ADVERTISED INTO OBLIVION?
STOP! REALLY LOOK! REALLY LISTEN!

By: Joan E. Battey

Long ago, in today's time-frame references, railroads were at street level and cars and pedestrians crossed at their own risk. Engineers would blow whistles when approaching the "dangerous" crossings to alert those ready to cross over. Signs were posted at the crossings: STOP/LOOK/LISTEN. Most drivers and pedestrians heeded the signs, because moving trains take a long time to stop and challenging them was more than foolhardy in racing contests.

There are many different kinds of "crossovers" today, at street-level, eye-level and ear-levels of growing high-decibel ranges, impossible to avoid encountering. Americans eagerly look, can't avoid hearing, and seldom ever "stop" to consider how they are being manipulated, rather than offered safe passage to desired better things on the other side of the crossovers.

Americans are beginning to wake up and complain about growing numbers of things that are not new. They are belatedly registering as of great importance, having already long chugged along with few alarms being raised. Now that they are being noticed, many are competing for top billing in our new "fast-paced" all-purpose quick news coverage. A fast pepper-spray of assorted items, then a long break for commercials and coming attractions, and often a completely new focus when "regular programming" returns.

How many of us have noticed how news is cleverly served up with a heavy salting of ads? Ads pay the salaries of the celebrity news writers, readers and commentators. Ads just happen to slyly not only have changed to vignette-type stories, but also just happen to promote the very things that are driving up the cost of government and daily life.

When life was less fast-paced, more home oriented, and less competitive, most ads were usually confined to magazine ads in general-interest publications, in mid-program breaks on air or on screens. Most often they were devoted to products geared to the daily lives of families. (Not to mention, also tasteful!)

Advertising was mainly for products for the home or activities families could share: Ads for cars as dependable transportation, with safety features built in,. Ads for places that provided entertainment within reach of most Americans. Ads for appliances and home products within reach of most viewers or saved up for because they were worthwhile.

Now that we are openly on shaky financial ground due to lack of jobs, rising costs, increasing taxes and most expensive medical care of all kinds, what kind of ads permeate every place that ads can be inserted? Credit cards are promoted as being the handiest thing every American should use instead of more conventional ways of handling financial transactions. Warnings abound about needs for tests of all kinds, for all kinds of symptoms that could lead to all kinds of diseases. Charity appeals coincidentally flood every visible or audible access to potential donors. Political agendas/candidates target everyone not only in their own districts, but everywhere anyone has a TV, a mailbox, an email account, or a phone.