Quote:
Originally Posted by jinlo
All the marketing resources are utilized to make the public believe this is a “good thing” and they should want it with all their hearts. They are bombarded with messages to actually applaud such artificiality.
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A better description of Madison Avenue, I've never heard. American advertising is, pure and simple, about using psychology (and often reverse-psychology) to con you into buying something. I recently read an article in which an advertiser praised Dos Equis' "Most Interesting Man in the World" campaign... for its
transparency! Yeah, 'cause it's great to know that
they know they're
talking down to me...
I guess the overriding question here is, is mindless "pop literature" bad for mankind? I say "No"... at least these people, who may never bother to pick up
Sense and Sensibilities, will buy and read something, and keep those little word-neurons properly tuned (the way I used to with
Doc Savage novels). Then, someday, they'll maybe read something important, like a presidential bio, or a warning sign that says "How to recognize a tsunami."
So, let 'em read what they like. Just be glad they
can read.