Silence and Voice

Did anybody see the new Red Bull commercial of the superhero who, after hearing a woman screaming for help outside his window, goes to his refrigerator and finds he has no more Red Bull? He then shrugs his shoulders: "No Red Bull. No wiiings."

And he does nothing.

This commercial made me shudder. I remember the story of the brutal killing of Kitty Genovese in Kew Gardens in Queens who was brutally stabbed outside and apartment building and then in the vestibule while neighbors did nothing. 38 people heard her scream for help as she was attacked 3 times by her murderer, and nobody did anything. Nobody helped her. Nobody called the police. Nothing.

Does Red Bull know they are repeating this horrible story of people turning a blind eye to those around them? In the commercial, the superhero even closes his window at the end, closing out the woman's screams just as those people did years ago. Truly distasteful.