And Now, a Word from Whose Sponsors?
“Appropriate” is a word that has fallen out of use – and application. Advertisers and television networks ought to exercise a little judgment about what is proper to show.
by Jim Fair | Source:
It was not a dark and stormy night. It was a plain old Tuesday and I had spent a long day working and decided I needed a break.
So I plopped down on the couch, crossword puzzle in hand, and flipped on a college basketball game. It was 8 p.m., which I think qualifies as “family hour” in most homes, and I don’t think most folks would think of a college basketball as something of questionable morality to view.
In fact, the game itself was entertaining, competitive and cleanly played. Just a bunch of young guys seeing who could most often throw a ball through a hoop.
The advertisements, however, were another story. In the course of watching 20 minutes of a basketball game (commercials included, no additional charge), I learned about a number of products that I would rather not learn about from television. One was a pill that promises to help “male performance problems.” In the event there are no such problems, there was a product designed to prevent pregnancy (and it is conveniently available in the bathrooms of bars).
Of course, I learned how drinking the right beer would make me happy and attract beautiful women. I learned that if a drove the right car I would be happy and attractive women would beg for the honor to sit in the passenger seat.
I suppose, by implication, the really happy man is the one who drives the right car to the right bar, drinks the right beer and takes a pill to “enhance his experience.”
I didn’t watch the end of the basketball. The score got increasingly unbalanced and the commercials increasingly inappropriate.
“Appropriate” is a word that has fallen out of use – and application. No, I’m not in favor of setting up a system of commercial censorship. But I am suggesting that advertisers and television networks ought to exercise a little judgment about what is appropriate to show during a basketball game at 8 p.m..
But until there is an outbreak of such common sense, I’m grateful that my teenage daughter doesn’t like to watch basketball.
So I plopped down on the couch, crossword puzzle in hand, and flipped on a college basketball game. It was 8 p.m., which I think qualifies as “family hour” in most homes, and I don’t think most folks would think of a college basketball as something of questionable morality to view.
In fact, the game itself was entertaining, competitive and cleanly played. Just a bunch of young guys seeing who could most often throw a ball through a hoop.
The advertisements, however, were another story. In the course of watching 20 minutes of a basketball game (commercials included, no additional charge), I learned about a number of products that I would rather not learn about from television. One was a pill that promises to help “male performance problems.” In the event there are no such problems, there was a product designed to prevent pregnancy (and it is conveniently available in the bathrooms of bars).
Of course, I learned how drinking the right beer would make me happy and attract beautiful women. I learned that if a drove the right car I would be happy and attractive women would beg for the honor to sit in the passenger seat.
I suppose, by implication, the really happy man is the one who drives the right car to the right bar, drinks the right beer and takes a pill to “enhance his experience.”
I didn’t watch the end of the basketball. The score got increasingly unbalanced and the commercials increasingly inappropriate.
“Appropriate” is a word that has fallen out of use – and application. No, I’m not in favor of setting up a system of commercial censorship. But I am suggesting that advertisers and television networks ought to exercise a little judgment about what is appropriate to show during a basketball game at 8 p.m..
But until there is an outbreak of such common sense, I’m grateful that my teenage daughter doesn’t like to watch basketball.
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