The Scotch ad

Although I do not consider myself overly influenced by ads, there was one for Dewar's Scotch from the Seventies I remember very well. It pictured a Scotsman in full kilt and asked the question, 'Do I look like I'm influenced by passing fads?'

I like that. It's not only a clever ad but it makes a fair overall point: don't be too taken in by passing fancies. By and large there's nothing wrong with them of course. But the traditional has its place, a staying power which makes it, well, tradition.

While there are for example flavored coffees which I do like and look forward to (and I certainly like to try new ones), by and large just give me straight black coffee, preferably Chase and Sanborn. Pizzas have myriad toppings anymore but as a rule I'm quite happy with pepperoni and cheese. Even where there's been genuine, significant improvement I wonder if it's all that big a deal. Cars and televisions are much better now than 40 years ago. But at the end of the day they're only cars and televisions. A good book is better than nearly anything on TV these days anyway.

So go ahead and try new things if you want. Just keep in mind that new doesn't always mean better, and that you can't beat the classics.