Of course they’re both “part of the phenomenon”. What is the relevance of that statement? It doesn’t refute anything I’ve said thus far.
Damn hippie.
Doncha know that the whole point of life is acquiring and consuming as much as possible?
And how are we supposed to know what to acquire and consume if the advertisers don’t tell us?
C’mon, Cat Whisperer. You need a Thneed!
Do you actually have good reason to believe that advertising “back when” was fundamentally more honest than advertising today?
If so, can you share that evidence?
Before cell phones existed, people probably did wish they could have portable phones from time to time, they just didn’t have the knowledge and skills to figure out how to make it happen. Once someone came along and figured out how to do it, the advantages of having one were obvious to anyone. Your logic is flawed in assuming that nobody would have wanted a cell phone before they heard about their existence.
It’s not that demand for cell phones was artificially created; the latent demand was always there whether people realized it or not. It only became tangible once they saw with their own eyes that they were able to realize that demand.
While this is true enough, advertising for cell phones was not “Here’s our cell phone, please buy it if you have a use for it”, but rather “Here’s our cell phone, not only do you need a cell phone, you are not cool if you don’t have our brand of cell phone, and frankly, you are a moron if you buy any other brand of cell phone - your friends will laugh at you.”
The OP’s mention of bottled water is precisely this type of advertising to the ignorant and suggestible. Tap water in the U.S. and Canada is perfectly healthy and perfectly safe yet advertisements for bottled water has succeeded in casting the impression that if you drink tap water, you will die. Oddly enough, those ads don’t mention that bottled water is, with the exception of Perrier and the like, tap water.
The parents are free to say “no”.
If the argument is that we should be better about enforcing truth in advertising, OK, I’m on board. “Manufactured demand”? Can’t say it bothers me much. If someone wants to try to sell their glittery deodorant, let 'em.
Manufactured demand is more than simple advertising, and yeah, I object more to things I disagree with, like just about every other human being.
But I’m (like a lot of people) not in the dance by my own choice - have you ever thought about what it would take to opt out of all the various forms of advertising we are subjected to in North America? At this point, I don’t think it can actually be done.
Yeah - the second sentence in the link in my OP.
But it’s nowhere near a level playing field. Advertisers (and I think the ones targeting children and parents are some of the most egregious for this) know exactly which buttons to push to make you buy their product; the added component to manufactured demand is that they are the ones who installed them in the first place. There’s a substantive difference between, “Hey, did you know we have quick, cheap meals available for your kids?” and, “You’re a bad parent if you don’t take your kids to McDonald’s.”
I hate this type of advertising. One of the worst I’ve seen was some car company, shilling for an SUV. The ad showed a bunch of men in a gym working out. Over the loudspeaker came an announcement that a minivan parked in the parking lot had left their lights on. Nobody wanted to own up to the fact that the minivan was theirs, instead, just looking around with looks on their faces like “who’s the idiot with a minivan?” or “gawd, not mine!” I guess because it’s uncool to own a minivan. Fuck that. I don’t own a car at all, but I’d think that minivans are handy and economical if you have a family. I don’t know what the car company was, which is kind of a shame because I would want to avoid that company if I ever did decide to get a vehicle.
In some places the water may well kill you, and if there’s no water fountain nearby, it’s nice that you can buy water when you’re REALLY thirsty. But yeah, I’m appalled at the number of plastic bottles that get used and thrown away each year. I buy a bottle of water and then re-use the bottle by filling it up with filtered water. I drink a lot of water, so I have a lot of bottles that I keep re-filling, but I’ve bought less than 10 bottles in the last 10 years. I have some bottles that are at least 15 years old, and I don’t want to hear about how that’s so unhealthy/dangerous.
Oh good grief Lab. It ain’t all about the sanctity of your cotton pickin argument.
(72 point flashing :rolleyes: )
What silly bullshit. Since when do I have to stick to things I need? I want my cell phone. I love it. It’s totally worth the hours I have to work per month in order to pay for it.
Oh, but since Cat Whisperer says I’m better off without it, I guess I must be. I guess I should just check in with CW every time I want to make a purchase to see if she approves.
It’s like you’re advertising that you’re a better decision-maker than me because you’re immune to people telling you their a better decision-maker than you. How ridiculously meta.
As do we surface dwellers, I think. Anyone who says that others are sheepleautomatically lose all of my respect.
Want rock.
So what?
You know exactly what buttons to push when you fight with your SO.
You know exactly what buttons to push when you try to convince your boss you deserve a raise.
You know exactly what buttons to push when you get your kids to clean their rooms, and you can bet your ass that I installed that particular button in the first place - personally.
Everyone has an agenda. You have laid yours out clearly here.
Part of being an adult is personal responsibility. We must all make our own decisions.
Your wish to help people make better decisions by not allowing the expression of opinions you find personally offensive is nothing more than you pushing your own agenda.
Convince people to consume less by the strength of your argument. Not by silencing your opposition.
Don’t have time to read this thread. Need to get some new cookware.
Only on the dope would someone say “Don’t be a manipulative bitch.” And we’d have people responding “Being a manipulative bitch is fine because everyone is a manipulative bitch.”
As for the stupid rock question: the only way you could manipulate me that much is if you lied somehow. The second I realized you lied, I would now be out to find a way to subvert the happiness you effectively stole from me. And I happen to have a rock in my hand. Wonder what I could do with it…
Is it really hard to understand that, if you lie to get me to buy, then I’m not going to be happy when I get it. And then I’m going to blame who actually did something immoral, not myself, because I merely made a mistake.
And what is manufactured demand but lying to make a person think they want something that, once they have it, they realize they don’t. If I actually wanted it, then the demand would not have been manufactured in the first place.
I’ve bough so many miracle slicer/dicers/mixers blenders that I don’t have room for pots and pans. But that’s ok, because if I chop up and mix stuff up enough I can pour all my meals into a cup.
Now I need to look for the right cup.
Been there. Done that. Surely you remember pet rocks.
Then don’t quote me, genius.
I don’t buy crap from infomercials, but I often feel like I should. After all, they provide hours of entertainment. I watched the one for that Ninja blender thingy from start to finish the other day.
If you were lied about a products features then it’s illegal and action should be taken.
If you gave into an emotional appeal then you’re at fault - no one else. Here’s why - a pet rock may very well satisfy someone who knows perfectly well it’s just a rock but thinks it’s cute anyway. Your reaction is not everyones reaction and you do not get to dictate what everyone can buy.
If you think a shiny new car will make you happy and 6 weeks after you buy it you change your mind, guess what - that fault is squarely yours.
Nice way to take any personal responsibility out you spending habbits. I’m sure that work just fine in every other area of your life.