HAD IT with "those" commercials too much information

[Star*]

I have had it with todays television. While I realize I have a choice to turn it off, there are some programs I just like to watch. But IN THE MEAN TIME???

Is it just us (me and husband)? Are we the only ones tired of eating our dinner while having to endure back to back commercials where someone is saying "I have genital Herpes - and I don't". or "I have ED". And if THAT isn't bad enough in between those commercials we have to hear either about diarrahea (nice for dinner time), or the onslaught of commercials which encourage people to sue "If you or a loved one have mesotheleomia and got cancer or died, call us today."

FRICKING DUH - If someone you loved died from cancer for taking a pill dont' you think a legal person would be involved?

Then we have to endure the Antonio Banderas voice over for the bee buzzing around when you have nasal allergies - great - from genital warts, to ED, to diarrahea, ambulance chasers and NOW boogers.

What happened to commercials about things you MAY want to hear about like washing powder, batteries, cupcakes, cake mixes?

Again - this is not a jab at you if you suffer from any above - but I'm just soooooooo tired of hearing about it.

Our local Oldies radio station got a letter from me because ever 20 minutes they were LITERALLY PUSHING a product called Concept-X - and we had to hear about (ON THE RADIO) mind you - cervix, sperm, vagina - and how you position yourself when USING their product....Very descript. So I wrote the station and said that while I'm sorry for folks who can't conceive - Describing how the little soldiers have to sit on the edge of the Abyss was too much information.

Apparently I was not alone - over 2000 listeners bombarded the station and the commercial was pulled. I agree - my one last fortress of innocence - some beach music and oldies - and there, in the middle of it all - every 20 minutes - WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO GET PREGNANT?? Well then we have a product for you.

I never knew it was called "a product" that's a new one.

I can remember cringing at the thought of Barbara Eden's naval being exposed on Idream of Jeanie - and have moved on from there - but really - I don't want to hear the P and V words in every day casual conversations or what's wrong with your P and V - and I certainly dont' want to have to explain it to a little person.

Just me?

 

[Hound dog]

You know, I haven't seen a Tide commerical in forever. And what about the Snuggle bear forfabric softener?

How about the Pepto song and dance one. What brilliant mind thought that one up?? Worse yet, who in the company ACCEPTED that for a commercial??

The Geico Caveman. I nearly foam at the mouth at those.

I think the American public with have nightmares about good ol' Bob forever. ugh

What ever happen to B O L O G N A ? Or the cute scrubbing bubbles?

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

And if I have to hear one more time how "this is the most advanced piece of technology that you have ever peed on"...

Or watch some bimbo stop a leak in a boat with her tampon...

Or watch a maxi pad go buzzing around a roller coaster track...

 

[Abbey]

What makes me uncomfortable is watching some of these commercials with kids in the room. You give each other this look...ummm...I'm not talking.

Abbey

 

[trinityroyal]

And this, folks, is why I NEVER EVER EVER! Watch live TV
(except the little-kid channels on Sunday mornings...My Little Pony, Pop Tarts...nothing involving nether parts)

Thank goodness for the PVR (I think you call it TiVo in the U.S.)

Trinity

 

[MrsMcNear46]

I remember Sweet Betsy asking me at 8 or 9 what erectile dysfunction was...Ok, how do you explain that one. Can't remember what I MADE UP, but it satisfied her for the moment. Next it was good ole Bill Clinton- real life this time- Mommy- What is oral sex? GEEEEZZZZZZZZ!

Now easy child and I have our "Commercial Channel" When a commercial comes on, we switch to the commercial channel, and sometimes keep flipping and flipping..until we find a station that does not have a commercial.

Julie

 

[Fran]

Although I understand the rant. I really don't want my feminine hygiene products on tv but don't you think there are way tooooooooo many commercials. It's past ridiculous.
I wish we could have a consumer protest and turn our back on the networks until they cut back and improve commercials.

