Infomercial Hell

So, this is how it all ends.

No famine. No disease. No fire and brimstone.


Just infomercials.
Within the past 90 minutes, I have been convinced that I need makeup made of minerals ($195 for crushed ore), CDs of Boxcar Willie and pals, and finally... I need to lose 129# within the next 23 minutes. He said he knows I can do it because I have been misguided all of these years but he has the tools I need. I bet he does. If I had no strength, I would have thrown out at least $435; and that doesn't include shipping and handling - which is apparently conducted by very slow, clumsy individuals. I think if I call within the next 8 minutes I get some other wonderful item I don't need or want. Then there is the pressure of the commercials within the infomercials. I think the room is starting to spin...

I can joke as much as I want to (it is a pretty strange phenomenon) yet there is something here that truly angers me. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent, albeit slightly odd, individual. I have a decent grasp of right and wrong, human freedoms - and know that they are worth fighting for, geopolitics, human interaction, financial dealings, and on top of it all, I can make a mean salsa. So where am I going with this? Good question. I get angry because I know what I am about (for the most part) and I'm ok with that. These little bits of cinematic filth, however, make me momentarily question my own constitution. There are many other things I could have on the television as I work. Things that are insightful, educational, mind-stimulating or simply pertinent to daily life. Yet I manage to leave this drivel on. The question is... why? The world is too much. No, I take that back: the world isn't enough. There is so much that I want to learn about and understand yet so many things I have learned and still don't understand. Becoming aware makes you more vulnerable. You feel things that make you actually (gasp) THINK! It can make you want to separate yourself from the source. It can, quite simply put, overwhelm you. When that happens, I for one, end up in infomercial hell. Memory full, no more room, uh-uh, no way. It is the ability to not only avoid the more pressing issues, but to have a modern version of white noise to distract you. If there is an unused mind in the vicinity, it may start thinking... quick... get an infomercial! I harbor a serious distaste for them, but I grudgingly must admit, they just may be a little bit of self-preservation for the thinking person.
I'll have to further ponder these feelings, but for now I have to go. Operators are standing by and lines are only open another 6 minu... Um, I mean, I have to finish something of great social and financial importance...