Stop the Madness

I think the world has gone mad and I believe that the proof is in advertising. If you think we're out of the recession, you could be right, but what you would have failed to realize is that advertisers believe we should go for another spin. Why else would there be ads encouraging the unemployed to go out and buy a new car. I'm not talking about some local unscrupulous, sleazy car salesman, these ads are from a major auto manufacturer. The woman in the commercial I am thinking of actually claims that she got laid off earlier in the year, so she decided to buy a new car. Now, I understand that it is most likely a complete necessity to have a reliable means of transportation, but it also seems that there should be a feasible alternative to buying a brand new car.  This commercial doesn't sound reasonable from a business standpoint?   What it sound like is an ad for a check cashing place, but I doubt that even a check cashing place would take checks from the unemployed.

Another example that makes me wonder if we've hit rock bottom or if we're still searching for it are the commercials that I see for colleges these days. I'm not referring to the online school that tell prospective students that they can study in their pajamas: I think that online schools serve a vital role in this country. Though some of these schools accreditation may be questionable, if administered properly, I see no reason why they should be any less viable than a traditional school. The advertisements that I am referring to however, have questionable slogans that should turn any would-be student off:  Slogans such as: "If he can do it, so can you.".  Not to be sexist, they also have versions where a woman is the poor example presented as proof that anyone can graduate from their school. Now, I know that they're just trying to appear "down with the youth", but I would be embarrassed to claim such a school as my Alma Mater. What do you say when someone asks where you went to school? "The one with the ghetto people who talk about how their lives were turned around by the school right before the announcers basically says ". . . if this idiot can graduate why couldn't you?  Not a very good selling point.

And then there are the ads that promote some of the worse fields of study. "Come to our school and learn construction management." I personally got laid off from that field, so trust me when I say you might as well wipe your ass with that degree. Same goes for IT, because those guys got laid off before me. I remember feeling sorry for them.

And then there the commercials that suggest that you watch "The Office" (TV show) while in your office. The place where you'll soon be fired from for watching "The Office". I wonder. If someone gets "canned" for this reason, can they sue the people promoting this kind of behavior? The answer is probably as perplexing as any of the sales pitched discussed in this article. When will the BS stop?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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