Friday, April 29, 2005
I just posted the below as a comment over at Jeff's site; he's sparking considered thought over there, as usual. I'm thinking about adding comments to my site, as well, but I like having my own forum.
The most important part of this post, to my mind, is the idea that our economy would crumble if purchasing were driven by reason, rather than by desire. I completely agree with that assessment. For better or ill, we have chosen as a culture to accept advertising as a facet of modern life. But more importantly, we have chosen to base our entire economy on the idea that more is not just better, more is necessary. If our economy does not grow, it is considered to be failing. This seems strange. I understand that a certain amount of growth is necessary to accommodate the rising population, but perpetual explosive growth is probably not sustainable, or realistic.
I believe it’s because of the fact that we rely on explosive growth as the yardstick of our economy that we find ourselves in such straits as we currently are. Capitalism has brought us many good things, or at least many interesting things, but it’s also self-reinforcing: if buying fuels growth, and advertising fuels buying, then advertising must necessarily escalate to promote more buying. Which, in turn, fuels more growth, more advertising, and more buying.
I’m not at all opposed to the idea of advertising, personally. I’m about as anti-censorship as one can get, so I think that the appropriate response to advertising, for those that don’t like it, is to speak out against it. Educate people about why it’s so damn bad, if you think it’s bad. The real problem with advertising, currently, is that nobody will admit to preferring appetite over reason, and we’ll never solve this problem by not talking about it.
Ignoring billboards is not the answer, either—you have to put serious thought into what’s wrong with that billboard, into what bothers you about that billboard. In this way, the evil of advertising (and yes, I agree that it’s insidious) can inspire us to greater heights than we might normally achieve on our own. I sound like a plant for the advertising industry when I say that, but I really do believe in the power of conversation. Viewed objectively, advertising is just a challenge to our powers of self-control, which we should not fear if we really believe we can control ourselves.
W/r/t wanting to be controlled, I think most people enjoy being told how to feel, what to do, what to think, what to admire. It’s easier that way, but obviously less rewarding in the long run. I drove 104 mph on a backroad in southern Illinois yesterday, and the thrill was visceral, but all things considered I’d rather have been on a train, or some other form of public transport. It’s hard to remind yourself of that, though, especially at 1.5 miles per minute.
Excellent work again, Jeff. Keep it up.
The most important part of this post, to my mind, is the idea that our economy would crumble if purchasing were driven by reason, rather than by desire. I completely agree with that assessment. For better or ill, we have chosen as a culture to accept advertising as a facet of modern life. But more importantly, we have chosen to base our entire economy on the idea that more is not just better, more is necessary. If our economy does not grow, it is considered to be failing. This seems strange. I understand that a certain amount of growth is necessary to accommodate the rising population, but perpetual explosive growth is probably not sustainable, or realistic.
I believe it’s because of the fact that we rely on explosive growth as the yardstick of our economy that we find ourselves in such straits as we currently are. Capitalism has brought us many good things, or at least many interesting things, but it’s also self-reinforcing: if buying fuels growth, and advertising fuels buying, then advertising must necessarily escalate to promote more buying. Which, in turn, fuels more growth, more advertising, and more buying.
I’m not at all opposed to the idea of advertising, personally. I’m about as anti-censorship as one can get, so I think that the appropriate response to advertising, for those that don’t like it, is to speak out against it. Educate people about why it’s so damn bad, if you think it’s bad. The real problem with advertising, currently, is that nobody will admit to preferring appetite over reason, and we’ll never solve this problem by not talking about it.
Ignoring billboards is not the answer, either—you have to put serious thought into what’s wrong with that billboard, into what bothers you about that billboard. In this way, the evil of advertising (and yes, I agree that it’s insidious) can inspire us to greater heights than we might normally achieve on our own. I sound like a plant for the advertising industry when I say that, but I really do believe in the power of conversation. Viewed objectively, advertising is just a challenge to our powers of self-control, which we should not fear if we really believe we can control ourselves.
W/r/t wanting to be controlled, I think most people enjoy being told how to feel, what to do, what to think, what to admire. It’s easier that way, but obviously less rewarding in the long run. I drove 104 mph on a backroad in southern Illinois yesterday, and the thrill was visceral, but all things considered I’d rather have been on a train, or some other form of public transport. It’s hard to remind yourself of that, though, especially at 1.5 miles per minute.
Excellent work again, Jeff. Keep it up.
