Ask your doctor about sheepivex..
Watching “CBS Sunday morning” this morning the commercials really got under my skin. Maybe I just woke up crabby, or maybe madison avenue is the devil.
Here is a quick run down of the commercials in rotation this morning….
Big Pharma: Ask your doctor if you have any of these common symptons that may be the sign of a serious illness: skin, hair, bones. Big Pharma advertising is the scourge of the earth IMHO. Yes there needs to be a profit motive for these companies to create the “blockbuster” and “lifesaving” medicine we need. I do not begrudge any corporation of making a profit, by definition that is what they are here to do. But the advertising of these drugs is mind numbing.
Srsly.. the Pharma advert story board is as follows; Ask vague health related question of the viewer that 99% of the populous could answer favorably, show happy people that have been cured by wonder drug, overlay voiceover of disclosures and hurry through the part about anal leakage. Close with prompt to demand this cure for the self diagnosed disease from your pesky prescription pad wielding Dr.
Do Dr’s even need a medical degree any more? I could diagnose myself (of every known ailment) off these information packed adverts, and if only there was 1800 number I could just order LATINNAMEIVEX to my door. Cut out the middle man and leave me and my potentially dangerous side effects to myself. Enlarged Prostate FTW!
Watch this:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWrpWjP8rFI[/youtube]
Perhaps the only thing more insulting to my intelligence than pharma, is big corp lobbying.
Have you seen this commercial?
Inspirational music, happy kids, uplifting and hopeful message about a better tomorrow for everyone, blue sky and awesome green infographics, brought to you by: The American Big Oil Industry.
Or this one.
Sleek automotive interiors, flashy high tech graphics, verbal description of cutting edge techno-vative gas saving technology, Brought to you by Chevrolet. Srsly? Chevy has not been innovative for 40 years, this is the same car company that has spent billions on lobbying congress to NOT be innovative.
Does the average viewer really fall for this shit?
I guess they do. TV is the perfect medium for checking your brain at the door and just passively accept what you see and hear. No need to question the facts, question the motives, or agenda.
Take it all in my little sheepy’s and consume more.
Hells yeah, St. Rebel. I suspect we are more ovine than we realize; I’ve seen a staggering increase in the last several years of clinical practice (as a psychologist) of fairly physically healthy adult patients taking an average of not just one or two medications but more like five or six.
Are people really suddenly that much sicker? Nah. It’s just the inexorable erosion of Big Pharma Machine’s advertising/doctor-buying on our collective reasoning abilities. They prey on normal, understandable fears of illness and death and I’m afraid have fairly successfully hypnotized the American public into thinking “Oh Lord, I’m gon’ die!” unless we ingest yet another miracle pill or slap on a patch or inhale some crap.
Good post!
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