An Ad About Signs

So my little annoyance today is adverts

Ads here and there about this and that. Ads everywhere I look.

"Give me loads of money for fairly low quality stuff that is cheaper than other company's stuff"

You might say I'm being unfair and that generally stuff you buy is of a high quality. That's not the point. I can't go anywhere, turn on any TV station, listen to any radio broadcast, sit on any bus or turn my head for 5 minutes without some money hungry corporation reminding me how their shit is better than everyone else's.

And you know, it's fair to say that without bought produce, I'd be dead in a week. That's cool you know. I'm just like everyone else in that I have to spend money to live.

But isn't buying stuff a choice? You know, if I went to the supermarket to buy something and happened to see another equal quality product beside it for less, don't I decide then that I want it? When I notice my phone bills are high, don't I decide when and where to look for cheaper value? I'd say of all the ads I see in a day, 99% of them are complete crap. Generally I think when a company is trying to push this stuff into my face, it's not of the highest quality. Good products sell themselves.

I went out on Saturday afternoon and bought a new bass. I wasn't going to write this in a blog because as self-indulgent as blogs are, I didn't want to go on about something that most people wouldn't give a shit about. But anyway, I bought one. It's a Cort GB-74 and it's possibly the best bass I have played in about 10 years in it's price range. Before I found this bass I never knew much about Cort as bass manufacturers. I'm all about giving the smaller business my cash before just leaping into a sale you see. I doubt that ESP, Jackson and B.C Rich can be regarded as selling musical instruments more so than selling weapons masquerading as guitars with terrible pickups and shit tremolo systems. Anyway. I was looking for a bass with a particular tonal quality and discovered through complete accident, something that could switch easily between passive and active sounds. I found it in the Cort GB-74. Great value for my budget.

Basically I had an idea of what I wanted and went around numerous shops, numerous times trying and trying and trying basses until I got the one that felt and sounded just right and had room to change should my idea of desired sound change. Versatility is basically what I was after. The shop I bought it in was new and I was not directed towards it in any way.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I bought this because I wanted it. And I wanted it because I tried it and it was right for me, plus I didn't have a billion ads a day pushed in my face or have "become a fan" or "like" trying to convince me on any sites I frequent. I figure, generally, people kinda know what they want somewhere along the lines. Some might like Kelloggs fruit and fibre and some might like the taste of cardboard more, but I don't think constant barraging with ads is any way to endorse a product. I mean for example, I see Smirnoff ads everywhere all the time and the stuff tastes like lighter fluid. Russian Standard Vodka is far better on my pallette, less advertised and a little dearer by about two quid or something and the hangover off it is about half as bad. Ads generally do the opposite of what they are supposed to as far as I'm concerned... They act as a deterrent rather than an alternative. Especially if the ads are really really annoying and have terrible acting, puns or ideas in them!

But it leads me to another thing which is signs. Now it's an observation, not a rant as such. But why the signs? Everywhere? Reminders, sure. You know it's not too bad to have to remind someone that seats are not for feet, mind your head, watch that child, yeild, etc etc, but signs reminding driver not to speed and such are a bit bad I reckon. I think someone who speeds at 60 in a 30 zone shouldn't even be driving. Someone who doesn't look both ways before crossing shouldn't be out alone. Someone who doesn't want a baby should be aware of what makes them pregnant to begin with, Someone who needs to be reminded by a sign to drink properly shouldn't be drinking, the list goes on. I mean OK, a person should not be led around by the hand by a mentor all of the time but relying on inanimate signs to do the work is a bit lame.

Anyway, I'm sure I have more to say about it, but that's my lot for the day.

:-)