Emptying My Purse

It must have been at least 3 months ago when Charnae tagged me to do a "contents of my purse" post. I didn't write it all down or count the number of cards and other like items, so I can't give you a total number on what was inside. But as you can see, this was a lot to fit into a VERY small shoulder bag. It is the purse I used to have. I saw the "Buxton Bag" organizer (another purse) advertised on TV. It was one of those ads that run over and over again and, of course, was designed to be very enticing. Art ordered it for me as a belated birthday gift. And then we waited and waited. When it didn't arrive within the promised time, we checked again and were told it was on backorder. We would receive it in one-two weeks. Five weeks later, it finally arrived. I like my new purse with its multiple zippers and pockets. But when I saw this letter to the editor in the newspaper, it brought the whole process back to mind. Don't get me wrong. I really like the new one and so far I haven't loaded it down too much. But doesn't this letter by Jane Randall put ads in perspective? Jane happens to be a member of the Utah Poetry Society. As you might surmise, she writes humorous but very pointed poems.

"I just want to gripe at all advertisers vying--ever more shrilly--for my money. Once upon a time, commercial breaks on TV included two or maybe three advertisements. Now it's 10 to 15. Once upon a time, a billboard was an occasional incursion in an otherwise pleasant road trip. Now billboards are the scenery. Once a single set of yellow pages was sufficient. Now there isn't enough drawer space in my house for all the phone books. Advertisements dog me everywhere. My mailbox is full of them. My newspapers. My telephone is used for them. I see them on buses and watch them at the movie theaters. And guess what every advertisement aims to do? It aims to convince me that I'm not good enough, not happy enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough and not enlightened enough. Billions of dollars are being spent just to tell me I'm inadequate! One wonders where the madness and the greed of free enterprise gone berserk will end." Enough said!