Are you well?

In New Zealand (at least when I left, hopefully things have not declined too far in the intervening months) prescription drug advertising is a relatively new thing, having been legalised only a few years ago.  So it's not much of a problem, you can just tune out the few ads that you come across.

In the United States things are much more advanced.  I assume there has never been any restriction on drug advertising - presumably it would be unconstitutional.  But however it relates to the nation's constitution, it has a poor effect on my constitution because it is everywhere, especially on television.  I doubt an ad break goes by without at least one long spiel for some wonder drug or other.  That may reflect in part the kind of channels I watch - programming targeted towards the geriatric end of the audience will include more such advertising, I suppose, but even on the channels targeted toward the more youthful and (one would think) healthy end of the market carries these ads.  If you don't think there's anything wrong with you, they try to make you think there might be, and then sell you the pill to fix it.

Just off the top of my head I can think of commercials I've seen for drugs to treat arthritis, depression, insomnia, heart disease, acne, indigestion, psoriasis, short eyelashes and dry eyes.  They're all soothing, slick and positive with gentle muzak in the background, certainly never depicting the diseases they're about  That's no doubt to counter the lengthy voice over that lists the risks and side-effects from taking the medicine (I'm particularly amazed by the psoriasis drug that seems to be carcinogenic, and the surprising number of drugs that warn they may increase your risk of death).  By the end of it all you may still not have a desire to take the drug they're hawking, but you may want a little something for the nagging depression the ads produce.

Then of course you get the ads placed by lawyers to attract people who have taken drug X and may be entitled to compensation.  Presumably because the manufacturers left something off the long list of risks.  There's one on CNN right now as I type this.

It's makes me sick, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.  The pharmaceutical companies are probably already working to create a pill to cure this revulsion.  They can advertise it on television.  They'll make a mint.

The Beeb

Having come from New Zealand to the US, I suppose it is a little odd that I distract myself from the culture shock by seeking out programmes produced in a third country which I have never visited.  But I'm hooked on the BBC (and, to be fair, other British stuff, but let's not get sidetracked).  I'm especially keen on the radio, ever since I discovered over eight years ago that BBC radio is crazy courteous enough to put all their shows online for anyone to listen to anywhere in the world.

It's just a shame that they don't do the same thing with their TV shows.  A lot of them can be obtained on DVD over here and Mrs Walles and I have now built up quite a collection (Mrs Walles is particularly partial to the Vicar of Dibley).  But not everything can be had (alas, QI is denied me now).

There is even an entire cable channel called BBC America which, you might think, would help satisfy my cravings.  You'd be wrong.

Let's have a look at tonight's schedule, shall we?  At 8pm there's an exciting episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.  That's on a lot, for some reason, even though as far as I can tell the only thing British about it is one of the actors.  Before that there's two repeats of Top Gear - at least it's British - and afterwards there's three episodes of The Tudors in a row.  And that's a good night.  They used to have the news on, but that recently shifted to public television.  You can also catch The X Files on BBC America...I guess it was popular in Britain?  Perhaps you're a fan of Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - in which case BBC America is the channel for you because it plays it several times a week.  They can't get enough of it.  I mean, it's set in England, right?  Don't worry, though, there's new programming coming soon - they're particularly excited about repeating the old new Battlestar Galactica.  For some reason.

Now, to be fair, you do get Graham Norton only a week after they show it in the UK.  That's about the only upside though.  I can only assume that nobody remotely connected with the BBC, or Britain come to that, has ever watched BBC America.

Fortunately some of the other channels pick up a wider range of output from Britain, like The IT Crowd.  So all is not lost.  I wouldn't mind if BBC America were lost, though.  I wouldn't be able to watch Kevin Costner in a jerkin 24/7, but somehow I think I'd live.