I came across this weird swine flu commercial the other day. I'm not going into the conspiracy argument that most folks on that link has dived into. Rather, I just wanted to say one thing ….. how creepy is this ad?

I'm not saying its creepy because I agree with the 'it could spread like wildfire' scenario they are painting. Nah, I found it disturbing because of the way the folks were talking about the whole matter. Did you hear that bit about Dotty getting the flu? Did anyone else balk when the narrator said “But Dotty had a heart condition and she died”? How about a little bit of tact when presenting it? It's not a 'Don't drink and drive' ad, you know.

Oooh and I love the music, especially the bit where Dotty picks up her dog from the (1:17). If you listen to the video as opposed to watching it, it sounds like one of the bad sound effects from the original Star Trek. Actually, if you did that, this ad sounds like an STD warning, i.e. Dotty gave it to her girlfriend, the mailman and the paperboy. Wow, Dotty has been busy.

Alright, so you need to be careful with all contagious diseases so these guys have a point. However, if they had gone over their copy and been a bit less fear - mongering-scratch that, if they had been just a bit more diplomatic in presenting the illness – it wouldn't be so horrid to watch.