Whatever happened to ‘Saying No to Drugs’. I miss ‘Saying No to Drugs.’ Growing up I couldn’t watch five minutes of Bugs Bunny without hearing that there were these things called ‘drugs’, and that we should say, ‘no’ to them. Today there are more ads for drugs than against them. I wonder what in the world kids think when they see an ad for some random drug that has a name like Zamderal. What do they possibly think it is. For all they know its Zamderal is like the mother of all Flinstone vitamens, that causes you to watch sunsets and play with puppies.

‘Saying No to Drugs’ is not being ingrained into television viewers heads as it once were. What is being ingrained? That if you take a drug for E.D. you may get a semi-permanent erection, or go blind. What drug has mankind created that causes urban legends to become legitimate side effects?

Where are my ‘Say No to Drugs’ campaigns? I can’t think of one that’s running right now. Remember back in the day, the oldies but goodies, the egg in the frying pan, “This is your brain on drugs.” Or my all time favorite with the parent asking his kid where he learned to do drugs, “From you alright! I learned it by watching you!” CLASSIC.

Now I’m lucky if I can get some ‘C’ level actor, like the guy who played the gardener on one episode of ‘Joey’ to tell kids that, “Unlike photosynthesis, smoking won’t help you grow”. Right before that psychedelic ‘ more you know ‘ star rainbow goes careening across the screen followed by the longest tracer in the history of network television. Then leading into prime time programming consisting of the act of doing cocaine being completely glorified on an episode of ‘Las Vegas.’

In fact where are any of our PSA’s? When’s the last time McGruff told kids to ‘Take a bite out of crime’? I remember seeing the ads for that so often that I began to hate McGruff. But as the result it was ingrained in my head what I should do if in my neighborhood I ever saw a strange van driven by a guy with a shady mustache.

It’s been to long since Smoky the Bear informed me that I, Nick Vatterott, and only I could prevent forest fires. As pro-PSA as I am, I always found the anti-forest fire campaign to be an odd one. Why of all the terrible things going on in the 80’s and 90’s, was network television so adamant on stopping forest fires of all things. No, not guns in our children’s schools, or STD’s, forest fires was the monster attempted to be slain. I agree that forest fires are a terrible thing sometimes ignited carelessly by man, but they are also a natural process of life. I would have like to see other ad campaigns against other natural processes of life.

Say No to Volcano’s
Take a Bite out of Flash Flooding
Remember kids, only you can prevent, Sleet.

Let’s bring back ‘Saying No to Drugs.” In fact, new rule; if you run a pro-drug commercial, you have to pay for an anti-drug commercial. Don’t let PSA’s drown in a sea of fictional reality television, and recasted classic sit-com scenarios. I don’t ever want to be watching VH1’s ‘Remember the Decades’ and have Public Service Announcements be waxed upon as complete nostalgia.

“Remember when television wasn’t completely filled with acts that desensitized the public mentality towards violence and perpetuate ideas of superficialism.”says the guy who played the gardener on one episode of ‘Joey.’

Because maintaining the few positive messages on today’s airwaves,if you don’t mind, is a terrible thing to waste.

27/11/2006
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