So today I was watching TV, minding my own business – when suddenly I was assaulted by yet another commercial.
It was yet another drug commercial. I forgot what chemical the commercial was pushing, but it was one of these “you just can not live without this pill” deals.
This commercial was full of wonderful images. A bright sunny day, people engaged in activities that they could not take part in if not for the drug, and so forth.
But then came the end of the commercial. It sounded something like this:
(Announcer dude talking fast)
WonderDrug is not for everyone. May cause bleeding from the anus, growth of extra eyes, horrible hemorrhoids, loss of sexual drive due to your balls falling off, kidney damage, hair growth on your knuckles, and your liver to pass with your next bowel movement.
Discontinue taking WonderDrug if your hair turns lime green, you notice strange lumps on your ass, your arms turn purple, your blood start to boil, or your feet fall off. People who are pregnant, thinking of getting pregnant, or planning on knocking someone up should not use or even touch WonderDrug. Ask your doctor if WonderDrug is right for you, and if your doctor says no go to our web site for a list of doctors who will say yes.
Meanwhile, happy images continued to be shown. Even while the rather extensive list of possible side effects were very quickly announced.
I do not think that drug companies should be allowed to advertise their products. All it does is place pressure on doctors to prescribe the drug to people who walk into the office demanding it. Idiots diagnose themselves based on 30 second TV commercials, then decide that they MUST have the little purple pill. If their doctor disagrees, they shop around till they find a pill pusher who gets a kickback from the company for every script they write.
But of course the FCC is more concerned about Howard Stern, or someone saying a “bad word” on TV than the crap drug companies advertise. And the FDA is owned by the companies, so they will not say anything. And Congress…..they will do nothing. The drug companies own too many suit wearing weasels.
Meanwhile, why not consider asking your doctor if the little pill is right for you. Who cares if it causes anal leakage, or body parts to fall off? Pfizer needs to sell a zillion of those pills so that their earnings meet Wall Street expectations. We can not have top level managers not make their bonus!
And do not forget to click the cool blinking link above the blog title! Sign my "Clown Suits" petition!
9 Comments:
You make good points. I really like reading your blog. And the clown thing was a humorous way to make a good point. The link blinks on my Firefox but it didn't blink on my IE or Yahoo browsers. But it looks good. Keep up the good work.
While I didn't watch much TV in Europe - they forbid any advertising for lawyers and drug companies. They also allow soft porn late at night.
Watching TV was a pleasure.
I noticed we read many of the same blogs, so I'll drop in yours every morning and put up a link. I like rantings...
They lost me at "bleeding from the anus"!
I agree with everything you have said. I also truly did laugh out loud at "WonderDrug is not for everyone. May cause bleeding from the anus, growth of extra eyes, horrible hemorrhoids, loss of sexual drive due to your balls falling off, kidney damage, hair growth on your knuckles, and your liver to pass with your next bowel movement."
I signed you petition. Fun.
It kinda reminds me of the stories we were told in school about the guy who would ride in on a horse pulling a wagon and a crowd would gather around said wagon, and he would sell the crowd this wonderful elixir that would save their lives, cure all their diseases, and solve all their problems. If I'm not mistaken, this "elixir" was probably nothing more then a sugar/water mix, which is harmless, but this crap the drug companies keep coming up with is what's killing everyone.
I had and a great uncle who was a doctor, and he lived his entire life never taking any drugs, not even for headaches. He only took them if it were absolutely necessary. He died at like 95.
Just goes to show, these drugs are nothing but a temorary fix. A "feel good" fix if you will.
We've actually started listening harder to those disclaimers 'cause we find them soooo funny.
Those wonder drugs are far from wonderful!
The ones that scare me are the antidepressants. Can you say flat affect?
yep, this doesn't happen over here in the UK - the downside being that we don't get to laugh at the ridiculousness of happy smiling images whilst voiceover warns you of runny anus
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