I have readily admitted here that I am no snob about television. My wife and I usually watch a couple of hours of our favorite programs nightly. That is just how I relax  and let my brain cools down at the end of many days. We have a digital video recorder that records our favorite shows so we can watch them whenever we want. With the DVR I can speed through three minutes of commercials in about four seconds so I usually only get a very fleeting glimpse of all those advertisements. I have also recently discovered streaming video which is at least at present commercial free. I need to write a separate post about that. It surely is the future of television that will probably eliminate cable, satellite, and even networks.

Getting back to the point before the point, when we are in hotels on vacation  without our DVR we are exposed to the full onslaught of television commercials. I can’t imagine having to suffer through that on a daily basis. Finally getting to the point of this post it seems that an awfully lot of those commercials are about Viagra or other type drugs or about something to increase my testosterone levels. I know when Viagra was first advertised it was supposed to be for us old guys who have troubles in that area. Bob Dole even came out  telling us that it is not an embarrassment to buy it.

Fast forward a decade or so and we now find that the majority of Viagra pills are consumed by young to middle-aged men looking for an “enhanced sexual experience”.  Old guys are no longer the main target for the advertiser. I guess the testosterone drugs are meant for the same crowd. The more you have the manlier you are supposed to be or so you are told. They always show some guy who smiles a lot and drives vintage cars now that he is dosing up with more testosterone.

But to me elevated testosterone levels just might be the cause of much of our aggressive tendencies. It goes back to our caveman days where we needed a lot of testosterone to be able to fight off all those beasts trying to kill us on a daily basis. I’m pretty sure I have low testosterone but that is OK with me. It has probably made me more sensitive to others around me.  Chest thumping and aggressive behavior actually turn me off.

How good things can morph over time is not limited to this area. When the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in  1990 it was meant to help those with severe disabilities cope in daily life.  I am especially grateful for it mandating that all TV become closed captioned for the deaf and hearing impaired.  I’m sure that without the law that would not have happened. But like Viagra the main use of the law was morphed into something else. The vast majority of cases now brought up to the Americans with Disability Act are seeking monetary rewards for unsubstantiated back pain.  But again that is another post that needs to be done…..