Spotted in last night's mail: An envelope claiming to be "The Reality Report," with a picture of the GEICO Caveman with the subtitle "We're not laughing." On the back, the return address: Up With Cavemen, with the subtitle, "Cavemen are people, too."
I saw a discussion on a blog a week or two ago, asking if the Caveman commercials had jumped the shark. Some thought that had happened with the commercial involving the therapist, others felt that the ad campaign was clever and entertaining. In today's hypersensitive grievance society, even non-viable Litho-Americans cannot be mocked with impunity! Say something offensive about anyone, anyone, and you'll be forced to apologize and buy them the roast duck with mango salsa. And that's a best-case scenario, assuming that you don't have deep pockets, like Michael Richards, for instance.
Speaking of which, we had to watch an hour-long series of training videos about "Working Together With Dignity and Respect." We learned that everyone has a reason to feel aggrieved, so it's best not to offend them. You cannot harass or discriminate by race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or physical or mental disability, or you're in trouble. Big trouble. Safest conversation gambit: "Hi, howya doin'? Me too, see ya later." Do not get too close to the other person while conducting this conversation, however, as that could be construed as sexual harassment.
