I have had two diaries- essays if you please- floating around in my head for several days. And for those frustrated authors among us, you know how annoying it is to catch the thought at the most inopportune time, and rely on memory of emotion when you are conveniently facing that blank page.
I started taking notes, jotting down those quick philosophical notions that invade my daily routine. And now I am faced with garbled jargon, wondering which sentiment would have the greatest impact on my readers. Which would be the easiest to convey all the emotions I have on the subject.
And lo- they emerge, connected in thought and purpose, to become one.
When I was a child, in the late '50's and early '60's, the television was the newest kid on the block. I can vaguely remember the shows I watched, but I can never forget the commercials.
Right off the block, I can sing the TONKA jingle. Any of you 'old folks' remember?
For boys who want real lifelike toys that they can operate too.
Attention boys, TONKA toys are made just for you
Only problem was, I am a girl. And I wanted to play with TONKA trucks. And I couldn't understand why the man in the TV said, "only boys".
There was a separation- a difference in the way boys were treated and the way girls were expected to behave. At ten years old, I wasn't buying it. I was a 'tomboy', and Madison Avenue wasn't targeting me.
During my teen years, Twiggy was the hottest item to hit the airwaves. Be thin. Wear high heels and tight skirts. Pour globs of make-up on your face and tease your hair with loads of hairspray. Advertisers had a field day selling sex appeal with every grooming product available.
Except I became a hippie. I wasn't concerned about how I looked on the outside. I wasn't buying it. What did Madison Avenue have to offer me?
I raised my family during my 20's and '30's. I was a 'housewife' which is what a 'stay at home Mom' was called way back when. Madison Avenue wanted to change with the times, but they didn't sing my song.
I can bring home the bacon
Fry it up in the pan
And never never let you forget you're a man
'Cause I'm a woman.
I have no idea what product that commercial was selling. I wasn't buying it. I was married to a boy who refused the responsibility of a family. I easily forgot he was a man.
The 90's brought a massive wave of "Don't leave home without it" buy me or you are a worthless person mentality that everyone bought into- oh, except me. My children will attest to the horrible life they had as teen-agers.I would not succumb to $120 sneakers or designer jeans. If my kids wanted to buy into that nonsense, they earned their own money to do so. I wasn't buying it.
So now, today, as I face what every 'baby boomer' tries so hard to avoid, Madison Avenue is reaping in the dough. In two hours of television programming, I now know how to deal with every ailment the natural aging process is befalling me. The pharmaceutical companies have made sure or that.
I am being told to "see my doctor" so I can obtain the prescription for relief. Ignore those pesky side effects. So what if you develop kidney disease, your arthritis is painless. What is a liver problem, if it means osteosclerosis can be curtailed. And the relief for men who can't get it up is only effective if the women have the devastatingly side-effect riddled birth control pill.
I'm not buying it.
Every one of the prescription-only pharmaceuticals that are being advertised on TV need a visit to the doctor. Like we are all sitting around wondering what to do next Tuesday. "Let's go to the doctor. Let's tell her about my 'insert ailment'. She'll give me the ticket to the wonder drug that will make my life so much better."
Side effects be dammed.
Unless you think about the side effects they don't tell you about. The boy who never got the TONKA truck, no matter how many times he watched that commercial. The countless girls who felt ashamed of their bodies because they weren't pencil thin. The women who felt their self-worth plummet because their house wasn't showroom perfect. The baby boomers who refuse to grow old gracefully.
I'm not buying it. It's time to tell Madison Avenue to stop. Pharmaceuticals have no business being advertised. Nobody but physicians should be aware that these products exist. Only your doctor would know if you could benefit from the latest medicinal cure for whatever ails you. And, if you are one of the lucky ones in today's society, your insurance carrier would be happy to cover you for the office visit and the subsequent treatment for any and all side effects your wonder drug saddled you with.
Unless they deem it a pre-existing condition.
Don't buy it.