If I had a dollar for every time one of my kids asked me what Viagra was for, I'd... well, I wouldn't have any dollars.
But from the fuss Representative Jim Moran (D-Virginia) is making over Viagra commercials, you'd think that's all kids were talking about these days.
"I don't want to be prudish about it," Moran said. "I understand there
is a limitless market to deal with male insecurity and it's fine for drug
companies to make a profit on that. The problem is that they are
showing these ads when small children are bound to get curious."
Moran is pushing to keep commercials for erectile dysfunction aids off the airwaves between the hours of 6am and 10pm with the "Families for ED Advertising Decency Act."
His argument: "What am I supposed to tell my kids?"
Okay, first of all, I don't think Viagra buys ad space on Sprout, Nick Jr., or Noggin, so if your kid is watching a show on which an ad for Viagra (or rival Cialis) appears, you've clearly determined that your child has attained a certain level of maturity. So why not tell him the truth? Or some version of it. Dallas Morning News editor Michael Landauer has a few suggestions (which weren't nearly as funny as I had hoped), including, "What's an erection and why would it last more than four hours? That's a good question, but it's one we'll talk about when you're older."
Second of all, there are loads of ads on TV for products I don't really want to talk to my kids about--including tampons, hemorrhoid cream, Kool-Aid, and denture cream ("You mean they're all going to fall out one day?!"). Does that mean we should ban all those ads as well?
So far, the bill has gained little momentum, and no hearings are scheduled.
Do you think Moran has a point?
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