The power of the force

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

Almost everyone recognizes these opening words from Star Wars. Since its original premier in 1977, the history of the Rebel Alliance has become a part of America's history. This was helped along by the carefully timed release of subsequent prequels to the original movie over the next 28 years. Americans have either grown up with, or have been raised on, the tale of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Because of this, a little boy's preoccupation with Darth Vader strikes an immediate cord in Volkswagon's commercial for the 2012 Passat.

In the commercial, a young child is dressed as Darth Vader. The child stalks through the house, trying desperately to call forth the power of The Force in true Star Wars fashion. In spite of the very strong power of imagination, the child is not able to make anything magical happen. A large part of the commercial's attraction is the ability of the child to convey disappointment, disgust, and finally total amazement even with the full-face Darth Vader mask in place.

Another, more subtle, attraction for this commercial is the appearance of the traditional American dream. The family shown is a white, upper class couple with two children and a dog. Mom gets to stay at home, caring for the children while dad is at work in his suit and tie. If the costumed child is assumed to be a boy, there must be a second child, a little girl, to play with the doll. Although most families today are very different from the commercial family, advertising still plays to the dream that's even older than Star Wars.

May the force be with you, too.