Elderly not selfish, just fed up with ads

David, of Whangarei (Mr Telly, Feb 8-14) – how dare you call the elderly, who complain about the funeral ads, selfish. Of course they know they are going to die, so they don’t need to be reminded. In general, these ads have been slammed officially. If you do “fall” for one of these ads, please check out all these points and read the fine print. These ads are targeting the elderly, so they’re on at a time when most will be watching.

Janice McPherson (Oamaru)

I was knocked sideways to read the letter from David of Whangarei (Mr Telly) regarding us oldies and the complaints about the funeral insurance adverts. I cannot believe that anybody could be so insensitive and self righteous. By the time you get to our age we too have lost many friends and loved ones before they had a chance to get to old age. You will also find that rather than not thinking of the young soldiers that lost their lives in the war, some old people served in the war and actually saw the horrors, and saw friends killed. How dare you say that we are selfish because we wish to enjoy our old age without being pestered with constant reminders on the TV that we are nearing the end of our lives. Of course, death is inevitable, but that does not mean we have to be reminded constantly of the fact that it is just around the corner, while we are watching what is supposed to be entertainment. I certainly have a great respect for those who died younger than me, and I am insulted with the suggestion that I do not.

Val (Inglewood)

Bravo to David from Whangarei. After unexpectedly losing my husband at 32 years of age, I fully endorse what he is saying. It’s about time for some reality.

Alison (Auckland)

Oh, David you don’t get it. We are not complaining about the insurance ads at all. We are complaining about how often they are on. Repeats after repeats at every single ad break that is why we press the mute button – all to keep us from going insane.

Irene (Normanby)