Political Action Through Media Parody and Appropiation

Will Ferrell and a cast of other talented actors actively "campaign" for protecting American Insurance Companies in a video clip under the guise of a rather common health care model or pharmaceutical commercial advertising formula. Once the video begins the slogan
Protect Insurance Company's PSA (Hollywood speaks out to help insurance companies) is superimposed on the image.

It looks and feels like the "real thing", and the actors play it straight, albeit with over-dramatized concern and satiric comedy tone, but other than that it's as if this is an advert genuinely concerned for Insurance Companies and the CEO's of those companies. An appropriation of a pretty useful & dramatic format becomes more and more absurd as you watch it. I think, I'm not sure, correct me if I'm wrong, that this is a counter-hegemonic display of artists expressing their ideology while getting a political point across with great effect. I have not been following what sounds like a media circus on the health care reform story but I have been getting the gist of it in discussions in class. I will not comment from a personal point of view but I will say that the use of parody and appropriation as shown in this video puts a powerful spin or perspective with the use of comedy and mirroring opposing societal values.

The appropriation of this video format in and of itself itself highlights the maniplutive way these particular types of commercials are shot and stylized, it makes me think of the non-parody "orginal" and thus reveals more absurdity of how these advertising commercials are so geared towards pulling you in with their theatrics. The tone of voice, the music, the dissolves and editing techniques all to convey and effect the viewer to the advantage of the producer, sponsor, etc., through trying to appeal to the sensibilities or vulnerabilities or distract and capture the attention of an audience with an urgent, concerned tone.

Enjoy!!!!!
http://pol.moveon.org/insurance_execs/?rc=fb.6&reloaded=1