Idiocracy Watch

There are days when I think the movie Idiocracy, while funny, is a little too pessimistic about the future stupidity of the U.S.. And then there are days, such as today, when it feels somewhat prophetic.

Apparently Shell has a new advertising campaign at their gas stations, everywhere there are little banners declaring that their gasoline is enriched by Nitrogen. There's even a molecule helpfully printed on a couple of them so you can see the obvious benefits of a nitrogen enriched gasoline molecule. Of course, I have no idea why nitrogen in gasoline is a good thing and I doubt many other people do either. It totally reminds me of the bit from Idiocracy where they're watering their crops with gatorade (and unwittingly killing them) because gatorade advertising told them "Gatorade has the electrolytes plants crave" and so insist it must be true. Which is basically Shell's advertising: "Shell has the nitrogen cars crave" and we're just supposed to take their word for it that it's a good thing.

Anyway, just fun to see us that one step closer to a stupid future. A whole advertising campaign based on the idea that you're too stupid or incurious to find out or know if nitrogen is good for cars in gasoline. They expect you to buy it on the assumption that nitrogen-"enriched" gasoline MUST be better than all that primitive non-enriched gas.

I suppose there may be magazine or television commercials that I'm missing that would helpfully explain why nitrogen is the best thing ever for gas, just amused at how insulting the campaign is at the stations themselves. "Remember kids, if it's nitrogen enriched it must be good!"