I'll definitely agree that the other analogies are more severe, but I don't think they're totally off-base. If the Kindle isn't being actively read, it is an advertisement. The text message analogy is a stretch, I'll admit, but I don't think the car analogy is. If your car is turned off, anyone near it is exposed to advertising, just like the Kindle.

The Kindle is a device that almost never needs to be charged and has a pretty attractive form factor, so it's very natural to leave it laying around, just like you would a book. Because the ads are always displayed, it is naturally turned into a tiny billboard unless it's intentionally left face-down or hidden.

That said, you're right; I'm being a little picky and my problems could have been solved by just coughing up the money instead. It just doesn't seem like quite enough fair warning is given to the uninitiated (like me) as to just how heavy-handed the advertising is.