Why are TV commercials now filled with impossible to read small print? Have you noticed this? I was watching TV last night and noticed that three commercials in a row did this.

Where is the honesty and integrity of these companies that advertise something but then feel the need to put disclaimers and warnings on the bottom of the screen? I mean, who reads these things?

The one that disturbs me the most is the one that tells the elderly that they can get a loan from the equity in their homes. The commercial makes it sounds like a no-lose situation. You get money to do whatever you like and you get to keep your home. The small print reveals the catch; the lender basically owns your home. It’s like they are stealing homes away from families.

Of course, there are the commercials where we need to be told not to duplicate what we see. The drivers of cars are “trained professionals on a closed course.” The cat that appears to be stuck in the wallpaper is “not a real cat.” The act that we just saw is “a dramatization.”

Are people really this stupid? Do we need to be talked down to like this, taken advantage of, or be sold something that sounds way too good to be true? Do people fall for this?

It’s gotten to the point where I can’t stand to watch commercials anymore. ECD commented here once about the need to get rid of commercials for the good of society. Just in case you missed it, check out the original entry. I think he may have something here.