Ed was muttering at an ad on TV recently and it turned out this is an ad I also dislike intensely. It is the one where great-looking models of middle age grope each other warmly, secure in the knowledge that they will get “it” on successfully because he take Cialis. This isn’t just about the sex – these are soul mates, by gum.

You would think,watching these ads, that exceedingly attractive partners in your age range (i.e., over the first hill) are waiting for you, once you get this product.
Such ads also feed the fantasy that relationships are like this (just not yours). He looks at her warmly, finishes her crossword for her, she smiles at him ruefully, playfully. He reaches for her, they kiss and walk off into the sunset. Romance squared. It reminds me of the happy family sitcoms of the 50s – Leave it To Beaver, for instance, with happy problems solved in 30 minutes. I’m sure poor and disadvantaged kids all over the country were on the verge of suicide after watching this stuff, knowing they would never, ever have the American dream because their families were not like that. (And also they were red-lined when they tried to get a home loan.)

I used to wonder how black kids related to stories in the movies where all the heroes were white, and did young black girls have the same crushes I did? Where did they go for their romantic heroes? Well, that’s changed, and now they have their heroes and some of them are great and belong in any fantasy, white or black.

It ain’t a perfect world and I wish the ads would stop pretending that you can have this too, if you would only buy what they are selling.