I had no right to self-defense, since the bears were in Alaska first. I was not surprised to learn that she was a Californicator, with only a few years of residence in Alaska.
On the way north, in British Columbia, I ran into someone equally stupid. He said that I couldn’t have a revolver in Alaska because Canada banned them, and Alaska was a Canadian province. That was almost as bad as the green border inspector who demanded to know if I was going to rent a car at Prince Rupert to drive along the Alaska Marine Highway. He flushed red when I pointed out that the AMH is the state ferry system, not a road, and shouted at me to move on. His colleague, standing nearby, looked mortified at the behavior.
Oops, I noticed a typo. “…at last-ditch protection…” should be AS, of course. And to concerned folks, I know full well the hassle of trying to bring ANY firearms through Canada. When I make my move, in the near future, I will take the long ferry from Bellingham, WA, to Ketchikan, so I don’t go through Canadian customs with my guns and other items of a sensitive nature.
Grew up on wild game meat Pop would kill a young bear usually every season.
This being Black bear in NE Oregon. They are probably mostly vegetarian,
with the occasional calf, deer or poodle. Meat’s not bad kind of like pork, well cooked
is definitely a good idea. I’ve had Cougar and Rattlesnake too. Rattlesnake’s the best.
Cats are too high on the food chain, for great meat, would imagine like said above,
Polar bears aren’t going to be that great.
Oh, one other thing-you had better be prepared for a shock when you see a skinned
bear hanging – they are appallingly human-looking..
Would anyone here hug a grizzly bear? :o)
http://www.extremescience.com/zoom/index.php/animal-kingdom-records/106-polar-bear-biggest-carnivore
They cut the commercial short! It was actually a Coke add. After the hug, the Poley bear sat down had a rum and Coka-cola – – – and a bite to eat. Hey, it was a long walk.
/sarc
Actually, I thought it was graphically well down, even though the premiss, on a scale of 1-10 was a -1.5.
But hey, if the environmentalists, the EPA (with the courts agreement) and the AWG crowd make some naturally vicious animal into a “human loving’, to be pitied creature why shouldn’t a bunch of capitalists feature it to hype their products? I’m no fan of Nissan, but neither they nor their PR firm twisted the reality of what a Polar Bear is into something just short of a saint.
Doug in Seattle says:
September 10, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Always nice to see the Vancouver area in commercials. Didn’t know they had clean, washed polar bears running around the streets though (all the ones at Stanley Park are kind of yellow). That would certainly temper any plans to visit.
Stanley Park is a bad area. All those bears smoke.
The predictable Joe Romm is waiting for us all to “go nuts” over his rebuttal to this story.
Anyone gone nuts yet? Anyone?
“I happened to mention that I would be always carrying a stainless steel revolver on my hip at last-ditch protection against bears.”
I would suggest you either carry a high-powered rifle or nothing, unless you plan on trying to scare the bear off with the bang (which might well work). Your chance of actually killing a bear with a revolver is negligible, and wounding it would be extremely dangerous.
I might add that in Svalbard, where Polar Bears are quite common, carrying a rifle is mandatory whenever you are outside a settlement. However using it except when under direct attack is strictly prohibited, and if you are a tourist guide and have to kill a Polar Bear you will probably lose your licence, since you are supposed to be professional enough not to get into a situation where you have to use the rifle.
The result of this is that in Svalbard the macho thing to do when meeting a Polar Bear is not to have to kill it, with the result that very few Polar Bears are shot, while nobody has actually been killed by one for more than 50 years.
I’ll go check his site for the lulz.
Gong. I lost 5 minutes of life and he owes you for the extra traffic.
The polar bear will be extinct by the end of this century, except for a few zoo animals, unless we heed the warnings of our scientists in the next few years and actually do something. Somehow this post turned the ad into a warning about the bears’ danger to humans instead.
Can’t say I’m surprised. WUWT readers think that either their big houses and cars are far more important, or that polar bear heads belong on the walls of their dens.
Simon Filiatrault
Many/most people borrow money to finance at least part of the purchase of an automobile. Did you factor in the long-term interest cost in your comparison?
Mike Roddy says:” …or that polar bear heads belong on the walls of their dens.”
No way, but they do make great rugs in front of the fireplace.
Arizona CJ says:
September 10, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Believe it or not, a significant percentage (more than half by some estimates…) of black bear attacks on humans are provoked by the humans getting too close (seeking to have their pictures taken with the bears!) or, even more insanely, trying to PET THE WILD BEARS!
