Groupon understands the American mentality. We are not charitable. We are not drippy, caring, altruistic, do-gooders.

We want a deal. We love a deal. We will sacrifice our feelings for whales, the rainforest, even the plight of Tibetans, for a deal.

So, in spots that just might be appearing in the Sunday's Super Bowl, the company that's possibly worth multibillions of dollars has decided to go for the cut-price jugular.

We don't see do-gooders. We see Cuba Gooding Jr. We also see other stars who are, perhaps, from the cut-price rung of the stardom ladder rather than its heady apex.

Each of these stars wants you to believe that they are supporting some worthy cause. When, in fact, that worthy cause is their own need for a wonderful deal.

Some might pause, especially with the Tibetan spot, to wonder whether Groupon is nuzzling up to the PR gaffedom enjoyed by designer Kenneth Cole, who earlier this week tweeted the idea that Egyptians in the streets are actually excited about his summer collection.

The difference here, though, is that the joke is on us. And, just in case someone doesn't get it, Groupon is offering a site called Save the Money, where those who really do have a sense of responsibility--or sheer guilt--can donate money to whales, the rainforest, and people of Tibet.

One can only imagine that, come tomorrow, come this evening, come the next two hours, people might just become emotionally involved with these ads. Unless, which I feel is unlikely, LivingSocial has done a joint promotion with the Mother Teresa Foundation.