Dignity for sale

Insight on the News, Feb 18, 2003 by Douglas Burton

JIM BOHANNON, WASHINGTON, SYNDICATED THROUGH WESTWOOD ONE (WWW.JIMBOTALK.COM)

The Super Bowl is over, for those who thought it never would be. It certainly had commercials. Award-winning commercials; $2.2 million commercials. And above all, lots of commercials.

Now, mind you, I make a living from commercial advertising. I've spent my entire adult life as a parasite of Madison Avenue. I'm not biting the hand that feeds me here--I'm merely suggesting that the hand stop force-feeding all of us. The Super Bowl is but the best contemporary example of trying to sell everything to everyone all the time. How soon before basketball players' bodies are covered with tattoos, but not just any tattoos: Commercial-endorsement tattoos which make the players look like a NASCAR racing machine. But look on the bright side: Your kid may be able to get a free college education just because of the Preparation H logo you had tattooed on his forehead at birth.

DOUGLAS BURTON IS AN ASSOCIATE EDITOR FOR Insight MAGAZINE.