I was just watching CNN and saw something, as usual, that I think is worth chattering about. Virginia Senator James Moran wants Viagra ads banned between the hours of six a.m. and ten p.m. He says they are "embarrassing" because they discuss erectile dysfunction during the time when children are watching television. Rep. Moran says he isn't attempting to censor advertisers. Rather he just wants to make them rethink their tactics.
Well, I have to agree that young children aren't going to know what ED is and their parents aren't likely to want to have to explain it to them. I think that this is possibly too much. After all, some things aren't normal topics of discussion until they become realities for people, and no man I know wants erectile dysfunction as a conversation piece, unless he works for Viagra or Cialis. And then only in business talks. I mean, come on! Guys, am I right?
There are a lot of ads on TV these days that a lot of people find questionable in terms of tastefulness. I am always a bit dubious about liquor commercials. We've got an epidemic of alcoholism in this country and DUI drivers cause thousands of deaths and injuries every year. Cigarette manufacturers aren't allowed to advertise on TV anymore, and haven't been in over thirty years, and I think they should be hopping mad that they can't sell commercials to television when beer and liquor companies can! I am not espousing smoking or drinking to anybody, but how fair is this? Not very. Cigarette smoke is indeed offensive, but so is a drunk wobbling around like a damn fool. At least smokers don't kill people in cars or make idiots of themselves in public. It's tit for tat if you want my two cents, and the tit has got more on the tat in this situation.
And how about those mini and maxi pad commercials. Feminine hygeine? How many parents want to explain to their kids why these products are necessary and what they're used for. It's disgusting to contemplate what Kotex does for the universe. I know women need these things but isn't this along the same lines as erectile dysfunction? And the way these commercials promote them! "Wear a mini pad and you'll have a successful life with more happiness than you can handle." Okay, maybe they don't say that in those words, but this is the message they're sending out. I've never met a woman yet who attributed her success, or lack thereof, to the mini pad she uses.
I think we should take stock of the commercials we see on television and decide if they're timely, useful, and tasteful before we attack one certain product. Viagra probably is best being one of those things that is seen and not heard, but how can we relegate ads for it to the late nights and wee hours of the morning when we've got beer ads, liquor ads, feminine hygeine products, and even those cleaning agents that are supposed to make your toilet bowl sparkle enough to swim in. Who wants to think about their commode? You don't really focus on that until you need it, eh? And how about those Angel Soft commercials that show cartoon bears with bits of toilet tissue stuck to their asses? People...we need to get real here.
So lets be a little less war like and a lot more thoughtful when it comes to what we talk about in ads. I think maybe Rep. Moran might have a sex hang up, or possibly Viagra didn't work for him, to get him so riled about its commercials. There are lot more important things for our lawmakers to be concerning themselves with these days. Don't you agree?
And that is my sole focus for now.
