RpNation

Well, that's what I was saying, that it's important to be a conscious consumer and recognize when you're being sold something.

And you're right, we're all complicit in the system. So there really needs to be some push to reduce consumption, hold corporations accountable...

...But that's the problem with personal responsibility. You can do so much as an individual, but it's not gonna do much if everyone isn't on the same page.

So, is cutting down on advertisement (like through a federal bill) a good solution? I honestly don't know, and honestly doubt it would ever be implemented because of how much power corporations hold anyway.

I think you misunderstood what I said. Or you are flat-out ignoring it.

Advertisement isn't the problem. Advertisement is good. You don't need to implement anything because people just need to have some sense about what they buy. Yes, some people need special protection, and they do. There are, for instance, special laws in advertising for children.

Making a funny joke isn't deceiving you. Sure it's not informative about the product, but when you go and buy a burger at Wendy's you don't expect it to come with a side of sass.

For any problem, it's important to see what the actual problem is. In this case, company's like the kind that would sell glasses that "allow you to see up to 40 miles away" but the trick is, yeah you can do that if you're

like standing on top of a high place in a day with clear skies. Hence the "up to". It's dishonest tricks like those that need laws protecting consumers against.

But ONLY those.

Fuck, how did you even write this so fast.
Promise I'm not ignoring what you're saying. I just woke up and was not prepared for morning debates, lol.

1. Writing it on PC
2. The second post was actually partially written before you posted your second reply, I just couldn't post it cause my internet went down momentarily

Also good morning!

Well, more like good afternoon because it's Sunday and I'm a lazy fuck, lol.

Lol. But wow where do you even live, it's still Saturday over here

West coast, U.S.

O.O here I thought the US was a 7 hour difference. Goes to show just how big the US is

Okay, so I see that there's a misunderstanding here about me making the claim that advertisements are deception. That's not a claim that I made or would make.

Well, I mean, Wendy's has those bullshit fake burgers in their ads. Like, where are the squished, sad burgers you actually get, Wendy's?

(cont.)

Okay, jokes aside, I agree that advertisement is not deception unless it's straight up deceitful. That's something we agree on. I don't see how anyone would disagree, really

But what advertisements are is manipulation. Their goal is to persuade you into buying something you were not previously going to buy. If this wasn't the case, corporations wouldn't shell out for advertising space. Ads are made to turn a profit.

That is incorrect. Advertisement doesn't try to persuade you to buy something, yes some advertisements do that, but others simply call attention to the brand or product.

Either way, I didn't misunderstand your point, but I already made the point that advertisement is legitimate unless it is actively deceiving you

So, one of two is true: Either advertisement isn't manipulation OR manipulation isn't a bad thing. Personally I'd argue for the first.

Corporations shell out advertising space not because they need to convince you to buy the product, but because they need you to gain awareness of the product in the first place. And yes, corporations often employ a sort of psychological warfare through their advertisement, however as I have been telling you, not falling for cheap tricks is the consumer's responsability, not the corporation's.

I'd argue that advertisement is manipulation and manipulation is not by itself a bad thing, but can be used in a harmful way.

I think we're at a point of contention here.

So the debate is over whether the individual is responsible for overconsumption for buying or the corporation for selling. I personally think both are at fault.

Alright, if you argue that it is manipulation but manipulation isn't a bad thing, I think we can settle for something of an agreement there. Ultimately my point is that advertisement isn't an inherent evil or anything in need of change, specially not tactics like Wendy's jokes, but that at best consumers need to be more responsable about the way they go about choosing what they consume.

I respectfully disagree with you, but even in your situation there is, within a free market, a very simple solution: If you don't like a company's pratices, don't buy from them.