We’ve all seen the commercials on TV that advertise the myriad of medications one can take to alleviate symptomatic ailments such as arthritis, allergies, dry eyes, migraines, heartburn, etc. These commercials don’t stir me up because these ailments are extremely common and anyone can purchase these medications over the counter at any grocery store. But what about the commercials that advertise other things like depression, anxiety, acid reflux, etc? You can’t buy the medications that treat these ailments over the counter. You must first get a prescription from your doctor, and convince your doctor you need this drug. Why advertise something on TV we the consumer can’t buy? Seems like a waste of money to advertise such things. Or maybe not? They must be making money, or else, why advertise? The pharmaceutical companies want you to self-diagnose yourself due to fear, go to your doctor, and request their medication … and this medication usually isn’t cheap. It’s a big money maker.
Let’s take it one step further …
I was watching TV the other day and saw a commercial depicting a few women suffering from a few mild symptoms; rash, hair loss, and fatigue. One of the women goes to her doctor and asks “Do I have Lupus”? Are you kidding me!? Those symptoms can be caused by just about every illness out there. Why is this particular commercial targeting Lupus? And why does the commercial show Caucasian and Asian women when African American women are 3 times more likely to suffer from Lupus? Do these companies want you to go to your doctor and have a bunch of medical tests performed to prove you don’t have lupus? Of course they do. Again, big money maker.
Let’s take it yet one step further …
It’s not just the pharmaceutical companies or the medical industry. Whatever happened to Ebola, SARS, the West Nile Virus, the Asian Flu, and more recently H1N1 or the Swine Flu? Billions of dollars were spent on advertisement and rushing vaccines around the country. You and your kids were in grave danger. Anyone exhibiting flu-like symptoms was to remain home until 7 days after the symptoms subsided. People were dying left and right. Turns out only 15,000 people died from the H1N1 worldwide. The normal flu killed over 50,000 in the same year, in the United States alone. Why did the government want all the people to get the H1N1 flu shot? You might think since you didn’t have to pay for the vaccine, it must be free. Nothing is free except the air you breath. The money to rush the production of the vaccines came from you, the tax payer. In fact, GLAXOSMITHKLINE is expected to receive $3,000,000,000 in H1N1 government orders alone. However, there were 9 other companies also profiting from this fear-mongering tactic.
There’s a commonality to all this. Fear-mongering: proven and time tested successful business model.
What Wayne Gretzky was to hockey, the government is to fear-mongering. It’s a very powerful tool that can get people to alter their daily lifestyles, buy things they think they need, and to get shots they don’t need. They can ratchet up the fear and target the things we cherish most; our children and our health, as was the case with the recent H1N1 or Swine Flu “pandemic”. Another example is the government run and funded Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They are now trying to terrify you into thinking CO2 is a toxic gas and that it must be rationed otherwise we will suffer horrific hurricanes, melted glaciers, and flooded cities. Yet another example is Health Care Reform. The current presidential administration can terrify you into thinking you won’t be able to buy health insurance and that you’ll have to take out a second mortgage on your house so you can afford to cure your life-threatening wart.
When the government can mobilize the 330 million people of the United Stated to buy something, or in the case of Health Care Reform force them to buy it, there is a tremendous amount of buying power. And the more people you can freak out, the more justifiable their motivation.
If this blog (or rant) has any purposeful existence, it’s to get people to take a deep breath and think before they act. Don’t believe everything you see on TV. Don’t believe everything your Government is telling you. People and governments who promote fear are usually hiding the real purpose behind their efforts.