The Apple Card Ladder Commercial – The Beta Male Strikes Again

Apple is known for their quirky commercials and this one might top the list with its original chant style song and a peculiar fellow eyeing the work of his neighbors. The wife is 10+ feet in the air clearing gutters while the husband holds the ladder and 100% lies to her to avoid her wrath. Notice the tone of her voice when she asks if he’d paid the bill yet… then scroll down for more thoughts.

The idea of a sigma male is becoming more popular in mainstream personality-related conversations which makes this ad featuring a beta male stand out.

The beta male husband clearly ranks second in the marriage, which is supported by the imagery as well. His wife is elevated. He is lower. She dominates. He’s fearful. I can’t imagine any pleasant women wanting to be partnered up with a guy like this. If I were to show this commercial to a man from the “great generation” or the generation of my dad, or even most of the men I know… they’d say having the woman go up the ladder while the dude holds it would only happen when Hell freezes over. There are things that men do and there are things that women do. Can a woman clean gutters? Absolutely. Would a chivalrous sigma (or alpha) man have a relationship like this? Never.

What do you think about the commercial? Chime in below…

-Out of the Wilderness

The Weather Channel Who Cried Wolf

If you’re in the southeast, you’re well aware of Hurricane Helene approaching (at the time of this post) from the Gulf of Mexico. This is a little rant I’m about to go on: I’ve never EVER seen coverage for a tropical storm/hurricane like they’ve been dissecting this one. Do you remember the wall-to-wall coverage when it was just labeled with a number? I’ll admit, they were right that it would turn into a tropical depression then tropical storm and now a hurricane. But I’d suggest that the peak of annoyance happened this morning when storm guru Jim Cantore was on air in the panhandle of Florida. He was absolutely giddy when he said the storm surge could be record high. It wasn’t the possible damage discussed that ticked me off, it was his gleeful demeanor. I’m over it. Maybe this hurricane will be bad, maybe it won’t be. But the weather channel and most stations covering this storm have cried wolf one too many times. All they care about is ratings. They need us to be scared so we stay tuned in.

Just between you and me, part of me hopes this storm is as bad as they say, or else all of these weather people are dead to me from now until eternity.

With that said in complete facetiousness, I truly hope the storm is a lot less than it’s being predicted to be. I pray for all of us in the path. We’re helpless but we’ve done the best we can to prepare. Now we pray, knowing how weak and vulnerable we are to things out of our control, that God intervenes and miracles happen. That He receives glory, grateful praise in some way, somehow, from whatever happens.

-Out of the Wilderness

Hard Rock Bet Taught Me A Lesson

I’ve sat at tables in Las Vegas and slot machines in Kentucky. I had an account with DraftKings. Here are a few things I learned from a recent experience using Hard Rock Bet (I don’t want to get the jingle stuck in your head but Hard Rock Bet is legal in Florida!). Sorry.

Here’s what I’ve learned: I suck at gambling. It was ridiculously accurate in the last month or so that whoever or whatever I picked to win, the other choice wins almost every time. And I know what you’re thinking. Do the Seinfeld thing: Decide what my pick is, then do the opposite. But even this doesn’t work. I couldn’t ever catch a real break. Not only am I a bad gambler, it also makes me feel terrible. That’s another thing I learned.

From the very first day I opened my account with Hard Rock, I got this uncomfortable feeling, a sense of loss. I thought putting even just a few dollars in my account would make watching games fun, but it actually did the opposite. I wasn’t enjoying watching football on the professional level or college. Instead of rooting for the underdog and celebrating when big upsets happen, I was more concerned with whatever bet I had made. It changed the entire sports viewing experience and not in a good way.

