I heard somewhere recently that the United States and New Zealand are the only countries that allow end consumers to be exposed to pharmaceutical Ads. This says a lot about our country’s level of greed, that we’re willing to exploit even our own pain and suffering to make a buck. That’s a depressing thought.
Even more depressing, though, is our willingness to buy absolutely anything. A lot of these ads have side effect disclaimers that ought to make our hair stand up on end, and yet these commercials must be profitable for the companies or they wouldn’t produce them.
Who in their right mind would see an ad that says, “With this drug, an overdose or even death can happen,” and then think, “Oh, yeah. I need to get me some of that!” Are we so easily fooled by the passive voice? Is it because a woman who has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is seen jogging uphill? Do we love purple so much that we want to ingest it? Or is the product name so hip and catchy that we can’t resist? Are we really that dumb or that desperate?
Contemplating all of this makes me tired. But I’m sure there’s a pill for that.
[Image credit: affairstoday.co.uk]
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