In today’s edition of context is everything, this 1962 ad for the ironically-named Humble Oil and Refining Company brags that it produces enough energy to “melt 7 million tons of glacier!”
Text:
EACH DAY HUMBLE SUPPLIES ENOUGH ENERGY TO MELT 7 MILLION TONS OF GLACIER!
This giant glacier has remained unmelted for centuries. Yet, the petroleum energy Humble supplies- if converted into heat- could melt it at the rate of 80 tons each second! To meet the nation’s growing needs for energy, Humble has applied science to nature’s resources to become America’s Leading Energy Company. Working wonders with oil through research, Humble provides energy in many forms- to help heat our homes, power our transportation, and to furnish industry with a great variety of versatile chemicals. Stop at a Humble station for new Enco Extra gasoline, and see why the “Happy Motoring” sign is the World’s First Choice!
Ad and transcript borrowed from Ms. Marx.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 18
Jessica — August 15, 2010
Humble (you actually don't pronounce the H) Oil later joined with Standard Oil to become Exxon! Woohoo!
Abby Whitmire — August 15, 2010
Humble Oil was named after the town Humble, TX (just north of Houston) - and like Jessica said, the H is silent. It is still an ironic name for this ad. :)
GidgiePie — August 15, 2010
This is really sickening.....
Jay — August 16, 2010
I think you college types are taking this ad (and yourselves) way too seriously.
1962 oil company ad boasts about ability to melt glaciers | Advanced Technology Blog — August 16, 2010
[...] Gasoline ad from 1962 melting glaciers (Via Sociological Images) [...]
Mike Schwab — August 16, 2010
This was a reference to how much heat could be produce by burning all the oil they produce, not by global warming.
GidgiePie — August 16, 2010
Ok, well, we can say that we are taking too many things too seriously!...
Maybe we could call something like pedophilia a topic that is being taken too seriously - I am sure we could find a way to justify it!
Or maybe an abuse of people just because of different skin colour!....
Global warming, that is very visible on the rate of the gacier melting, is a serious global issue. The rising of sea levels threatens more than half of world's fertile land - which means food supplies!...
And so I could go on and on about it!....
I would guess this add is rather outdated... well, i really hope so!... Because if it isn't it would reflect a real "shit" taste and understanding of a whole group of people.....
Emery Emery — August 16, 2010
I just don't see why this matters at all.
In 1962, Global warming and the importance of the glaciers weren't a commonly held ideas and more importantly, Humble didn't actually melt the glacier, they were using the massive illustration to communicate the grand scale of their energy output.
Sure it's a poor turn of phrase in today's world but it's no more egregious than an ad today that might say, We produce enough water to cover the entire state of Montana but in 60 years if the state were tragically covered by water and millions were killed it would mean nothing to point out the ad from 2010.
It just means nothing, really.
Safety — August 16, 2010
Maybe it's because I'm English, but I enjoy irony for it's own sake (oil company related irony in particular, recently). Good jokes don't want explanation (especially when the explanation entails the physics of global warming and an understanding of enthalpy of fusion).
Andrea — August 17, 2010
I love this! Both for the irony and because it's the first ad I've ever seen with a grain of truth in it :-) Appeals to the Aussie sense of humour anyway...
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