If you’re on the fence about throwing some cash into a betting app, I’d advise against it. Instead, go buy that thing you’ve wanted for awhile. It’ll be money better spent and you’ll have something to show for it. The last thing I learned… I’ll be voting against any legalized betting in the state of Florida. I don’t want other people to feel the way I felt, or to lose lots of money. Either can happen at the drop of a hat… or the drop of a perfectly fine pass from a star quarterback.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Progressive Football Commercial – Jamie Gives Up On His Father’s Dream

During the recent football season, Progressive is airing a commercial starring everyone’s favorite Progressive agent… Jamie. He always keeps us on our toes, doesn’t he? I had no idea he was a football player at Football High School but this commercial proves it’s true. It’s also hilarious. In fact, it’s worth your time to watch it at least 5 times to catch things you might have missed the first 4 times.

Everything being so literal is my kind of humor; Everything from FHS (Football High School) and the College Football Scout wearing a lanyard that says “Scout” to Jamie’s teammate saying, “Jamie, we need you out here for football!” as if there was some other reason they might need him out there. I also love the subtle moments of the cheerleader turning all the way around to watch Jamie run towards (not-the) exit, the scout being left-handed (how do you know someone is left-handed? answers here), Jamie is playing defense for his football team, an 11-man unit tasked with protecting the end zone from the opposing team. It makes sense that he would be interested in protecting Progressive customers, it’s in his DNA to protect things.

The parody of every sports movie’s climatic moment is the climax of this ad, too. Jamie and his dad are finally being honest with one another.

You’re giving up on your dream, James.

No, Dad, I’m giving up on yours.

I felt that. The extended cut (on YouTube) includes a final scene that I didn’t see on the TV version. Remember when they cut to Flo watching through binoculars? That scene doesn’t get much explanation unless you watch the extended clip. Spoiler alert: Flo is a scout, too! But not for football. She must’ve been eyeing Jamie for awhile, thinking he’d be a good fit for her Progressive team.

Jamie never put on another football helmet, married that cheerleader, and hasn’t spoken to his dad since*… and now you know the rest of the story.

*I made all of that up.

-Out of the Wilderness

Is The Best Decade of Music Up For Grabs?

Dividing music into decades is one of the easiest ways to make categories to judge by. It’s kind of funny too, that each 10-year catalogue is so recognizable, even with some gray areas in the late or early years of a decade. My brother-in-law and I, when we’re riding around together, like to try guessing what year a song came out. Our guesses usually start with something like, “This played all the time when I was working at McDonald’s so it had to be mid-90s…” or “We lived in Rhode Island so the song definitely came out in 1988…” and I can almost guess some songs by where I lived growing up. Moving every few years helps to cement certain songs in my core memories. For instance, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” (early childhood in south Florida), “Tubthumping” (college in Tallahassee, FL), or “What Hurts the Most” (being a new resident of Nashville, TN). Those and so many more are etched into my memory by location but these can also represent music of the decades, too. So which decade of music is your favorite and why is it the 1990s?

There is no decade that everyone would agree is the best, but I heard a song the other day that was released in 2022 and now I’m wondering if the best decade of music is the one we’re in right now. The song is that good. It’s got a retro 1980s vibe and it’s by one of my favorite bands (so I guess I’m biased already?). Lots of people would pick the 1980s and 1990s as the best decades, maybe the 1970s gets in with a few people. But the 2000s and 2010s wouldn’t be at the top of anyone’s list. Feel free to try changing my mind but now that we’re almost halfway through the 2020s, I gotta say… this might be a phenomenal decade for music. Rap is sounding great thanks to artists like Kendrick Lamar and NF. Rockers from the 80s and 90s are touring again (Tears for Fears, Creed, etc). Folk/rock bands like the Lumineers are well-established and making great music. Even instrumental songs are becoming hip because of talented musicians like Lindsey Sterling. But this band I mentioned… I got to see them twice in the last couple of years and I’d gladly go see them again. Check out the nostalgic 80s sound of “scream!” by Judah and the Lion.

I’m starting to believe the 2020s will be remembered as an incredible decade of music. Maybe the best.

-Out of the Wilderness