Blog

Beware ⁠t⁠he Green Pol⁠i⁠ce

By: The James Madison Institute / 2010

Blog

2010

By Francisco Gonzalez, JMI Development Director
Can a Super Bowl ad be both hilarious and frightening at the same time? Audi’s “Green Car” commercial featured a mock PSA that the “Green Police” are coming to get you. In sixty seconds, the Green Police arrest citizens for infractions against the environment that include using plastic bags, plastic bottles, foam cups, not recycling batteries or compost waste, using incandescent light bulbs, and making a hot tub actually hot (the outrage!). In the final scene, as the Green Police are stopping traffic with an “Eco Roadblock,” the Audi car is recognized and allowed to bypass all the other cars since it is the “green car of the year.”The ad is hilarious because it is mocking the idea that the environmental extremists, or the “green police,” are out to get you for what appears to be minor infractions against the ecosystem. But, it’s also a frightening picture of what may be yet to come if the state actually enforces “green” laws. Perhaps Audi is responding to the market demand for more fuel efficient, cleaner cars. Or maybe they are just getting one step ahead of the Green Police. Judge for yourself and watch the ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq58zS4_jvM