Drug companies want you to use as many pills as possible. Restaurants and food manufacturers want you to eat as much of their food as possible. They see the world from the perspective of "How can we sell people more of our products?" And sometimes I look at them from the perspective of "Are you guys kidding me?"
Contents
Drug Ads
Ritalin
Pills
Side Effects
Coca Cola
Food
Trader Joe's
America seems pretty obsessed with pills--as evidenced by the fact that we use half of the world’s prescriptions drugs. 310 million Americans use half—and the world’s other 6.7 billion people use the other half. We’re like that drunk guy at a bar or party who says, “I’ll do twenty shots for every one shot you do.” Does that guy even exist? Probably not. I've come across the ten shot guy. Not the twenty shot guy. So even the drunkest person at a bar or party is looking at us and saying, “You guys are getting a little carried away.” That’s a sign that we’re a little overmedicated. That's my diagnosis. Excessive medication. Do you need a pill for that one, too? Probably.
Just watch TV for an hour, and you’ll be bombarded with commercials for drugs. “How’s your blood pressure? Is it OK? How about your cholesterol? Blood sugar? Your mood? You definitely need some sort of pills. Let’s just figure out which ones. Are you feeling depressed? Take this. Do you want to quit smoking? Take this. Are you annoyed by your mother-in-law? We have a pill for that. Are you tired of having to change your clocks for daylight savings time? We have a pill for that, too. Do you hate taking pills? We have a pill for that. Are you not taking enough pills? We have a pill for that. Are you taking too many pills? We have ten pills for that. And if you aren’t sure which pills to take, guess what? We have a pill for that. We have a pill for everything. We even have a pill for nothing.”
That's TV nowadays. It’s like all of these drug manufacturers are some sort of drug dealer following you around everywhere you go and pestering you. Channel 15: “Do you want some uppers?” Channel 16: “Do you want some downers?” Channel 17: “How about some uppers and downers? The effect will be neutral. But it’ll be a really good kind of neutral. You’ve never experienced a neutral like this before, man! I’m telling you—take this!" FOX News: “If you don’t take this pill, the Democrats will win.” MSNBC: “Rupert Murdoch doesn’t want you to take this pill. That means you should take it.” MTV: “I got 99 pills...”
At least actual drug dealers draw some sort of lines. They’re unwilling to go to certain places. They don’t go to church, interrupt the preacher, and say, “OK—who wants some crack? Crack time. Time for crack. Crack and church are a good combination. You haven’t heard Amazing Grace until you’ve heard it on crack.” But the pharmaceutical companies will go anywhere. They have a master key. It’s only a matter of time before they start advertising on Nickelodeon. “Is your daddy a poo-poo head? Tell your mommy to get him... Happy Daddy. Side effects might include a daddy who pee-pees a lot, and forgets your birthday.”
And of course, kids themselves are taking psychiatric drugs. That’s why Tommy is watching Nickelodeon, and not smashing up a room.