2005-07-07 - 2:08 p.m.

Inspired by her

List 5 things that society in general apparently enjoys or tolerates that I just don't get:

1. Reality TV. To me its like watching a train wreck. Yes, its hard to pull your eyes away sometimes but does it really add anything useful to your life? I have on occasion succumbed to the curiosity (Most recently "Being Bobby Brown") but I always end up feeling that kind of unclean that I can't scrub off with a loofah.

2. SUV's - I agree with her that they are just plain wasteful. On top of that, in my experience a certain percentage of drivers seem to get off on pushing smaller cars around. Case in point, a man in a Hummer actually tried to run me off the road (he swerved across two lanes of traffic at me repeatedly) because I wasn't intimidated by him when he tried to cut me off for no good reason.

Which brings me to number 3:
Incompetent Driving+Road rage. I just don't get it. Did these folks not read the same driver's manual I did? Have they not heard of a passing lane? Do they not know what a turn signal is for? How did they get licenses? Not only are these people incompetent but they are also rude and completely self-centered. They would curse and spit on you before they would let you into their lane even if there is a major accident blocking the lane in front of you. They would change lanes without signalling and then scream at you for the audacity of almost getting hit by them. How dare you be in the way?! Whenever I get on the road these days I get a sinking feeling that perhaps armageddon won't come quick enough.

4. Intolerance - How is it in this society that we can still get away with blatant prejudice whether it be of race, creed, or sexual orientation? On top of that, people seem to believe that freedom of speech gives them the right to spew their hatred. Well, it doesn't. Yes, you are entitled to your opinions and beliefs but you do not have the right to yell them at every passerby. Just like you can't yell "Fire" in a crowded room, you also can't say whatever you want whenever you want. There are limits to everything.

5. Commercials in Movie Theaters. I paid $10 to see a movie but first I had to sit through no less then 5 commercials, not to mention 7 previews which, let's face it, are also commercials. This one pisses me off royally. Who is getting the money from these commercials? Is it the theater or the movie makers? Because either way, my exorbitant movie ticket price hasn't gone down any yet someone is making lots more money on MY TIME! The product placement in movies is bad enough but I should not be forced to suffer through more commercials on my money.

If I wanted commercials I would stay home and watch TV. We all know that TV from the beginning was paid for by commercials (which was why cable TV initially promised no commercials) but movies were not. The film industry makes plenty of money from our ticket sales not to mention the bundle to be made from franchise (action figures, posters, costumes, etc.).

Considering the salaries they can afford to give the actors, clearly they are not hurting for money. But they see nothing wrong with making money hand over fist with these commercials because no one is speaking up and complaining about it.

Commercialism has run amok and it doesn't stop here. Does it bother no one else that there are ads shoved in your face at eye level when you sit/squat down at a public restroom? I've seen advertisements placed in front lawns and on top of private homes. Enough is enough. The bombardment by advertisers is just too much.

I got in trouble a while back because I agreed to be interviewed for an article about word-of-mouth marketing. I thought that giving my honest opinion about things was better than having slick ads and promos shoved in my face...and I still do to a certain extent. Yet I have come to realize (from the lambasting I got when the article came out) that not everyone feels the same way. So I stopped. Not that I ever really went around shilling sh*t, but now I keep my opinions to myself unless asked (and I preface it by saying I got a free sample of this...I think this...).

�

previous - next