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The influence of television in our lives is scary,
and few people are aware that the stupid tube in the living room
poses a real danger. Did you know that the idiot box influences our
decisions on what to eat, drink, wear, ride on and tinker with in
the home and the office? People just don’t know that their
eyeballs are being traded for high profits.
Because the stupid tube is in the
center of our lives, we have developed a (stupid?) consumer culture.
Because it is effective in stoking our desire for consumer products,
we scramble to get the latest products, and some of them can be
harmful to the health.
To avoid possible suits, some
health products issue a disclaimer: “No approved therapeutic
claim.” If authorities have not approved their claim, why are they
allowed to run ads?
To sell products, the people
behind the stupid tube are very creative; and they get plenty of
help from movie stars, famous athletes, well-known personalities and
politicians. It’s a ripoff in a worse kind of crass commercialism.
Politicians are no longer the
sinister shadows that manipulate the levers of power. Aren’t they
now in the forefront of crass commercialism?
How effective is a politician’s
endorsement? It is a double-edged sword. Maybe friends and
supporters will buy the product, but critics and political enemies
will turn away. The politician says, “I’m on the side of the
consumers.” Who would dispute him? Their detractors, of course.
Recently, other politicians say, “Buyers beware. The politician as
a product endorser is not unlike a used-car salesman.”
Still most people are not aware
of the risks. And they don’t care that the used-car salesman and
the politician have exchanged places. A politician is pushing beauty
products. So what? A used-car salesman is perorating about the
economy and political developments in the country. Who cares?
Television defines what is good,
beautiful and healthy and we accept it without question. And the
result? We buy the products because it will make us look good,
beautiful and healthy. It’s big money.
Elderly men with beer bellies buy
products that promise to make them as strong as Manny Pacquiao.
Women rush out to get the latest shampoo that will make their hair
“smooth as silk” and cream that will make their skin as fair as
that of the pretty model on TV.
The stupid tube tells us that a
balding head is ugly. It will run a campaign that evokes feelings of
regret, frustrations and anxiety among men losing their hair. But
don’t worry, the man in the ad says. “We have the cure and it
will change your life.” Can the bald man resist such an offer?
Of course, you want to know if
the product works. If you still have a shiny pate after using it for
several months maybe their disclaimer was right. Or you can be
patient. Wait for the next ad that announces a cure for baldness.
The ad will probably say, “If you have a small patch of hair left,
say goodbye to baldness. Our product will make your head shrink so
the small patch becomes a full crop of hair.”
Sometimes, TV tries to promote
certain values, such as individualism, sacrifice and hard work. It
is commendable. But what’s the catch? The man in the ad says,
“If you buy this deodorant, you project your personality as an
individual.” Do you know you are just one of millions projecting
that personality?
The TV ad says hard work is a
hallmark of success. The camera zooms in on a lovely woman in bed
holding a deflated balloon. She says, “You work hard, I guarantee
success.”
Not all product endorsers are
pretty and sexy. Some of them are ugly, according Sen. Miriam
Santiago, a top-class lawyer whose opinion is widely sought.
“Gusto nila [politicians] mag commercial model, ang papangit nila,”
she said.
The good senator said the ads
featuring politicians is a form of premature campaigning and highly
unethical. In a way Santiago is right because these politicians
weren’t elected into office because of their good looks.
Should we worry instead that ugly
faces are invading our living rooms? Well, the idiot box can be
really scary.
palaciosjp@sss.gov.ph
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