Travis Daub points to the CIA’s new recruiting commercial for the Clandestine Service:
Daub is confused by the tagline, “Are you ready for a world…of ambiguity and adventure?” saying “I’m not sure I know what that means.” One gathers it means that the CIA is looking for people who have to navigate a world where they make decisions on the fly, without guidelines or knowing whether they made the right call. That is, indeed, the world of the Intelligence Officer.
Overall, though, much like the recent U.S. Army recruiting commercials, I find them weak. The characters look wimpy and the voiceover announcer is bland. While the life of a spy isn’t much at all like a James Bond movie, that image is a major reason highly intelligent young people are willing to put their lives on the line for meager pay. Ditto the real Army and a John Wayne movie. You recruit them with the macho, train them on the duty, and keep them with job security and retirement benefits.
