*Osiyo*, Rob:

I've been meaning to email you and ask if you have seen a recent Capitol One tv ad. It begins with generic white clueless dad excitedly announcing to the family that they are going to visit "the land of their ancestors." The kids gasp, "We're going to Ireland?!" To which dad says, well we didn't have enough frequent flyer miles, so think more...distant ancestors. Next thing you know, they are stepping off a canoe into some kind of primitive Amazon rainforest village where the natives literally have grass skirts and bones plates in their noses. When clueless dad introduces himself as "Cousin Ed," he's immediately drilled with curare-tipped darts and falls face down. We next see him lashed to a bamboo pole by the chanting natives who are leading him towards a giant black cauldron and we hear dad say, "Say, what's that smell?" clearly implying that the natives are cannibals. The "chief" then says the tag line "What's in your wallet?" in some kind of "ooga booga" language.

This is stupid and offensive on so many levels its unbelievable. First of all, who has ancestors from Amazonia who migrated to Ireland and THEN came to America? Second, the phrase "distant ancestors" is clearly meant to mean "primitive ancestors." Third, if these idiots had actually shown up in a real Amazonian village, they would've been swamped by natives eager to show them a great time in exchange for hard American currency. And fourth, as far as I know, there is not now, nor has there ever been any evidence of cannibalism among Amazon rainforest tribes.

Anyway, I just wanted to bring this one to your attention if you hadn't already seen it.

*Do na da go hv i*!

[Patrick Barkman]