A FRIEND OF MINE COMMENTED THAT HE FINDS THE SINGING HOOD ORNAMENT IN THAT ALLSTATE “DUET” COMMERCIAL CREEPY. I agree, and we’re not alone:

And is it unsettling that the hood ornament belts out a line about how the guy driving the car has “got the brawn,” while she’s “got the brains?” A little. Cognizant machines are one thing, but we’ve all seen enough sci-fi to know what happens when technology gets a big head about stuff. At best, we’re looking at a dark reimagining of Knight Rider where KITT sees his driver as a meaty, physical means to his machiavellian ends. At worst, this all-too-literal smart car is well on its way to recognizing that it should be the one pulling the strings. Judgment Day can’t be far behind. It’s a good thing safe drivers are saving $700 on car insurance annually with Allstate, since that money will go a long way toward stocking up on freeze-dried food and barrels of drinking water. Was it worth it, Allstate? Were the good hands you’ve been going on about for decades always destined to be the cold, mechanical mitts of a T-800?

The song is “Opportunities” by the Pet Shop Boys, and I love that the writers intended it to be a lefty critique of the Reagan/Thatcher era only to see people going around unironically singing “let’s make lots of money!” Like Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” sometimes the art isn’t received as the artist intended.