3 chapters across the catalog
Reverse Mortgages, Tom Selleck and Media Commercials
The prevalence of reverse mortgage and pharmaceutical advertisements on mainstream news networks is noted as an indicator of an aging audience. Tom Selleck's role as a pitchman for reverse mortgages is highlighted. The hosts joke about the potential for creating their own "how-to" videos for seniors to capitalize on these financial trends.
The concept of a single card containing all personal, medical, and financial data was viewed as a utopian convenience in the 1980s. References were made to AT&T's "You Will" commercials featuring Tom Selleck, which predicted mobile computing and remote communication. However, the modern reality of data tracking has shifted public perception toward the dystopian surveillance themes found in George Orwell's 1984.
A clip from the show "Blue Bloods" featuring Tom Selleck is used to illustrate the "See Something, Say Something" meme in popular media. The hosts link this cultural conditioning back to the Ruby Ridge incident, where a neighbor's report led to a federal standoff. They remind listeners of the See-and-Say Gallery website.
