As I work I usually have the radio on so I can follow the news. The problem with that is not so much the news but what comes on every ten minutes or so, the commercials. I am coming to the conclusion that it is not the inane and idiotic shows such as South Park and assorted Survivor rehashes that are contributing to the decline of western civilization, it is commercials.
There was once a time where manners, integrity and, believe it or not, honesty had to be a part of marketing a product. The business commintuy whined, carped and complained about the stricture, but they went along regardless. It was either that or nothing. Essentially they had to compete by actually having a product that did as it was advertised. What a concept!
It ain't that way now. The first amendment have been redefined has giving people and business the right to lie and buyer beware. Advertisements for every sort of sexual stimulent, products claiming to "melt away pounds overnight", and an intestinal rotorooter blast out of my radio on a daily basis. The one that really gets me is the ad with an earnest male voice claiming that the walls of the intestine become caked with layers of undigested food like spackel. If his company was forced to prove that claim, they would be out of business overnight. The lower intestine secrets fluid and mucus that are so slippery, teflon is sticky by comparison. It is literally impossible for matter to stick to them. The claims of this ad are a lie, and a dangerous one at that. But, apparantly it is now their right to broadcast dangerous lies.
As the reading skills of the US declines, I wonder what just how bad the ads are going to be come. It may be that people will even believe the claims of presidential candidates. Oops...too late!
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3 comments:
Manners, didn't Reagan deregulate them in the '80's thinking a trickle down morality was all that was needed? He was such an expert on bank deregulation, market deregulation, airline deregulation. Hasn't everything that he deregulated have to be bailed out at greater expense? Such is manners.
Actually, no. Reagan did not deregulate manners. In fact, that was one of the items he tried to get back into schools, much to the complaints of school boards throughout the US. Universities called his attempt an attack on the first ammendment. On the other point, Reagan removed, not regulations, but inwarranted taxes and fees on small business. It was both Bush administrations who allowed big business to act immorally with impunity.
I think Reagan was a great President. The only thing that I believe he ever did wrong was firing the air traffic controllers. Their strike wasn't about money, it was about safety, long hours antiquated equipment etc. I wish Jimmy Hoffa had still been around when reagan did this. Hoffa would have picked up the phone & ordered every union member to walk of the job at midnight tonight!
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