I saw a TV commercial today. Actually, I probably saw about 500 commercials, but my prolific and problematic television viewing patterns are not the subject of the present discussion; getting to the point, the subject is blatant stupidity. Here was the commercial for a Toyota Avalon:

Shot of a man driving in a car and two drops of rain falling. “It only takes 1/5 of a second to turn on the windshield wipers, but just think how much easier your life would be if your car could do it for you.” Cut away to man at home listening to music and then spending time with family. “You’d have time to learn a language or spend time with loved ones.”

Stupidity such as this is inexcusable. I don’t know how it works in Japan (where Toyota is located), but here in the United States, saving 1/5 of a second in the car does not translate to extra time outside the car: NO MATTER WHAT, YOU’RE STILL GOING TO BE IN THE CAR. Maybe they should change the slogan to something such as, “It only takes 1/5 of a second to turn on the windshield wipers, but just think how much easier your life would be if your IQ wasn’t 6.” Or perhaps, "It only takes 1/5 of a second to turn on the windshield wipers, but it takes even less to produce a television commercial."