Am I the only person who’s tired of
settling down to watch evening TV and being faced with ads naddering on about
erectile disfunction? Take this, take that--when
the moment is right. Until then, sit in
two bathtubs and look at the ocean. But,
and this is a big but, if you have an erection lasting more than four hours,
call your physician. Four hours! I guess I’ve led a sheltered life.
My point being, is
nothing sacred? Sex with the partner of
your choice is glorious, but do we have to hear about sexual malfunction over
our nightly ice cream (sometimes with a brownie)?
The
tampon ads aren’t too much fun either.
Laxative ads are on that list, also.
Diet pills are a little better, except when I’m polishing off the ice
cream. Give me a good lite beer ad any
time, maybe with a studly athlete touting the brew. I love hearing about all those hops.
Maybe my antipathy
for life’s grungier moments shows in my writing. Now don’t get me wrong. My murder mysteries (the Murders by Design
Mystery Series, thank you very much) have shooting scenes--people get plugged
right between the eyes--chase scenes, muggings, fights In a story I’m currently
revising, there’s a harrowing birth scene, a poisoning, a stabbing, so I’m not
avoiding the dark side of existence. Not
at all. But those dark scenes are
dynamic, life-changing events that are important to the plot. In them, my heroes are always ready to
perform, there are no scatological references (well, only one ladies room
stalking scene in Rooms To Die For),
nobody’s constantly constipated, or ever for that matter, and the heroine never
has her period at a critical point in the plot.
Why not, you ask? Because fiction
imitates life only up to a point. It
doesn’t duplicate every aspect of it. That theory can be opposed, of course,
and there are works out there to prove it.
However, in IMHO, fiction’s deepest reality is a fantasy that cherry
picks its truths. Which means an author doesn’t necessarily have to emphasize
what we all, on some level, would probably rather not read about. E. D. no.
E. F. yes! Comments welcome.
Jean
Harrington’s latest Naples-set murder mystery, Rooms To Die For, is currently available on Amazon. The next book in this tongue-in-cheek series,
The Design is Murder, is due for
release on November 17th.
You’re cordially invited to check out excerpts at
www.jeanharrington.com.
6 comments:
Fun post. I think the worst ads are the ones that recommend a pill. Great until the disclosure comes--those pills will kill. I'll stick to public television and lose myself in Masterpiece Theatre or mystery.
Or the toilet paper ads! Ye Gods, if I see another blue bear shaking its butt, I may have to shoot the television set!
LOL, Marcelle. There's one that says something about "we all have to go - why not enjoy the go?" Say what?! That one bugs me. But as I get older, it doesn't take much to bug me.
Interesting post, Jean. The ED ads are annoying, for sure. And I never did understand why drug manufacturers are even advertising on TV. It's not like I've ever seen something that made me think "Gee, I'm going to go ask my doctor for that pill right away." I'm hoping my doctors are savvy enough to recommend them to me if I need them.
Oh Jean, you really need a Tivo. Or a strategically placed paused/mute button! Haven't watched commercials in YEARS. Except during the Superbowl. ;)
For all of us who are published electronically, one TP ad is priceless. The husband insists that paper communications must go. Everything should be digital--notes, homework, grocery lists, bill paying. One day he's trapped in the loo without any TP. He calls for help and his wife slides his iPad under the door with the digital image of, you guessed it, TP. Terrific punch line. Or, I guess I should say,"hook."
I knew there was a reason I refuse to bring cable into our mountain cabin. ;)
Back in town, I noticed the ads have even invaded the music video channels. Ugh, the "reality" shows could use extensive editing - as in edit them right off the screen!
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