Too Much Information

I’m no prude but I can’t possibly be the one one out here who is suffering from tv commercial TMI. Vaginal infections, genital herpes and menstrual flow excess simulation may be perfectly legitimate issues to advertise solutions for, but could we be a little less overt?

The very latest is a pregnancy test commercial I’ve been seeing recently. It starts off like a Mach II shaver advert — dark background, hi-tech swooshy sounds, and deep intoning voice of the announcer. Who are they targetting? Anyway, this all leads up to the piece de resistanc, as the levitating test gets assaulted by — I kid you not — what we are to understand is a stream of urine.

I mean EW!

Ok, it’s supposed to be tongue in cheek, I get that, and it doesn’t have to be allbaby chicks and bunnies, but from the male-tastic shaving -style motif to the golden shower, really, isn’t this a bizarre way to sell a product to women?

A Soldier is Not a Troop

When did the definition of the word “troop”change?  A troop by definition, like squad, herd or gaggle, describes a plural unit  — plural, people! It’s not that advanced a word! Three soldiers cannot be three troops anymore than three cows can be three herds, or three albatrosses be three flocks.

The misuse of the word troop is especially egregious on network news broadcasts. Excuse me, aren’t newscasters journalists by trade? And aren’t journalism students required to have more than a passing familiarity with basic English?  Arg.