Rose Law Group Reporter Gripe of the Week
Your Gripe editor has been among the nation’s leaders in panning television commercials. They range from juvenile to gratuitous to far to anatomical.
Public uproar will sometimes cause an advertiser to pull the message.
A Mesa, Ariz. music teacher writes he wants Kentucky Fried Chicken {KFC) to pull its latest commercial, adding, “I’m not one to normally get involved in politics . . .”
But his complaint and the KFC commercial have nothing to do with politics.
The ad points out what it calls “not-so-smart” decisions. As an example, it shows a kid in the garage of this home beating the hell out of a drum set like Ringo Star.
“A low blow, writes Andy Ziker, author of “Drumset for Preschoolers,” a private drum instructor at Linton-Milano Music in Mesa and the percussion teacher at Self Development Charter School, also in Mesa..
Okay, so far, but he really gets down later, saying there is a “cultural bias” against the drum set. What? Are you serious?
“The value [of playing drums] in terms of brain development is a proven fact,” Ziker said. He has called for an apology from the KFC CEO to drummers and “percussion educators worldwide,” threating a boycott if an apology is not made.
A drum, he said, is a “cherished musical instrument.”
“Secondly, drummers and percussion educators are some of the smartest, most creative people I’ve met,” Ziker concludes.
Ah . . . NOT!
