paste, pregnancy and the life of quiet despair

My great-grandmother lived to be almost 100 years old. That is a very long life--maybe too long, actually. I certainly hope I don't live to be that old.

In 100 years' time, you'd see a lot of changes and witness many fascinating events--great-grandma certainly did. During her long life, cars became ubiquitous. Two world wars were fought. The airplane, radio, TV and the internet were invented. Man launched himself into space and landed on the moon.

Standards of morality and decency also evolved during her time. I remember being at her house once during the late 80's or early 90's. We were sitting around and watching TV, and a lingerie commercial came on. She told my siblings and me how disgusted she was with "all the pornography on TV today." My siblings and I looked at each other and snickered. This was pornography? Yeah, right--could've fooled me.

I wonder what grandma would say if she were alive today. I can't imagine she'd be a fan of little blue pills or "Girls Gone Wild". Paris Hilton eating a burger in a suggestive manner on the hood of a car probably wouldn't interest her, either. I can't say I'm a fan of such commercials myself, but personally, I don't get offended by much. Sometimes the commercials I see on TV or hear on the radio do surprise me, however. Things have definitely changed even in my short lifetime.

Here are a few of my recent favorites:

Medameds.com - Did you know that you can now order your ED meds online? Get your Levitra, Cialis or Viagra online and from your own home. Medameds will deliver your ED medication quickly and discretely to your door!

Evercleanse - Ladies: have you ever complained of feeling bloated or flabby? Guys: we eat too much red meat. This keeps the sides and belly flabby. Experts say that the average American has 5-25 lbs of waste stuck to their colon walls like spackle or paste. But wait--now there's Evercleanse! Odorless, tasteless crystals that dissolve in any food or beverage. Now you can get rid of the weight you can't take off by dieting. Colon blow, anybody?

Volkswagen Routan minivan - Brooke Shields talks about women getting pregnant just so they can get a Routan. It's not offensive, but it is weird. I don't remember ever seeing a pregnant woman in a commercial before. Maybe I haven't been paying attention or watching the right channels--I don't know. Regardless, seeing pregnant women in a commercial is really unusual. At first, I thought Brooke Shields was pregnant, too. Ever weirder. There's nothing like a hot mom, though.

The Ashley Madison Agency - this one is my personal favorite, and fairly shocking. Ashley Madison advertises "discrete affairs" for people living "a quiet life of despair". That's right--go to ashleymadison.com, and they will guarantee you an "affair to remember". I've heard of dating services, but come on...

Any commercials shock or surprise you?

If the above are what I can find on the radio and TV right now, I wonder what commercials will be like in 20, 30, 40 years from now. I've heard commercials in Europe are pretty racy--nudity and such--but I didn't see anything like that during my brief stay there. Maybe European standards are our future. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing (like I said, I don't get offended by much), but it seems light years away from where we are right now.