I would like to say one good thing about the very obvious education on all topics sexual. There is a horrid pressure to keep sexually transmitted diseases in the closet. If having a happy smiling face talk about treatment convinces one person to not be afraid and they aren't alone, it's a good thing. STD's affects millions and yet it seems to be so hidden.

Commercials in general are absolutely moronic. The Pepto Bismal one should be sent to commercial graveyard to die a slow painful death.

Starbie, I'm shocked! You keep the tv on while eating dinner?

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Well Star, you and df could just turn off the tv during dinner and gaze lovingly into each others' eyes as you eat your salmon. Problem solved.

Sharon

 

[klmno]

Well, I didn't notice it QUITE as much as I WILL NOW!

LOL- Just kidding!

It is annoying, you are right!

 

[WhymeMom?]

Something I have always wondered about in the viagra commercials is the disclaimer if you have an erect.... for longer than four hours seek medical attention. Now I am not a man, but wouldn't you be a little worried after ONE hour......would you really wait four hours before seeking medical attention?......just curious

Yeah BBK, I hate the peed on thing too......just stupid.....

 

[susiequte]

I already have to feel bad for all the starving children in the world, but now I have to feel guilty because some girl in Africa doesn't have tampons?

 

[Fran]

Rofl Susie. I forgot about the monthly needs of women throughout the world.
It's bizarre.
The group of guys who are biking but have to stop often to visit the rest room.

 

[Lothlorien]

yep....this is definitely a pet peeve....especially when my four year old started asking what erectile dysfunction meant at Easter dinner!

 

[KTMom91]

I enjoy commercials. I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but it fascinates me how many diferent ways there are to sell things that you didn't even know you needed. I agree though that there are just too many items dealing with personal issues. I'm getting very tired of genital herpes and erectile dysfunction...though I have to admit...I just love Smilin' Bob!

 

[totoro]

Seriously though, how would husband and I know what ED products to purchase or Tampons to buy??? Or Diarrhea medicine??? Or Itch cream... or how to use Vagisil... or how exactly does that maxipad work? Or how free I will feel when my burning and itching is gone??? Or What my Mucus looks and feels like???
HOW WOULD I KNOW all of these THINGS???

That is how K knows all about the wonders of KABOOM!!! I can clean while treating a yeast infection!!!

Yeah that is why I hooked back up my TIVO... because husband and I do not sit in bathtubs after taking ED pills... holding hands watching the sunset outside on a hillside.

I actually love the dog commercial with the pointer who just keep saying "Sausage" to his owner... they are in the kitchen...

 

[Fran]

I seriously don't get the bathtub concept? Who has 2 bathtubs in the middle of a field? Why would I get into one? and alone to advertise something for ED? It doesn't even look comfortable.

 

[Marguerite]

You know, NONE of these ads sounds familiar... while we do have ads for "feminine hygiene", they're either discreet or very, very funny, like the bloke who's unwrapped every tampon in every box in the house, to play with the kitten with them - "mousie, mousie..." then when his girlfriend, who is turning the place upside down looking for her tampons, sees what he's up to, he looks at her blankly and says, "What?" because he clearly has no idea what they are. She looks around, the floor is littered with unwrapped tampons and the kitten is batting them around the floor.

The ad we have for genital herpes is very discreet, but direct if you know what it's about. It would go over the heads of most kids, though. Certainly nothing graphic.

