Last week famed pitchman Billy Mays passed away.  Many people remember him as the Oxy Clean guy or the guy in the blue shirt and khaki’s who yelled when he spoke.  He also had a show called “Pitchmen”, where he and a collegue were followed around by a camera crew through their pitch journeys and careers.  Billy was a very likeable guy, rising from modest beginnings to create an empire built around his style and voice.  In the end he died much too young of heart disease, leaving a pitchman legacy in his wake.  All of this is sad, but when I begin to feel sad, I often find myself wondering exactly what Billy contributed to society, besides all of the cheesy, gotta have it now type of products he sold on TV.

I realize that Mr. Mays was a human being and was a very generous, caring one at that.  But just think of what that man could have accomplished with his talents had he focused them on things that benefited society as a whole instead of being a giant sales machine.  Instead of hawking $20 knives and salsa makers, Billy could have helped to raise money for charities or even use his skills of persuasion to convince world leaders that many geopolitical issues that have been relegated to the back burner of history need to be re-examined or solved.  In the end it was all about money, and all the people who were making money around Billy Mays.

I don’t mean to sound harsh or rude, but if this is the legacy that Billy leaves us with, it’s not much better than that of any run of the mill sales representative or pitchman selling any sort of mostly-useless, ultra-hyped product.  Billy was just unique in the fact that he had a real knack for sales.  He also seemed to have a talent for reading people.  Why not put that to work?  Why not try and convince an addict that rehab is his or her best option?  This all sounds very idealistic, but certainly Billy Mays of all people could have used his amazing talents and crowd appeal to benefit humanity.  I don’t feel like I help the world in any way whatsoever when I buy into his product pitches.  All that I’m buying into is junk that I don’t really need.

Billy was a talented salesman, but he was helping to propel the rampant consumerism and wasteful spending and use of products that are, when you take a long, hard look at them, rather unnecessary in today’s world.  Would a poor person living in a village in El Salvador have any use for a Magic Jack?  No, but they would benefit from Americans donating a few dollars or some free time toward helping lift people in that village out of poverty.  Billy had such a way with people and sales that I’m sincerely disappointed he didn’t refocus his skills and effort in a way that helped people instead of creating more junk and debt.  Either way you look at it, he will be sorely missed and will likely become one of America’s sales and pop culture icons.