In real life, it's impossible to clean up an oil spill — but that doesn't mean you can't pretend. Or so says Greenpeace in a new video parodying BP's promises to "restore" the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico. Spoofing a well-known infomercial for ShamWow! ultra-absorbant towels, the Greenpeace video suggests that BP is using "ScamWow!" products to "magically" sanitize the company's toxic image, and create the impression that the damage from the spill can ever be fixed. This ad is hilarious, says Caroline Sloan in Bliss Tree. Unfortunately, it also "reminds us of the actual environmental trouble we’re all in." The "scary part," says Brendan DeMelle in the Huffington Post, "is that the ScamWow! spoof isn't too far off the actual claims made by BP." Watch the ScamWow! ad below:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - February 1, 2025Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - broken eggs, contagious lies, and more
-
5 humorously unhealthy cartoons about RFK Jr.Cartoons Artists take on medical innovation, disease spreading, and more
-
Brodet (fish stew) recipeThe Week Recommends This hearty dish is best accompanied by a bowl of polenta