The ad I hated most is no longer on TV (thank goodness). When easy child was about 6 or 7, maybe as young as 5, AIDS was a scary topic. Our government of the time, in its infinite stupidity, decided we needed to make people more aware of the dangers. THAT isn't what was so stupid - the real idiocy was that they did nothing to inform, just put together an ad that was sheer terror. They likened AIDS to a bowling alley with groups of people standing at the end of the lane instead of pins. They showed closeups of people's faces, the terror and the despair as they watched helplessly as the bowling ball headed towards them, then they showed people flying, and bodies. Then you saw the ball being bowled again - by the most gruesome, nauseating Grim Reaper ever depicted. At this point they zoomed in for closeup - there were children, a small girl sobbing, a woman holding her baby (about the same age as easy child 2/difficult child 2 at the time) - this was a really distressing ad.
Then the ad zoomed back and you saw lane after lane, stretching on into the mist, each with its own large group of people being aimed at, by a long line of Grim Reapers all intent on their game of bowling.
The message was, "What you don't know CAN kill you," but because it showed ALL the people getting bowled over (ie 100% kill rate) and no information was given, I think it was the most negative ad campaign imaginable, on the topic.
I knew that if any of the kids saw it, they would be hysterical and it would mean nightmares for weeks. Months. easy child was old enough to warn that I didn't want her to watch the ad. I didn't even want her to hear the sound of it. But it was a "Community Service Announcement" so even on the ad-free channels, they showed this monstrosity.

Thankfully, the ad campaign was only scheduled to run for a few months. In that time the TV spent a lot of time switched off. We had a few close calls, but I did manage to protect the kids from ever seeing it.

The ad men who made this are still claiming to be proud of what they did. They are capable of making some really clever ads, and this one really did make people pay attention, but it did nothing to inform people. All it did was fuel even more homophobic attacks.

So if you're ever watching one of those "Ads Around the World" TV shows and they say they're going to show the "Grim Reaper" ad from Australia, this'll be it.

I'd rather haemorrhoids any day.

Marg

 

[Star*]

So what do you suppose could be done? Is there a place to write the stations about the commercials?

i LOVE your idea Fran - ban this crud until someone comes up with a classier idea -

I got over - The Axe commercial where the boy follows women around and day-dreams about them in their underwear. Then sprays himself with some pseudo-pheremone spray and then you see him in zebra speedo underpants -
(could have gone all day without seeing THAT)

I got over - Smilin' Bob - and the idiotic way they portray his wife in a 50ish manner - while in the 50's you couldn't even have married couples sleep in beds together. Thanks to Fred and Wilma Flintstone we can now see all the dry humping we can handle.

And on national tv - one of DF's favorite shows - Two and 1/2 men - Charlie Sheen says to the little boy about "clock" blocking him at a party. It was tooooo much.

Just bits and pieces of Nip/Tuck that I have flicked through - were XX rated at best in a movie - but yet are there right on my TV for anyone, any age to wander lust.

I'm not old - but I really REALLY long for the days when jokes were implied. I remember watching the Carol Burnette show and The Dean Martin Roasts - even Johnny Carson - and while if you snuck to watch them - and didn't get the joke as a kid - you still laughed and your parents KNEW you had no idea what was so funny.

It was humorous and entertaining, not gross, vulgar in too much information. And that commercial about the boat/tampons? I actually wrote Tampax about that and told them how offended I was.

I think sensitivity training is in order for TV executives that are ALLOWING this filth to become the norm. Maybe writin Nielson? I dunno - any suggestions and I'm joining the band wagon.

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

My mother watches TV with the remote in her hand. When the commercials come on, she mutes the TV. (nope, she does not have TiVo)

I don't have TiVo either. I enjoy clever commercials (I always loved the Tabasco one, where the dude is eating pizza, he keeps putting the hot sauce on each bite...and watches as a mosquito lands on his arm and bites him. Then the bug flies away, only to explode...) but lately they are just so aggravating. I channel flip, but most stations go to commercial at the same time.

The nerve.

 

[Abbey]

Something I have always wondered about in the viagra commercials is the disclaimer if you have an erect.... for longer than four hours seek medical attention. Now I am not a man, but wouldn't you be a little worried after ONE hour......would you really wait four hours before seeking medical attention?......just curious

Yeah BBK, I hate the peed on thing too......just stupid.....

This particular commercial cracks me up. Can you imagine going to the ER...ummm...with this condition? Imagine the intake person and you have to describe what is going on.

Abbey