To the editor:
How many of you guys out there watch television? No, I’m not going to ask you to please raise your hands, since I can’t see you from where I am and it wouldn’t do any good. I’m just wondering, do advertisers really think it’s all right to insult the intelligence of those they are trying to reach? I mean, it’s a free country and everything, so we’ve pretty much established that insulting people’s intelligence isn’t illegal. But, is it something companies and their advertisers should get paid for? That’s a whole different story. Some commercials are inexcusably insulting, as far as I’m concerned. Take, for example, those ads for Progressive Insurance that show a woman whose bubbly behavior reaches the point of outright silliness. These commercials seem to portray women as silly little nymphs, and even as a man, I’m embarrassed by this disgusting portrayal. I am not currently looking for insurance, but if I ever look for insurance in the future, Progressive will not get a dime from me unless the company radically changes its advertising tactics.
There is one thing I do like about television today, however, and that is this: Today’s televisions all have remote controls, and every remote has a mute button. So, now when those commercials come on, I simply press the mute button and say: “Thank you, Lord!”
Presque Isle
