Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

xepherys · 03-31-2006, 10:05 AM

I don't quite get a lot of these arguments. I don't try to be a rebel or work consciously to be different. I'm also not a "product of my environment" so much. I grew up with not a lot of money in a single-parent home. My dad was an alcoholic with a drug problem. My mom was a smoker with a drinking problem. Both worked blue-collar jobs as best as they could get. Neither went to college.

I, however, excelled in school. I thought for myself. I don't smoke (well, my hookah and occasional cigar, but not addiction smoking) or do drugs or even drink more than a drink or two a week, and not even always that. I work in a white collar job making decent money and trying to keep my family in the best working order it can be in.

I'm more or less the utter opposite of my parents, and so far in my life I've gone a completely different route. I see commercials on TV. The only thing they provide is either a) entertainment for funny ones, or b) annoyance for stupid ones. I don't buy, even subliminally based on commercials. I don't go out of my way to avoid it, but it just doesn't happen. If I need a new watch, I go to the mall, check out some stores, look for a watch I like. I don't go to store 'x' and buy watch brand 'y' because it was on TV, or is popular, or costs a lot. I buy what I like to look at. If it costs $5 and is made of cheap plastic (none of them are, but..) then great. If it costs $500 and I can afford it and it's what I want, then great! If I get it at the jewelry store or Meijer or Walmart makes no difference to me.

People like to blame advertising for their "bad" decisions, to go to McDonald's or drink Coke or whatever. Why is that? Because Americans, IMHO, either can't think for themselves (what this thread seems to be about) or can't take responsibility for what they do (what I believe is more accurate). Suing McDonald's for making you fat? Are you kidding me? If a commercial makes you go buy a Big Mac mega sized with an extra side of chicken nuggets, and you get fat... that's because you're too stupid to take care of yourself, not because McDonald's advertising is that good. *boggle*

What about sex on TV? As was noted early on in this thread, in Europe there are shows and commercials with naked people. It's art, it's beauty, it's natural. They also have far less (statistically) sexual-related crimes for the most part, and far less taboos on natural phenomena such as sex and nudity. Crazy! You mean people are actually BORN naked? It's a sin I tell ya! *grumble* But this is how Americans feel (even the "liberals" often have this view). Sex sells? Are you serious? So some sexy hot blonde chick talking about her tampon is going to make Tampex the next Microsoft or ExxonMobile? Guys don't buy them... and not all girls have bi-tendencies. Sex is jsut the status quo for commercials these days. I doubt there's any real evidence that it sells much of anything. It probably started with a few companies pushing the envelope to be different... now everyone does it and it's lame, not appealing.

Do I think most Americans are sheep? Yeah, probably! We've learned to not take reponsibility for ourselves or our actions. We tend to blame the government for our misfortunes, big business for keeping us poor, and other countries for dragging us into conflicts. I don't think you can have "mind control" without a sound-working mind in the skull.

03-31-2006, 10:05 AM	#531 (permalink)
xepherys <3 TFP Location: 17TLH2445607250	I don't quite get a lot of these arguments. I don't try to be a rebel or work consciously to be different. I'm also not a "product of my environment" so much. I grew up with not a lot of money in a single-parent home. My dad was an alcoholic with a drug problem. My mom was a smoker with a drinking problem. Both worked blue-collar jobs as best as they could get. Neither went to college. I, however, excelled in school. I thought for myself. I don't smoke (well, my hookah and occasional cigar, but not addiction smoking) or do drugs or even drink more than a drink or two a week, and not even always that. I work in a white collar job making decent money and trying to keep my family in the best working order it can be in. I'm more or less the utter opposite of my parents, and so far in my life I've gone a completely different route. I see commercials on TV. The only thing they provide is either a) entertainment for funny ones, or b) annoyance for stupid ones. I don't buy, even subliminally based on commercials. I don't go out of my way to avoid it, but it just doesn't happen. If I need a new watch, I go to the mall, check out some stores, look for a watch I like. I don't go to store 'x' and buy watch brand 'y' because it was on TV, or is popular, or costs a lot. I buy what I like to look at. If it costs $5 and is made of cheap plastic (none of them are, but..) then great. If it costs $500 and I can afford it and it's what I want, then great! If I get it at the jewelry store or Meijer or Walmart makes no difference to me. People like to blame advertising for their "bad" decisions, to go to McDonald's or drink Coke or whatever. Why is that? Because Americans, IMHO, either can't think for themselves (what this thread seems to be about) or can't take responsibility for what they do (what I believe is more accurate). Suing McDonald's for making you fat? Are you kidding me? If a commercial makes you go buy a Big Mac mega sized with an extra side of chicken nuggets, and you get fat... that's because you're too stupid to take care of yourself, not because McDonald's advertising is that good. boggle What about sex on TV? As was noted early on in this thread, in Europe there are shows and commercials with naked people. It's art, it's beauty, it's natural. They also have far less (statistically) sexual-related crimes for the most part, and far less taboos on natural phenomena such as sex and nudity. Crazy! You mean people are actually BORN naked? It's a sin I tell ya! grumble But this is how Americans feel (even the "liberals" often have this view). Sex sells? Are you serious? So some sexy hot blonde chick talking about her tampon is going to make Tampex the next Microsoft or ExxonMobile? Guys don't buy them... and not all girls have bi-tendencies. Sex is jsut the status quo for commercials these days. I doubt there's any real evidence that it sells much of anything. It probably started with a few companies pushing the envelope to be different... now everyone does it and it's lame, not appealing. Do I think most Americans are sheep? Yeah, probably! We've learned to not take reponsibility for ourselves or our actions. We tend to blame the government for our misfortunes, big business for keeping us poor, and other countries for dragging us into conflicts. I don't think you can have "mind control" without a sound-working mind in the skull.