Mummy, what’s erectile dysfunction? OK, so my boys didn’t actually ask me that last night but as the endless commercials for Cialis and Viagra played during the Angels vs Yankees baseball game, I sat and waited for it. We’ve been watching a great deal of baseball recently and the adverts that appear, with far too much frequency during the game, are completely inappropriate. The games start at 1pm or 5pm; these are not late night games. At the end of my son’s baseball practice yesterday, he was told to go home and watch the game.
The adverts are horrendous. For Cialis and Viagra there’s no discretion. There’s a good description of what happens when you pop a pill and the side affects. The side affects are the worst. Four hours with an unwanted thingy? See your doctor. I watch the boys looking, not quite sure what they’re seeing, an inquisitive look on their faces and sit there thinking ‘please, please don’t ask.’
Then there are the commercials for baldness. You’d think those would be quite innocent but it’s those side affects again. Depression, lack of sex drive – a bit sad really when you’ve just got all your hair back, ready to hit the bars, go out on the pull and you lose all interest in the opposite sex.
There were other medicinal commercials last night, one with a side affect of suicide, which did lead to a question ‘why would you take that if it made you suicidal?’
I miss the watershed, which we have in the UK. I miss being able to switch on the TV and know that before 9pm nothing inappropriate for children will be shown.
It’s not as if we can switch over easily every time the adverts come on. They’re endless, as is the game, it goes on for hours. Quickly switching back and for is too much effort. Better to let the boys know there’s the threat of erectile dysfunction early on, at least they’ll know what pills to take.
The only safe commercials are the expensive car and investment ads.
So the target audience for baseball is rich, balding, impotent men?
I thought it was a family game. Could we not get some more family friendly advertising?
Then, there are the commercials during the Olympics when the athletes tuck into a McDonalds Big Mac because that’s what they eat during their training. That’s all it takes to win a gold medal, a Happy Meal. What a great message that is for kids.
Don’t even get me started on that.
{ 6 comments }
I’m sure all these adverts for blue pills are making men insecure, thus creating a larger market for precisely those blue pills.
I miss the watershed too, but these days, it’s not as relevant as it used to be. My kids like to browse Youtube, and they can do that any hour of the day (except we’ve decreed it out of bounds).
I agree with Mwa. I think the advertising is cynically designed to create a market, as much as to reach one.
You need to Tivo the games by about 30 minutes.
I thought it was just cable that did this, but I was watching the NBC news the other night at 5.40pm and sure enough – the four hour thingy was mentioned. Rather embarrassingly, the little guy is now at the age where he acts out TV and commercials, and he knows all the Cialis words! Aarrgghh!
I work in the medical device/drug industry and I can absolutely say as a fact that the ads are meant to drive the market. I completely am at odds with this ethically and can’t wait to be somewhere that limits drug adverts. I’ve gotten so sick of them, I use my DVR for practically everything now and don’t start watching until 15-20 minutes into the show. It must be so difficult when you have kids to factor in to the mix!
THANK YOU! I was beginning to think I was some kind of prude or something. I sometimes feel I’m the only one that has a problem with this. Believe me, growing up here (US), it hasn’t always been this way. This is the turn the US seems to be making that I’m not comfortable with, well, that and a hundred other things. Money talks here and I’m tired of listening. Thanks for sharing
I don’t feel so all alone now. ~ER~
Comments on this entry are closed.