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Michael Jordan in tan suit against a gray background. At the foreground is text saying "Michael Jordan" and the McDonald's logo.
A screenshot from the beginning of the advertisement.

"Stop it. Get some help." is an internet meme taken from an anti-drug public service announcement (PSA) presented by American basketballer Michael Jordan in collaboration with the fast food corporation McDonald's. The PSA was produced by McDonald's to increase sales during the contemporary "Just Say No" anti-drug ad campaign, supported by the United States federal government and several other companies under the influence of Reaganite ideals. The PSA itself consists of Jordan warning about the dangers of drug abuse in a direct address to younger audiences. The message of the PSA has been interpreted as minimizing the impact of institutional racism as a cause of drug abuse in the United States. A segment of the PSA became an internet meme expressing humorous disagreement, beginning in the 2010s with the video hosting platform Vine.

Background

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During the 1980s, Michael Jordan was an American basketballer who became nationally renowned for his prowess as a star player for the Chicago Bulls.[1] Popularizing the sport to outsiders, he secured various sponsorship deals, including one with Nike to promote the Air Jordan brand of basketball shoes, released in 1985.[1] Around the same time, the American fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's had over 7,500 outlets worldwide by 1984,[2] and was promoting the message of "Just Say No" in the United States in order to increase sales.[3][4] "Just Say No" was an American mass advertising campaign in the 1980s supported by the United States federal government and several companies which promoted awareness of the harms of drug abuse to children.[4] Influenced by Reaganite ideals, the message of the campaign was intended to emphasize personal responsibility while negating institutional racism as the cause of drug abuse.[5]

Public service announcement

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McDonald's produced the advertisement in collaboration with Jordan,[6] with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) airing the televised PSA on May 26, 1987.[7] The PSA, one minute in length, features Jordan in a tan suit speaking to the viewer about the harmful affects of drug abuse.[8] Speaking directly to children, he warns that drug abuse will deny long-term hopes and wishes to the youthful.[6] Throughout the advertisement, Jordan is presented as a role model for youths and pleads to them the following:[5]

So don't blow it, don't do drugs. If you're doing it, stop it. Get some help. McDonald's wants you to give yourself a chance, a chance to find out the wonderful things you can really be. And so do I.

Interpretation

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According to the 2002 book Sport Stars: The Cultural Politics of Sporting Celebrity, the advertisement positions Jordan as a role model whose declaration of abstinence from narcotics signifies his moral worth and juxtaposes himself from drug addicts in predominantly Black urban communities. The example of Jordan, along with other success stories of Black Americans of the time, is therefore used to condemn "the struggling African American masses for lacking the personal resolution which, according to Reaganism's doctrine of rugged individualism and color-blind bigotry, was all that was required to achieve in American society."[5]

Legacy

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Following the PSA, Jordan would continue collaborating with McDonald's, with the restaurant chain eventually releasing the "McJordan Special", a sandwich named after the basketballer.[9]

By October 2021, Chaitanya Dadhwal of EssentiallySports said that the advertisement had "gained a lot of recognition on the internet" although for a different reason than was originally intended by the producers of the PSA.[6] Initially viral on the social media Vine before it was shut down in 2017, a segment from the advertisement where Jordan says "Stop it. Get some help." became an internet meme as a humorous message indicating disagreement.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Gerard, Philip (2022-02-28). "The 1980s: Michael Jordan Changes the Game". Our State. ISSN 1092-0838. Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  2. ^ Smith, Andrew F. (2012). "McDonald's". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2 ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199734962.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  3. ^ Marez, Curtis (2004). Drug Wars: The Political Economy of Narcotics. U of Minnesota Press. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-8166-4060-7.
  4. ^ a b Dufton, Emily (2017-12-05). Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America. Hachette UK. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-465-09617-6.
  5. ^ a b c Andrews, David L.; Jackson, Steven J. (2002-09-11). Sport Stars: The Cultural Politics of Sporting Celebrity. Routledge. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-1-134-59854-0.
  6. ^ a b c Dadhwal, Chaitanya (2021-10-11). ""Stop It Get Some Help": The Iconic Anti-Drugs Ad of Michael Jordan That Birthed Countless Memes". EssentiallySports. Archived from the original on 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  7. ^ Jones, Madison; Beveridge, Aaron; Garrison, Julian R.; Greene, Abbey; MacDonald, Hannah (2022-06-09). "Tracking Memes in the Wild: Visual Rhetoric and Image Circulation in Environmental Communication". Frontiers in Communication. 7. doi:10.3389/fcomm.2022.883278. ISSN 2297-900X.
  8. ^ a b Norris, Luke (2023-01-13). "Where Did the Michael Jordan 'Stop It, Get Some Help' GIF Come From?". SportsCasting. Archived from the original on 2024-11-12. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  9. ^ Goodwyn, Robyn (2023-07-24). "Celebrities Who Love McDonald's As Much As The Rest Of Us". Mashed.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
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