Jokes aside, in the light of your words, I just hope some innocent young person or child does not see that ad, subliminally registered, and sometime in the future get into a situation and remember the cuzzy, wuzzy bear in that ad as they try to approach one, pet one, or even hug one. Just look at that youngster in the other video, you see initial total trust. It does happen an incredible number of times. Your right, just ask a ranger. I sincerely hope there are no mauls or deaths directly attributable to this very ad.
( Joe Romm and his commenters: If something like that ever occurs, just recall YOUR words. )
Tor Hansson says:
September 10, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Awww. I don’t see the great harm. This was hyperbole in the service of humor.
If it help rid the planets of the worst treehuggers that is only an added benefit, but don’t count on it.
I would rather say it co-opts polar bear imagery and makes it less effective as a credible meme for the climate change promoters.
____________________________________________________
Tor, I witness the type of stupidity Anthony is talking about at Yellowstone National Park. Some complete idiot got between a mother brown bear and her cubs, turned his back on Mama and had his kids walk up to the cubs while he took pictures…..
I call it the “bambi complex” there are too many city types that do not understand that animals are NOT HUMAN and they can and WILL KILL YOU. I have dealt with this type of idiocy as a professional for over twenty years. The only thing that has kept people from being killed was constant vigilance, the amount of training I put in my animals and the fact I vigorously cull any animal that isn’t dead calm in temperament.
Here in Queensland Australia, we have a small island called Fraser Island. Very very popular with 4WD tourists.
The island is also home to many pure strain Dingos. Numerous children have been bitten by these “puppies”, consequently a number of dingos have been tracked down and killed.
The stupidity of parents allowing toddlers in nappies to wonder off in wild dingo country beggars belief.
maybe some shouldn’t be allowed to procreate.
tty, perhaps I should have specified something. I would never consider any revolver a defense against the big bears. In polar bear country, I would carry a big-bore rifle. In brownie/grizzly territory I would possibly carry my Browning Gold shotgun loaded with slugs. But I am moving to a small island offshore of the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, one of the few spots in Alaska without the big bears. I will be dealing with black bears, and I have dealt with black bears for half a century. Only in an emergency should I have to use my revolver. And I am aware of the polar bear situation in Svalbard. All of my people came to the USA from Norway, and I maintain significant contacts with friends and relatives there. Many are hunters, and some are from the far north.
I’m trying to decide which of these to send to Anthony;
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00124X5XC/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A2OBRXO7QCTPXN
or
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N1NDFU/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Which of these two does the WUWT readership think is the cutest?
REPLY: It doesn’t matter which they think, I won’t accept packages from you, (or anyone else sending similar snark) save your money – Anthony
Speaking of bears and people…
Many years ago, an old gentleman who used to lead hikes, told a story about a young woman friend. She was hiking from the floor of Yosemite Valley up to the top of a waterfall. Since she was the only person up there at the time, she decided to take a sunbath, but fell asleep. She was rudely awakened by a warm, raspy tongue on her abdomen. Apparently the black bear was after the coconut oil in her suntan lotion!
Found in: EFS_Junior on September 11, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Ah, just have him send the goods or the money (preferably the cash) here. There’s a cold hard winter coming, people won’t want to venture outdoors for extraneous shopping, and they’ll be facing high energy and food costs. Near the end of the year, there may be many wee ones in situations they’ll find unbearable.
Of course devotees of the Hansen and Tamino faith may find that hard to believe as 2010 is planned to be the hottest year ever, and decide there is no need for them to help out. Well, they were expecting an ice-free North Pole to happen soon, thus they should have expected and planned for coughing up their fair share of what’s needed to compensate for the consequences naturally arising from that waited-for condition.
😉
Dr. Dave says:
Remember the “Grizzly Man”? He ended up as bear scat in the Alaska woods. Polar bears make grizzlies look tame by comparison. They are top predators for crying out loud. A polar bear could quite easily kill and eat and adult male African lion.
Not that an African lion and a polar bear are likely to encounter each other. Wonder how things would work out between a pride of lions and a polar bear. Lions being unusual amongst felines since several animals hunt co-operativly.
All bears can attack and kill but I’ve read that only the polar bear will actually hunt humans. Other than man they have virtually no predators although Orca have been known to kill them in the water…but I suspect the whales prefer to avoid such encounters.
Orca are also top predators. Are such cases the results of Orca choosing to attack a bear or a bear attacking an Orca (possibly a juvenile) then finding itself confronting the entire pod.
jorgekafkazar says:
I had a gal at a party tell me emphatically that rattlesnakes never bit humans. I have no idea where she got that loony idea; I suspect one of her college profs was behind it. I set her straight (or tried to), but I really didn’t care if she sat on a rattler.
There’s probably a grain of truth in that the snake is reluctant to “waste” venom to get rid of a large animal which it regards as “threat” rather than “prey”.