Is advertising new?  Not that I can recall.  As long as I can remember there has been advertising for one thing or another.  The goal is to convince us to buy things; some we need, most we don’t. What’s come into question is the pervasivness of advertising.

It used to be limited to the television, radio, and print.  I was used to seeing the adds on television.  All kinds of wares would parade accross the screen at pre-determined intervals.

I used to be mildly annoyed at television advertising.  It interrupted the shows I enjoyed and to be completely honest I have absolutely no need for a Bowflex, feminine hygine products, or any kind of drug where they won’t tell you what it’s for but strongly suggest you ask your doctor about it.

Still it didn’t seem to be so pervasive that I couldn’t enjoy the shows I wanted to watch.

For years I could simply ignore the advertising, and on occasion I could even enjoy it.  I’ve been known to buy a magazine or two simply for the advertising.  It actually can be a valuable resource when one is looking for something.

I’m left wondering if the advertising has changed or if I have changed.  

The junk mail that arrives in the post every day seems to be the same.  Flyers from realestate agents hoping to sell my home, coupons from the grocery store.  Mortgage brokers who want to refinance my home.  This kind of advertising has never really bothered me. It’s new variant on the other hand…

Not a day goes by that I don’t get an email advertisement for ‘Hot Naked Teens’ or ways to increase the size of my…well you know.  I’ve never purchased anything from any vendor selling such wares.  I’ve never even requested information.  Yet they come every day, unasked for and unwanted.

Even the frequency of commercial intterruptions on the television has grown to the point that the few shows left worth watching are all that keeps me paying for television.  There are even commercials in front of every movie in the theater.  I’m not talking about the previews for upcomming films, but actual commercials for more of the products I’m not buying anyway.

Maybe that’s the problem, if only I would buy more of these useless products they would stop bombarding me with these not so subliminal messages.  Somehow I don’t think that would help at all, and I simply don’t have the money to aquire all of that crap anyway.

You know what? I think I have found the answer.  In the last couple of weeks I’ve been courting the idea of cancelling my television service. Imagine a life where the only thing I watch are the movies I like well enough to buy.  That’s not a bad idea.  Looks like the advertisers are going to lose one more way to my eyeballs.

My teeth aren’t white enough but that’s okay, they match the color of my dingy white shirts.