Sad Bastard of the Week: Gonna need some drugs after this
Posted at 10:00 AM Jan 05, 2010
By Andrea Grimes |
Prescription drug commercials are all over the television. And children are especially susceptible to the persuasions of advertisements. Combine this with a precocious toddler, and you have a recipe for a parent who should be concerned about letting kids think there's a pill to cure everything. Right?
Nope. You might just have a parent who thinks it's hilarious that her kid wants to take happy pills:
My family was watching a movie Saturday night. My 3-year-old daughter was playing around and jumping on the couch, and she ended up hurting herself. My husband picked her up and was consoling her when a commercial for Cymbalta came on, showing a young woman crying, sad and alone. It then shows the same woman taking Cymbalta and being full of energy and having fun with her family. My crying daughter turns around and tells her daddy she wants Cymbalta so she can be happy again.
Two days later, when she didn't get her way, she threw a tantrum and started screaming, "Did my daddy get my Cymbalta? I'm very upset!" This time I couldn't help but laugh.
Couldn't help but laugh? I can't help but think WTF. I mean, I get that I think it's funny that her kid wants to be put on magic happy pills, seeing as how I am no fan of children, but I don't get why she thinks it's funny.
Sure, the kid's too young to know what taking anti-depressants means and clearly doesn't understand the arguments for and against our medicated society. But the line "My crying daughter turns around and tells her daddy she wants Cymbalta so she can be happy again," is astoundingly sad. It indicates to me that the kid made the connection between "I'm sad" and "There's a cure for this that we can buy." Not amusing.
Dolls, do you agree?
Comments
I think it can be both- I mean, kids generally think (or, hope that) plenty of ridiculous things are true (e.g., Santa, Tooth Fairy, Jesus (until they're 14), etc.). I'm guessing the mom was laughing at the absurdity, then talked to the daughter about it (or, probably, just let the tantrum subside, because it's a child throwing a tantrum).
Still, it Is sad to see "Buy This Now And You'll Be Happy!" extending from toys, clothes, and fast food to medicine (that is, for children to consider that to be true, or a possible truth).
...hmm, I think I just depressed myself.
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Posted 01/06/2010 at 02:25:15 AMI'd be shocked and annoyed if my 3 year-old said something like that to me! Luckily, she hates ads and yells to the screen to bring her show back. The only time she asks for medication is when she's really sick(feverish). She hasn't yet learnt to connect emotions and possessions. It would make my life a lot easier if she never does.
Posted 01/08/2010 at 01:16:57 AM