The most interesting article in today's paper dealt with "terminal sedation," basically putting end-stage patients to sleep so they can just slip painlessly away ("Hard Choice for a Comfortable Death: Sedation"). Derided by critics as "slow euthanasia," terminal sedation straddles the ethical line between "do no harm" and "stop needless suffering."
Speaking as someone who very often has no particular desire to get out of bed, we can see the appeal. Still, this is a rather glum topic, and we so want to be upbeat and perky as the year draws to a close.
One thing has been bothering us lately: a seemingly inoccuous commercial for (we think) Direct TV--or is it DirecTV? Or DirectTV? Damn corporate cutesiness! We were hoping to find a clip or image to paste here, but to no avail--maybe it's more disturbing than we think! Too disturbing for YouTube? Now THAT's saying something!
At any rate, the gist of the commercial is that you can save money by switching to DirecTV--or maybe it's Comcast, it doesn't matter. To illustrate this savings, we are shown a man welcoming people to his house, ostensibly to watch something on DirecTV. Perhaps it's the big game or the season premiere of "Dancing with the Biggest Loser"--again, it doesn't matter.
You can see we're temporizing here--scared to reveal the Horror. OK. Deep breath.
What happens is, as the guests enter the house, their heads are morphed into Benjamin Franklin's face as it appears on a $100 bill.
See?
You don't see, do you? You're probably thinking, "Well, sure, Benjamin Franklin may have been a syphilitic womanizer with a thing for kites and turkeys, but, really Solipsist, that's hardly anything to be scared of. And the man invented bifocals! Get a grip! It's not like they're turning into Alexander Hamilton!"
Here's the thing, though: The FIRST guest to enter the house is a guy. No problem. But the next three guests are shapely women whose visages we barely see before they are transfranklified! We then watch as curvy hips sashay through the door--curvy hips and ample bosoms crowned with the visage of Poor Richard himself!
We think we have become sexually attracted to Benjamin Franklin.
2010 is looking bleak.
transfranklified?
ReplyDeleteNow there's a word that does a great job describing this ad to those without TV -- seems like we're not missing much...
It's Directv. Note the spelling. I write it on a check monthly. The rip-off is, you don't GET the money. They credit you $10 each month until you use up the "reward". If there's anyone who can't see the difference between cold, hard, cash-all at once-in your hand, and a slight reduction in one of many bills you pay, step up to my bridge-selling store.
ReplyDeleteWe confess to an incipient Benjamin Franklin fetish, and all "Anonymous" can do is complain about his cable bill?!? Priorities, folks!
ReplyDeleteHmmn. You might want to look at that.
ReplyDelete