>>so people are sheep who will buy anything they see on tv?
>
>I know so many people who get suckered into buying a multitude
>useless things that pass before their eyes in a blink of a
>second, repetitively over the course of a day or longer. And
>it's not just TV...Internet sites & pop-ups, print, radio,
>billboards, mail circulars, etc.-- all these images & messages
>take full advantange of rapid cognition but also the American
>way of jumping to a series of conclusions based on
>"standards". We have to have the same "nice" car as our
>neighbor even though we can walk to work, school, or the local
>grocery store a few blocks away. Sure, for some, a car
>provides a certain amount of freedom but most folks also want
>to fit in socially. It's part of a cycle that often begins
>with a campaign in a corporate board room and, yes, some of
>these have hidden agendas (such as UFCO).

so people buy things they see advertised...remind me again what is wrong with this?


>
>Again:
>
>"In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere
>of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical
>thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of
>persons . . . who understand the mental processes and social
>patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which
>control the public mind."

yet you dont see to be effected by these powers...hrm...
>
>In today's Metro there is a article about tobacco firms who
>studied methods to hook women. "Researchers say they tried to
>make tasty, stylish cigarettes...they modified their cigarette
>products to appeal to women." A review of 7 million documents
>show that weight loss and stress relief were key ways for
>these companies to sell to women. Perhaps, as a result, while
>international smoking rates are declining among men they are
>expected to increase with women. Somewhere in all this is a
>question of ethics.

so..they are in the business of making money. they happen to sell a product that isnt healthy. big deal. you make it sound like none of this is the person who starts smokings fault.
>
>>you
>>dont seem to believe everything you see on tv, so what
>>excludes you from the sheep who buy up everything they see?
>
>I am not excluded but I am more media literate than many of
>the folks in my circle (family, friends, etc.). In my
>training (media literacy) I've become better able to decipher
>the messages I receive from TV, radio, newspapers, magazines,
>books, billboards, signs, packaging and marketing materials,
>video games, and the Internet. I've been taught how to
>analyze, evaluate (and produce) media...even at the blink of
>an eye. Those 2-3 seconds are critical...we receive TV images
>at 30 frames per second!
>
>Every day I make an effort to cut down on the amount of time I
>spend looking at ads. I have lots of ways to do this. I
>can't avoid these messages but I can make a conscious effort
>to transmute the pollution through the power of intention. I
>don't watch much commercial TV or TV programming with
>ads...and if I do I often get up or change the channel when
>the commercials come on. My sister does the same thing when
>she's driving and listening to her radio. I use pop-up
>blockers. Why spend the time? I think it's worth the effort
>at the end of the day.

so education is the key in combating the evil marketers who mold society they way they see fit. yet you still put the blame on the marketers and not the people. amazing.
>
>>and how can you prevent people from selling things to other
>>people even if these things may be 'bad' for them. i.e. fast
>>food, cigerettes. in a free country you cannot control
>>people's buying habits, that is why marketing exists!
>
>Media literacy training/education is a start. Understand that
>it is not my purpose to encourage people to turn off the TVs
>and radios. I think there can be good media but there's a lot
>of bad media. I am Libra and its all about balance. :)

i guess i find it futile to try and eliminate or reduce the amount of what yo ucall 'bad media.' this form of media will always exist as long as it is profitable. i think educaiton is the best way if you are some crazy insane person who has to buy everything they are offered.