Woodsy Owl has fought against pollution ever since the early ’70s, but the war on litter is not a battle one owl can win alone. There have been innumerable public service ads reminding folks to put their trash in the proper receptacles, and for what amounts to a pretty simple and direct message, such PSAs sometimes took a pretty surreal approach in delivering it.
This one is a downright weird (and oft parodied) example. In it, a Native American in full traditional garb walks the busy streets of a bustling city, and he’s in no mood to impress you with tomahawk pantomimes or rain dance tutorials. Instead, Chief Pensive walks with purpose, dumbstruck by the total disregard we filthy Americans have for our own land.
After filling a burlap sack with discarded trash, our friend approaches the freeway to reflect upon the state of the nation as cars zip by. Then, in one of the most unintentionally hilarious moments in public service announcement history, a passenger in a speeding car throws what appears to be an entire bag of trash out the side window, which manages to fly all the way over to Chief Pensive and explode at his feet. And just to make sure the line between “fairly humorous” to “hysterical” is crossed, the Native American stares a hole through the camera lens, as we zoom in to reveal what would become television’s most dramatic teardrop from that point all the way up to when Sinéad O’Connor would not and could not compare anything to you.
The PSA is obviously well-meaning, but looking at it through today’s PC eyes, you can’t help but wait for it to cut away from the crying Indian to the logo and 800 number for Geico. Click here to give it a look.
Posted by Matt. E-mail me!
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If I remember correctly, the actor that plays Chief Pensive isn’t even any fashion of indian.