AdAge is Wrong! Drug Ads, Not Bad News, Cause Frayed Attention Disorder (FAD)

Here's something to think about.

According to Advertising Age, Americans Long for a Chance to Rest, Replenish and Reboot. We are, says AdAge, "Whipsawed by Stimuli" and "Our Attention Is Fraying and Disorders Are Multiplying."

I call it Frayed Attention Disorder (FAD).

What's the cause?

According the AdAge reporter, what's causing FAD in Americans is all the bad news about "Car bombs in Iraq. Car bombs in Afghanistan. Coordinated car bomb attacks in Pakistan. And then -- to vary the tempo -- a visit to the funeral of the victim of a car bombing (that gets car bombed)."

"I can't stand to read it," she admits.

That's too bad. BTW, did you vote for George Bush? I don't know about you, but I think of SAD (Stupid Attention Disorder) whenever I see Bush talk about Iraq and Iran and Afghanistan and Pakistan.

But it's not really that "People are tired of terrible" that causes FAD. AdAge should look closer to home for the cause: namely, all the ADVERTISING that we are bombarded with.

AdAge suggests that Americans want to take drugs whenever they read the Times or watch the TV news.

First of all, real Americans don't read the Times (or any other newspaper for that matter) or watch TV news (unless it's the local news and then only for the weather or traffic report).

When we do watch the news, we are bombarded mostly by drug ads, which are sometimes more disturbing than the news. Who wants to see those creepy, crawly ants up and down someone's legs when she is trying to relax and do the crossword puzzle (who does crossword puzzles anyway?).

Curiously, drugs may also offer the cure as well as the cause of FAD. I only hope that the drug industry pays attention to this silent epidemic that "touches upon" 40% of US adults!