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Usually two hours time difference doesn't impact me as far as Jet Lag, but as I sit here in New York waiting for the opening of NYC Comic Con, I find myself unable to sleep. It may also have something to do with the gut-busting deli sandwich I had for dinner this evening. Belch
Be that as it may, I spent some time this morning watching infomercials. I haven't done that for a long time, because I have no TV, and this only reinforced my gratitude for sticking to that particular state of affairs.
The one that got me thinking was a long-winded plug for an outfit called 1-800-US-Lawyer. Never in my life have I seen a more reprehensible spiel. This epitomizes the worst that everyone imagines about attorneys, showcasing their ambulance-chasing viciousness and encouraging the dim-witted to abrogate responsibility for their own stupid mistakes, instead finding someone to sue. "Did you know that if you stick your hand into a meat grinder, the restaurant owner may be liable? Let us help you get what's coming to you!" And dozens of other similar insanities. Nauseating!
Poking around on the internet turned up some surprising facts. Apparently this outfit is not a law firm, but a for-profit attorney-referral service. This sort of enterprise happens to be illegal in New Jersey, according to one complaint that was filed, but what surprised me the most is that there are almost no references to the shadiness of this advertising campaign - it's almost as if whoever is running this outfit has managed to scrub the internet of references to itself except its own home page. And that's kind of scary.
Digging down one step further, as I watched infomercials for miracle weight loss schemes, work-at-home schemes, and make-money-from-poor-bastards-in-foreclosure schemes, to name but a few, it became crystal clear to me that you can no longer trust what you find on the internet. Do a Google search for "Product X Scam", and you're likely to be led to an incomprehensibly convoluted nest of self-referring blog entries, all of which try to prove to you that not only is Product X not a scam, but rather the investment opportunity or medical miracle of the century. Even bringing all my skepticism and internet savvy to bear, it was hard for me to find what I considered a reliable, unbiased report about any number of these snake-oil schemes.
"Papa says that if you read it in the Times it must be true" has now extended to the internet - and it frightens me to think that the vast majority of television and internet advertising is aimed at separating the fool from his or her money with no thought of providing true value in return. I don't know whether to be more frightened at the fundamental disingenuousness which is driving so much of internet commerce (as well as late-night television advertising), or the gullibility of the average consumer which makes it profitable.
I weep for the rising generation.
Be that as it may, I spent some time this morning watching infomercials. I haven't done that for a long time, because I have no TV, and this only reinforced my gratitude for sticking to that particular state of affairs.
The one that got me thinking was a long-winded plug for an outfit called 1-800-US-Lawyer. Never in my life have I seen a more reprehensible spiel. This epitomizes the worst that everyone imagines about attorneys, showcasing their ambulance-chasing viciousness and encouraging the dim-witted to abrogate responsibility for their own stupid mistakes, instead finding someone to sue. "Did you know that if you stick your hand into a meat grinder, the restaurant owner may be liable? Let us help you get what's coming to you!" And dozens of other similar insanities. Nauseating!
Poking around on the internet turned up some surprising facts. Apparently this outfit is not a law firm, but a for-profit attorney-referral service. This sort of enterprise happens to be illegal in New Jersey, according to one complaint that was filed, but what surprised me the most is that there are almost no references to the shadiness of this advertising campaign - it's almost as if whoever is running this outfit has managed to scrub the internet of references to itself except its own home page. And that's kind of scary.
Digging down one step further, as I watched infomercials for miracle weight loss schemes, work-at-home schemes, and make-money-from-poor-bastards-in-foreclosure schemes, to name but a few, it became crystal clear to me that you can no longer trust what you find on the internet. Do a Google search for "Product X Scam", and you're likely to be led to an incomprehensibly convoluted nest of self-referring blog entries, all of which try to prove to you that not only is Product X not a scam, but rather the investment opportunity or medical miracle of the century. Even bringing all my skepticism and internet savvy to bear, it was hard for me to find what I considered a reliable, unbiased report about any number of these snake-oil schemes.
"Papa says that if you read it in the Times it must be true" has now extended to the internet - and it frightens me to think that the vast majority of television and internet advertising is aimed at separating the fool from his or her money with no thought of providing true value in return. I don't know whether to be more frightened at the fundamental disingenuousness which is driving so much of internet commerce (as well as late-night television advertising), or the gullibility of the average consumer which makes it profitable.
I weep for the rising generation.
