The Case against Advertising
Most people say that they find advertisements useful for giving them information about the products which are available on the market. But advertisements do not only give information, they also try to influence our emotions.
The advertisers know that everyone tends to dream of having a better life. We dream of being better educated,more successful, wealthier, better looking, more adventurpus, and so on. The advertisers try to make us believe that our dreams will come true if we buy their products. This is why advertisements for home cleaning products often try to convince ladies that they can become perfect wives and mothers only if they use those products. And advertisements aimed at men often include the picture of a pretty girl. Such advertisements are suggesting that a man will be more attractive to
women if he owns a certain type of car, or watch, or if he dresses in a certain style.
The feelings that advertisements try to play on will differ according to the age groups for which the advertisements are intended. Advertisements for teenagers will emphasize that those products will make young people not only more attractive, more up to date, more socially successful, and more able to enjoy themselves, but also more successful in their education and job prospects.
The problem with advertisements is that they tell us that money can make our dreams come true. But this is obviously not so. We cannot buy personal good looks, intelligence,good friendships or a happy family. A lot of advertisements are, therefore, a form of lying. They can also make peoplefeel depressed and discontented with their ordinary lives, especially those people who have only a small amount of money to spend on luxuries.
反对广告论
大多数人说，他们发现广告很有用，因为广告给他们提供市场上可以获得的各种产品的信息。可是广告不仅提供信息，而且影响我们的情绪。
登广告的人知道，每个人都向往过上更好的生活。我们大家都渴望受到更好的教育，取得更大的成功，拥有更多的财物，更好的相貌，经历更多的奇遇等等。广告者想方设法让我们相信，要是我们购买他们的产品，我们就会梦想成真。因此，家用清洁品广告常常设法使女主人们确信，只要她们使用那些清洁品，她们就会成为完美无缺的贤妻良母。瞄准男人的广告往往包括一位美女的照片。这样的广告赋予如下暗示：如果一个男人拥有某种汽车，或戴上某种手表，或穿上某种·款式的服装，那他对女人就更具有吸引力。
广告试图利用人们的感情，为广告所利用的感情根据广告对象的年龄层次而有所不同。针对青少年的广告总是强调，那些产品会使少男少女不仅更有魅力，更具现代气息，社交上更为成功，更能过得痛痛快快，而且教育和就业前景更加美好。
广告的问题在于，广告告诉我们钱可以使我们的梦想得以实现。然而这显然不符合事实。好的相貌、聪明才智、美好友谊、幸福家庭等是无法用金钱买到的。 因此，许许多多广告只是一种骗人的方式。广告还给人以压抑感，使人悒悒不乐，不满足于自己普普通通的生活，特别是使那些只有少量钱用于购买奢侈品的人们抑郁满怀，对自己的生活压根儿不满足。
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