Friday 1 April 2011

Television Commercials: I Push the Mute Button

My television-watching over the past decade, is at an all-time low and getting lower by the month. I've dropped more than 90% of television watching over the last decade. Born in 1945, my family got its first television set in 1857, so I've seen my share of television and rotten television commercials, etc.

Today, in 2011, I watch little television, and my writing is better for it.  The networks just simply suck, in my view.  I only watch news programs such as 60 Minutes; Dateline and a few other shows.  Somebody has to sit there, with a milk-mustachio mentality watching these shows.  If I do watch television, I watch mostly shows on PBS...you know the beggars channel.  I watch things that I can learn something from like Nova; Secrets of the Dead; Front line and a few musical specials when they come on, etc.

"Today, television is educational.  The only question is what is it teaching?"  Nicholas Johnson

A few years ago, I was hospitalized for about a week, and like all the other patients, I watched television...mostly cable.  I have to admit, they do have some interesting things on cable.  But, with over 200 million cable channels in the works, you'll find something interesting to watch...and a person can get 'hooked' on television just like anything else.  After I was discharged from the hospital, I think I was hooked, so I called the cable company and ordered cable television.

After I thought about how it would affect my writing and projects, I called the cable company about a week before and cancelled.  That was probably the best thing I have ever done for my writing and my projects.  My mother spent most of her life in front of the TV just like a card-board cut-out.  If you ever wanted my mother...you could find her in front of the television set.  I didn't want to be that way...I wanted to show some success for my time, after all, time is so short.

The worst part of network television, are the commercials.  Since I've seen television commercials since 1957, the commercials today are the pitts!  They are so bad...and so repetitive that I keep the remote right next to me, and every time a commercial comes on...I click it off and go and do something for a minute or two.  I won't listen to all this trash anymore.

"Television has proved that people will look at anything...rather than each other."  Ann Landers

Medical commercials:  These are epicenter of the worst among the worst!  Nothing is sacred anymore...stool softeners; erections...you name it...all produced to make a buck from a stupid television viewer.  I think these commercials are made to cater to the stupid!  I can't imagine company executives spending tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars to make this trash...who try to persuade stupid people to cough up their cash for these ridiculous products.  Go ahead...buy all these products...and burn up your digestive system; your colon; your kidneys and liver; your pancreas...that's what the medical profession wants you to do...they need to have jobs, too, you know.

"Today, watching television often means fighting violence and foul language...and THAT'S just deciding who will hold the remote-control."  Donna Depart

Auto/vehicle sales:  There have always been trashy commercials in this area of the economy.  Detroit has pulled the wool over the eyes of the American people, and made it seem like a person NEEDS a new car every two years, to get the respect he or she deserves...and of course...to stay in debt.

My father died at the age of 81, and he never owned a title to a vehicle.  That's because he was one of those stupids I just talked about, that traded in the 'old car' for a new one every two years.  My mother used to get so mad, because they were alwasy in debt.  That's the way Detroit wants it...they pay their assemblers more than an engineer makes...and who pays for it...the stupid consumer!

When I was discharged from the hospital, I stayed downtown for about six months.  During that time, I did not have a vehicle, so I walked from downtown to the local community college, which was about a two mile walk.  During the walk, I would see and pass by some of the old houses that were built in the 1920's before the the Great Depression.  These houses were so old, that I wondered how they stood up and did not crumble to the ground!  But, guess want was in the driveway of just about every house I saw for the next six months?  You guessed right...a new car!  These beat-up old houses had a new car or vehicle of some type in front of it.  American's are not going to give up their vehicles...even if it cost them a dismal $30 grand!

"Television in an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room, by people you would not have in your home."  David Frost 

In 2011, there are about 200 million cable channels and some of them I find very interesting; the Adultery Channel; the Hysterectomy Channel; the Colonoscopy Channel; the Oprah Wimpy channel; the Eat Thy Neighbor channel, the Love My Welding channel, the Dusting Made Easy channel, the Wino In You channel.  Producers will be looking for winos all over the country to be featured on this cable channel.  So, if you're a wino...you could get your 15 minutes of fame!  (some people have all the luck!) 

Local evening/morning news:  I have not seen the evening OR morning local news for over a decade, now.  Much too negative...all I hear about is the same old; the same old murders; rapes; robbery's; corruputions...and on and on and blah blah and more blah.  Why should I waste my time an negativism?  I still read the morning newspaper...or should I say the 'mourning' newspaper, but I can be more selective as to what I read.  The commercials on the news are about the same...trash!

It used to be that the news (both local and national) would take up about 75% of the newscast; and now in 2011, it seems like it's the other way around; 25% news and 75% commercials...I don't watch, but when I do, I just push the mute button and I have no interest in listening or watching these dreaded commercials.

As far as the other products on the commercials, I could go on with the dreariness of these commercials.  But, I have to be fair with the advertisers.  Of the 200 million or so TV commercials I've seen on television since 1957, there was one of my favorites.  It was a Cheerio's commercial, and the little boy in the commercial was about seven years.

The little boy decided it would be a nice thing on his part, if he served his father breakfast in bed.  His father was so grateful, that his son thought about him and served him breakfast in bed...although it was three o clock in the morning!

This was a funny, cute and creative commercial... One out of 200 million ain't bad...the advertising people are on a roll...can we have a drum-roll...

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