After watching this commercial the first time, I really didn't know what to think. Should I be offended? Should I laugh? All of my Romanian friends were posting links to this video on Facebook, infuriated that their national chocolate, Rom, had been Americanized.
Okay, maybe I should give some background information first. In Romania, Americanization is a sensitive topic. Many, if not the majority of the population, believe that America is gradually taking over the world. Romania is a very small but patriotic country. They have their own language, customs, genres of music, food, etc. English is beginning to sneak its way into daily vocabulary, as Romanians begin to learn it from the day they prove capable of speaking. Muzica Taraneasca has been shoved aside by the youth for the more favorable mainstream American music. Rom chocolate is an object of national pride. Frankly, it is one of the most delicious chocolates in the world (in my personal opinion,) and since the day of its creation, it has been wrapped in the Romanian flag-- a testiment of Romanian patriotism.
[Romanian rapper Puya does a good job of explaining the invasion of American culture into everyday Romanian life in his song "Americandrim". You can also view the translated lyrics here.]
This commercial, which relies mostly on ethos, is clearly meant to be taken in a sarcastic way. There is no way that Rom would ever actually replace the Romanian flag wrapper for one with an American flag. This aspect of the commercial evokes a substantial amount of emotion in the viewer. As explained in the previous paragraph, Romanians are very bitter about the Americanization of their culture. I got to see this emotion first hand through my friends' angry Facebook rants.
At the same time, a child who is too young to understand the sardonic nature of this commercial may beg his mother to rush him to the store and buy him some of these "new" candy bars. Why? Because he, being of the younger, Americanized generation, wants to be a star...just like the Americans.
A final emotion-evoking element of this commercial is the fact that it is presented in English, with Romanian subtitles. This simple component is enough to anger any proud Romanian watching it.
All-in-all, I feel that this commercial is an extremely good example of rhetoric based on pathos, and a good representation of rhetoric in a culture other than our own.
If you would like to read more about this topic, you can click here to read a blog featuring a Romanian's viewpoint on the reaction of his fellows.
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