Lately I'm experiencing a few unpleasant side effects of aging. Nothing life threatening mind you, but little changes that remind me I'm not 21 anymore...or 31 or 41 or 51! I'm wearing glasses and fully understand the oneliner, "You know you're old when you can go without sex but not your glasses." I can still hear, but it's important that you speak clearly to me or your words are just so much white noise. I'm not alone. I'm part of that great, aging mob affectionately referred to as Baby Boomers. As a group, we're still a huge financial boost to the economy having begun to retire and have our bills paid...mostly. I say this because I don't think Madison Avenue has clicked to the fact that people with the most disposable income have special needs.
For one thing, do away with the fine print. We can't see it. Have you noticed a fairly new phenomenon of prescription ads with two pages of very fine print which extols the virtues of the product along side the warnings? Who are they kidding? I'd like to meet the person who can read that without a magnifying glass. And I'd like to shake hands with the person who understands it. If I'm paying all that money to go to the doctor, HE should be telling me this stuff in simple terms. I'm paying exorbant fees because he went to medical school...he should use that knowledge so I don't have to read fine print. Same goes for insurance policies. If there's something I should know, please have the courtesy to put it in large print.
The second thing is my hearing. I don't yet need the volume on the TV maxed out to enjoy Desperate Housewives. But those ads on radio and television where someone is yakking on and on at warp speed is annoying to say the least! What ARE those hawkers talking about? They could be telling me NOT to buy a certain product. They could be telling me that the sky is falling or Big Brother really is watching me..I'd never know. Obviously, the speed of sound and the speed of discernment aren't anywhere close. I have no idea whether to buy or not to buy that medicine, car, vacation trip or use that credit card to make those purchases.
Cut me some slack! Send me to a 1-800 number or a website which the disclaimers are printed or spoken at an intelligible level. Please???
1 comment:
WEll, I can hear pretty good, but the eyes are gone. I have to wear glasses to read anything. I have gone from single vision lenses, to bi-focals and now progressive lenses. If I ever lost my glasses then you might as well stop the world. I can't read that fine print even with the magnifying glass..Forget the asprine bottle.
My husband has hearing aids and a bad back... I've got the bad eyes and have finely made it thru menopause..What a laugh! I guess I'm no longer a spring chicken.
Glad Rita decided not to come our way at the last minute.. I have lived in Houston all my life and I went thru Carla at the spry age of 12. Lived off the Howard/Belfort exit of the Gulf Freeway. I'm glad I live on the north side now.
Post a Comment