When you think of places to look for a casual hook up, a list of websites and bars probably come to mind. The last place you would think to check is with the government, but in Singapore, that is exactly what is happening. The government there developed the Social Development Unit (SDU), basically, to promote baby-making!
With the country facing low birth rates from natives and an influx of foreigners, the government has sought to increase the birth rate of the domestic population. The SDU was created in response, and it provides online dating services, hosts social mixers, and even puts together speed dating events.
The public reaction, however, has been a bit mixed. Many young folks look at it as too much paternalistic involvement by the government. Opponents say they do not need the government to find partners. A common joke goes that the agency name really stands for Single, Desperate, and Ugly, based on the selection offered by their services.
It is a fascinating concept either way, if you think about it. The government is actually committing resources and tax dollars to help people hook up! With a little bit of improvement to the system, the people of Singapore could be looking at some true government “benefits”.
Ah, the morning after. Who knows what surprises it might bring? Farm animals? Strap-ons? Used rubbers? A beached whale? Lucky for us, we get to live all these wonderful things vicariously through the guy in this beer ad.
Best of all, we get to do it Godfather style. If you didn’t pick it up, this commercial is a take on a scene from the old movie. In the original, the scene starts out with a slow zoom in on a beautiful Hacienda mansion, where this old guy in nice pajamas wakes up with a bloody horse head in his bed and completely flips out. As a matter of fact, that scene is pretty funny in its own right, albeit unintentionally.
This time, we are in a frat house college party situation. It is actually done pretty well for a short commercial, especially the way they slowly reveal each item under the bed covers. You also have to love the accessories, including a pig, a bong, and a Cartman head on his swimsuit pinup. Mix in the Godfather music and the actor really selling the scream, and we have a winner, folks.
When things like this really happen, there are two types of people. There are those who file these experiences under casual encounters to forget. They keep it secret and never tell their friends. Then there are others, who make the best of it and get a kick out of having a funny story to tell. Which kind of person are you?
Here’s a fresh take on boys who play with Barbie dolls, courtesy of Tulipan Condoms. Many fathers might worry about their boys taking to girls’ dolls, but this commercial shows that it should be encouraged if they want the little guys to become ladies men.
I also got a kick out of the kid’s point of view towards the father. He gets so fed up and disappointed that Pops keeps trying to push his homosexual ways on the boy that when he busts in on Daddy’s tea party, he turns the tables and gives his dad the look of disapproval. Hey, at least the dad was picking up some good dance moves from those life size action figures!
They definitely nailed the concerned parent cinematography as well. The lighting and camera angles when the father peeks into the son’s room and watches him in the car are straight out of a bad “Just Say No To Drugs” commercial. It is full of good laughs all around.
Tulipan is an Argentian condom company that has put out a number of humorous commercials over the years. We like what they’re doing down there and want them to keep it up. What did you think of this spot?
Take the worst blind date story you have ever heard, multiply it by ten, and it is still not close to this. A teenage boy in China was so disappointed by the appearance of his blind date that he went home and hanged himself afterwards.
The two met on the popular QQ messaging site, and had been talking for a few weeks before meeting. The girl said she was 19 years old, beautiful, and went by the name “Flying Skirt,” or Quanjiaofeiyang in Chinese. When they met, it turned out she was 27 and…..uhmmmm, how can I put this….”homely”. The boy turned around and went straight home, got very quiet, and lost his appetite. Four days later, he hanged himself from a tree.
A few things stick out about this story. One is that they were only in touch for a few weeks before, how could he have been that attached? Perhaps the skewed girl to guy ratio left him feeling desperate.
Also, this had to seriously mess up the girl psychologically. Before reading this, I thought the worse that could happen is having an ex turn gay or lesbian, but this is a whole new level. Granted, she lied about her age and looks, but nobody deserves this.
At the end of the day, this story is pretty extreme and reminds us a few things. One is that whatever our relationship drama is, keep it in perspective because it is not that bad. Another thing is it is these extreme stories that remind us that these are the exceptions with blind dating and most of our experiences will be much more positive than negative.
