"Did you forget about other people?"

I saw recently an ad on a bus that said, "did you leave the iron on?" It was an ad for an insurance company, i think, and it quite upset me. While I know it is making reference to the 'normal' concerns of many that perhaps their homes are in danger because of 'carelessness' and that "with _______ insurance, you no longer need to worry because we have you covered" (im sure their logo goes something like this!) Nonethelessm, I feel its anirresponsible ad. When I saw the ad drive by me (something worth a discussion in itself - the way advertisements bombard the senses), the first thing that went through my mind was how horrible that ad must trigger individuals who suffer from OCD (obsessive compusive disorder). Many people with OCD have just these concerns, "did i leave the iron on? will the stove cause a fire? is the tap still running?" I can only imagine what panic could be caused if they were to see this ad! The bus is Telling Them that they forgot something and that something bad WILL happen as a result!

Here it stands as a good example of how advertisements play on the created category of 'normal'.

[I am still having trouble with the date stamp... does anyone have suggestions as to why this is happening? My computer clock says one thing that agrees with the saved settings for my blog... yet when I publish the post it is off by about 15 min!]