Dear Editor,

The negative and positive effects of open and direct advertisements are well known but very often the dangers of the concealed or deceptive advertisement which carries subliminal or hidden messages go unnoticed.

In a sense the subliminal advertisement can be far more injurious than its open counterpart, because by the time its impact is recognized it would have already inflicted great harm to the public weal. Perhaps that is why it is banned in the UK.

Advertisements generate all sorts of emotions but in the end they should not do harm to society. I make this remark in view of the ‘Blah, Blah,’ ad by Digicel. Indeed, it is designed to improve the company’s bottom line, but I am of the opinion that in the final analysis, it will do great mischief to our literacy level.

I have had the distinguished pleasure of being a student of Justice AFR Bishop who went on to become chancellor and now professor who insisted that his students speak in complete sentence forms. His students dare not end a statement by saying “and so on and forth, whatever, etc, you know what I mean, and blah, blah, blah. To speak in such terms was to reflect a limited vocabulary and an uncertainty of what is intended to be said.

I pity the youths who will not benefit from direct dispensation from the great professor, but who instead are exposed to the nonsense inherent in the blah, blah ad.

The impracticality of putting into effect the objects of the blah, blah advertisement is one thing. The damage which it is definitely going to inflict on our literacy rate is another matter. We have enough problem with literacy in this country to promote a culture of blah, blah, it just does not make any sense.

Yours faithfully,

Francis Carryl

Editor’s note

We sent a copy of this letter to Digicel for any comment they may wish to make. They have indicated that they would prefer not to respond.