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We are a country dominated by fear. Advertising is geared toward the "What if" factor.
I just watched a TV commercial for ADT Security Systems. The commercial portrays a hapless victim describing how thieves had broken into his home and stolen all his merchandise. Then he spoke about what could have happened if he and his wife were home! At this point the viewer is forced to imagine some horrific scene of extreme bloodshed and mayhem! If we don't all buy an ADT system we risk this horrifying albeit imagined scenario! Surely there are some schmucks out there that will buy one. They even offer a "theft guarantee". I would imagine this is easy because so few homes with or without this system will ever be broken into.
Prescription medicines also work on this principle. Cholesterol medicines very subtly tell us that if we don't take their medicine we will all die of heart attacks. Plavix has an ad that says "no matter how formidable you are, you're no match for a dangerous clot". Egad! I better get some Plavix right now! After all, I'm not pregnant or plan to become pregnant!
The same is true of expensive "low dose" aspirin. This product wil lower your chance of a heart attack by 30%!! What they don't tell you is that a couple of inexpensive baby aspirin are the same thing.
Just about every medicine on TV is aimed at our fears. In the old days, the choice of medicines for ailments was chosen by a doctor or pharmacist. Now WE are the ones that choose our medicines.
Insurance companies tell us that we will all have terrible car accidents and we will be in tremendous debt unless we use their particular insurance.
Online dating services tell us will will all die alone unless we join.
My chain-smoking, processed-food loving, pastry eating grandma just passed away at 102. Her philosophy was simple. "Do whatever the hell you want and don't worry about it".
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3 comments:
` Yesterday, my psychology teacher was telling us about how us 'civilized' nations have a collective ennui and a sort of general dread while primitive peoples usually don't at all.
` I bet commercials (and many news reports) have something to do with it!
` ...For the record, I disagree with your first point however - I think everyone should have a security system because of alien invasions. Do I rest my case?
I can't argue with pure logic Seequine. There are the outer space aliens and the far more common Mexicans. In either case, you are correct that we should guard our homes against such invaders.
` Right, because we all know Mexicans are much more likely to break into one's ghetto apartment than your average white crackhead/meth-head.
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