Daddy, What’s Erectile Dysfunction?
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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This is all very informative. There is also the golden root complex, a non-prescription 100% natural alternative to viagra. It comes from a herb call Rhodiola rosea, which is why it has no side effects and completely safe to use.
These ED commercials are always on during baseball games, no matter what the time of day. It’s awful. I’d support this ban — if you ask me, NO pharmaceutical drugs should be advertised.
My kids are little, so I don’t let them watch commercials yet, but I really don’t understand why tampon commercials would be a problem for anyone. Maybe if a child watches too many Viagra or male enhancement commercials, she/he could get messed up messages about some things. But tampons? Then they shouldn’t be able to see Charmin commercials either.
Actually, you’d be surprised. Hilariously, when my (much) younger brother got “the talk” his first question was, “Okay, I think I understand all about sex, but I don’t understand what we need the little blue pills for?”. Guess all the sitcom jokes stuck with him.
I have to say, I’ve been a supporter for years of some kind of regulation for those nasty ads; and I’d like to add tampons and the new KY ads too. As for the timing of the ads for us the big deal is sporting events, we are big sports fans and it seems no matter what time they are broadcasting an event (12 noon on Sunday even) there is an ED ad or twon, or three.