For quite a while I’ve been subjected to these asinine PSA’s and billboards about asthma and kids. I think it’s a safe bet that whoever was the creative “force” behind them has never suffered from asthma.
One of there main things they feature is a little kid sadly saying that when he has an asthma attack he feels like a “fish with no water.”
Give me a break. First of all, a kid as young as he sounds would never come up with that on his own. Secondly, it’s a horrible analogy that just doesn’t work. My experience as a life-long sufferer of chronic asthma qualifies me to make this judgement.
What a dumb analogy. In order for an analogy to work, you must be able to identify with it. You can’t identify with a fish, because a fish breathes water! That is so counter-intuitive and against our nature that you think, “breathe water?” and your mind locks up and rejects any further exploration of the notion.
It’s a survival instinct, out entire being violently reacts to inhaling water. We are incapable of effectively imagining what it would be like to breathe water and then suddenly have that taken away. It’s way too much of a stretch.
Dumb, stupid ads.
7 Responses
October 6th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
Right on Tom! Right on!
October 6th, 2006 at 10:55 pm
Even if I’m presently in Guaymas (a fishing town in northwest Mexico), I can still read what you’re writing, pal.
So don’t go trying any fishy stuff.
Period.
October 7th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
I have asthma too and I agree. What do you think would be a better analogy?
October 7th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
You’re in Mexico again Mark? I guess now I know not to try to sneak anything by you when you’re gone!
Not really, Kris. The most accurate description I’ve been able to come up with is trying to breathe through one of those tiny coffee-stirring straws.
I don’t know how accurate that would be though, I’ve never tried it.
October 8th, 2006 at 12:19 am
Yeah, Tom, I’m here again. Trying to help with some church problems. Where’s the fun in that?
I had to come into Guaymas on business. So here I sit in the McDonalds parking lot using their I-Assume-It-Is-Free wireless signal. I plan to go in for a milkshake after a while.
October 9th, 2006 at 2:41 am
Another asthma person here who gets annoyed at that asthma/fish sign between Junction City and Eugene.
October 9th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
I must play devil’s advocate here. I spent 5 years as a school nurse, and I agree those kids didn’t come up with the fish analogy themselves. However, think of whom their target audiences are: Parents/Guardians (what have you) that smoke in the house and/or around their kids. This is now the largest cause of asthma (not the only one), respiratory infections, as well as main risk for SIDS, again, though not just limited to smokers. They are targeting an audience less educated and sophisticated than yourselves, trying to get a message across. The ad that I hate and have to change the channel on is the baby monitor of the baby screaming, coughing, etc. and the adult smoking and turning off the monitor. That is distrubing because it is unfortunately reflective of many situations.