Hello Fellow Americans...I Love Germany! Ohh, And Mangas Too

"The Ad and the Ego," you might find yourself asking what exactly this refers to. Well this is better stated by Harold Boihem, "Witty, slick, sexy and sarcastic, shameless and in your face, The Ad and the Ego takes on advertising on its own terms. By re-editing and restructuring thousands of contemporary and classic television commercials with insights by noted media critics, this rapid fire, multi-layered documentary exposes the destructive power of a mass media system out of control."(Boihem). This is in other words

Notes:

Ever since the dawn of advertising, complaints and concerns have run rampant. Does advertising have a strong impact on society? Does it really influence the millions of people reading magazines, watching TV, and listening to the radio constantly? The birth and growth of the media age, starting with the Gutenberg era, have prompted society to think about the consequences of new technology. The creation of media has given us great power and knowledge--yet we see its ramifications in our personal lives and in society as a whole. More specifically, many people feel that advertising has had great negative consequence.

When you pick up a magazine, the concerns are prevalent. Mothers of anorexic and/or bulimic daughters write to Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Mademoiselle to voice their distaste over the ultra-thin models being featured to sell clothing, make-up, and jewelry. A recent campaign by The Body Shop featured a very mesomorphic Barbie Doll with the caption, "There are millions of women who look like this, only eight don't." The Body Shop was obviously recognizing the effects that certain advertising was playing on women and chose to sell products by trying to counteract the very message so many females were tired of hearing.

"Advertising is geared to the whole left brain-right brain concept," Lloyd said. "It appeals to that part of us that says, 'I'm going to drive that car because I'll look good.' 'I'm going to smoke because it's cool.' 'I'm going to drink because it will get me in the in crowd.'"

The use of advertisements to manipulate people is sinister because "normal" people's freedom to choose freely is taken away. The important thing to remember is that it