First it was our fax machines, then our e-mail. Now, spam has arrived on television.
It began with those annoying long-form commercials for weight machines, then just as in our e-mail inboxes, we have become inundated with ads for weight loss products and get rich quick schemes.
I don’t know if these ads are running only on satellite television or if those of you with cable get them too. There are the ones where a “doctor” — in small type, the disclaimer shows that she’s a PhD — tells us that being overweight is not our fault, it’s all due to some hormone that is triggered by stress. Luckily, a little pill will take care of that fat-trapping hormone and you’ll be svelte in no time! And by the way, this product is far too powerful for those of us looking to lose just a few vanity pounds.
Then there’s this ad for the greatest money-making invention ever devised: the kiosk for internet connectivity, ATM, phone cards, and God only knows what else. This ad features the down and and out parody of himself, Adam West. Like spam, it is suspect because of the many typos that appear on the screen during the ad:
I just caught a new version of this ad starring the decrepit Ernest Borgnine.
What’s next? An ad featuring an exiled member of the Nigerian royal family telling me of the great opportunity for riches that awaits me, for just a “minimum required investment?”
