Advertising: Pornography to the greedy soul
Shortly after Elisabeth was born, we decided to get rid of our television. One of the driving factors in that decision was exposure to advertising. I am convinced that advertising is to the greedy soul what pornography is to the lustful soul. It arouses and awakens inordinate desires.
Some good friends of ours limit the television that their children are allowed to watch. They related to us how after one half-hour show, their daughter came up to them saying, "I want this! I want that!" The advertisements sandwiched between the segments of the educational show had achieved their effect: she wanted the things they offered, and was ready to pester her parents for them.
Considering the way that my own soul responds to advertising, I don't think that this anecdote was an anomaly. Advertising appeals to our selfish nature just like pornography appeals to our lustful nature. It stirs up desire, while numbing us to it so that the deluge of it does not seem to be the flood that it really is.
Knowing that advertising acts on us in these ways is, I think, sufficient warrant for deliberately limiting our exposure to it, and being aware of our unavoidable encounters with it. Television is certainly not the only culprit. Magazines are packed with appeals to our greed, as are many websites. I think it is important to talk with kids about the way that advertising affects all of us, so that they can recognize when it affects them, and learn too to show self-control by imitating their parents, who have modeled that self-control and wisdom.
Subscribe to posts
3 comments:
When my family watched TV together, my dad would always mute the commercials and tell us kids, "The people who make those commercials don't care about you; they just want your money," which is probably a pretty good response to any form of advertisement. :)
Although, now that I think about it, perhaps advertising isn't the root problem. For instance, there are advertisements to try to get people to stop smoking or to go the library and those are not bad things to advertise. Maybe the issue is actually (1) what it is that's being advertised and (2) the response the ad triggers in us. The thing being advertised can be good, bad, or neutral and what the ad triggers in us can be good, bad, or neutral. The combination of those two variables determines whether or not we need to steer clear of a particular advertisement (or source of advertising) in order to show godly wisdom and self-control.
I absolutely agree that the vast majority of advertising is probably bad for our souls - I'm just wondering if it necessarily has to be that way.
Thoughts?
Haley
Despite my previous post, I actually think that advertising plays an important role in connecting buyers and sellers.
The problem, I think, falls on both sides.
Advertising, if done with integrity, presents a product or service on its own merits and does not create false expectations of satisfaction. Advertisers frequently fail on both of these counts.
Consumers are also responsible for the problem as we deliberately cultivate inordinate desire for things that can't satisfy.
I think that your division of good/neutral/bad for both advertiser and consumer is a great rubric for applying wisdom to the situation.
It reminds me of the modesty in women's dress discussions in college. Most of the guys I spoke with understood that ultimately, it was their responsibility to put to death the flesh but that some reasonable help from our sisters was an exceedingly helpful part of the equation.
Post a Comment