Thomas Akiyama
Nov 1, 2010
RD3
Is Honesty the Best Policy?
The issue of honesty is an important trait for the future leaders to create a better tomorrow. An alarming report by the Josephson Institute indicates that “78% [of teens] lied to a teacher (58% two or more times)” which reveals how tomorrow’s leaders are falsifying the knowledge they supposedly gain at school (Jarc). Many children and teens are developing a false sense of belief toward the acceptable nature of lying. There is a strong bond between the concept of lying and the honesty shown by an individual as lying implies a cause and the loss of honestly is the consequence. The term honesty derives from the morally upright and respectable character all of us should display, especially the future leaders of tomorrow. As a member of the upcoming graduation class, honesty is one of the major elements that should be exhibited on a consistent basis. [THESIS] This speech will dissect the claims for and against lying and my evidence to prove how being honest is a factor that should be present in the leaders of tomorrow. [THESIS]
Tomorrow’s leaders should display various characteristics of including honesty. People want to follow and be guided by an honest leader since they know the trust factor will determine whether or not success will be achieved. In the past, the seniority element played a major part in how a young individual exhibits honesty among his or her peers and elders. The young individual always shows respect by being honest toward an elder. However current statistics collected by various reputable institutes including the Josephson Institute of Ethics reveal the “moral decay” of today’s youth. In an article titled, “Character Study: A Critical Look at the Ethics of the Modern Teen” the study recognizes the character of modern teens and its connection to the adults’ responsibility to protect the ethical nature of teens (Character). The article states, “…when we see statistics like these it shows that the adults of today aren’t doing their job properly” which implies the confusion and the current loss of protecting the values of the future leaders of tomorrow (Character). The blame of the loss of moral value and the increasing lying amongst teens can be easily placed with the media and the environment of the teen such as being with a divorced or single parent. Yet the “Character Study” article also points out that participating in the blame game usually exacerbates the conflict. Adults should listen to the teens and immediate provide them with the knowledge that lying will never achieve what they want to get out of themselves. The importance of honesty should be relayed from the adult to the teen to promote the direct relation of honesty and a successful leader.
One of the environments where the future leaders of tomorrow will be tested on their integrity and honesty factor is on the workforce. Employers and fellow employees have a sense of trust and honesty amongst each other due to their collaboration, which usually occurs on a daily basis. The exception to this rule is if the individual does not have daily contact with anybody on his or her job however the application and interview process would demonstrate any characteristics of honesty. In the Laulima discussion titled, “Honesty in Employment, White Lie and Honesty” Liza Nordin writes about her view of lying on the job through the job application process in which I agree on her stance. Liza writes, “It is not right or ethical to omit information that may cause an unfavorable light on your employment application. Employers have ways to check someone's background and the truth will come out” which uncovers the various methods employers can use to investigate an individual’s true character and honesty. Building a strong network with your co-workers is easier when they know they can trust you and can depend on you. However there are claims that lying is not so corrupt and severe to young individuals and there future roles as leaders and parents.
The claims that lying is not so critical and adverse are shown through many people lying on a daily basis. The argument against my stance is that everybody lies once and a while with some people lying more often then others. The belief that not all lies are equal is clearly stated in an article titled “All lies are not created equal: Professors, students take an honest look at lying” by Patrice Taddonio. The article defines the difference between the financial status of some people and the lies they will tell to protect their investments, “Very Wealthy individuals- like Stewart [Martha Steward] may be more tempted than the average person to tell big lies in order to protect their wealth” (Taddonio). In a personal experience I had with this idea of the acceptable nature of lying in a certain situation occurred when my former co-worker started to take money from the cash register. He didn't take a lot each time but over time it probably added to a considerable amount the company loss. During his first offense of lying to the manager he stated he had no idea about the loss money and soon after the disappearance of money stopped for a couple days. However after a few days money started to disappear and the manager decided to alarm the register to go off whenever money is taken out and one night the individual was caught taking money. He initially lied but later revealed he was in a financial crisis however my manager had zero tolerance for dishonestly and theft so he fired the person. The significance in my personal experience is the difference between situations amongst individuals can give the impression that lying and stretching the truth is acceptable however the flaw in this idea is the consequences that occur after repeated lying. An individual who lies once and gets away with it will most likely lie again with the confidence that he or she will be able to once more achieve the same result.
Honesty in tomorrow’s leaders and parents is an important issue and should be addressed openly to reveal the positive aspects of being honest. The nature of lying should not be blamed toward media or family environments but rather be discussed between the adult and the younger individual. Honesty in the workplace plays a critical factor in the success of a person and my classmate, Liza Nordin wrote in her response that employers have various ways of bringing out the true character in an employee. Although there are claims against the severity of lying, being honest is a factor that will alleviate a conflict. As we go on in our future endeavors I hope that we look back with the values including the concept of honesty and realize what a difference it has made in our selves as ethical individuals.
Works Cited:
“Character Study: A Critical Look at the Ethics of the Modern Teen.” About.com.
Retrieved 30 Oct. 2010.
[http://teenadvice.about.com/library/weekly/aa012501a.htm].
Jarc, Rich. “Josephson Institute of Ethics Releases Study on High School Character and
Adult Conduct.” Josephson Institute. 29 Oct. 2009. Retrieved 30 Oct. 2010.
[http://josephsoninstitute.org/surveys/index.html].
Nordin, Liza. “Honesty in Employment, White Lie and Honesty.” Online posting. 21
Oct. 2010. Laulima Discussion. 30 Oct. 2010.
[https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.XLSENG215js.201110/page/580d9883-374c-4194-bb60-e4e1fe68988c].
Taddonio, Patrice. "All Lies Are Not Created Equal: Professors, Students Take an Honest
Look at Lying." Tuftsdaily.com [Tufts University] 19 Mar. 2004. 30 Oct. 2010 [http://www.tuftsdaily.com/articleDisplay.jsp?a_id=3615].
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
FD 2- Wait There’s More! - How Advertising Affects Our Lives
Thomas Akiyama
Oct 12, 2010
FD2
Wait There’s More! - How Advertising Affects Our Lives
The impact of advertisements on our daily lives has created a new sense of idealism, which we base our individual decisions on. Advertisements took root in the use of televisions, posters, flyers, billboards and any type of media available. The economic impact of advertising generated a large amount of money through global industries and provided a foundation for products and services to reach any consumer. The main effect on society is how it influences us to buy a product over another, which manipulates our judgment. Many believe advertisements including commercials and paper ads are causing a negative effect on our lives and implore the use of controversial statements and claims to convince the purchaser to acquire the item or service. [THESIS] The statement, “In general, ads or commercials ultimately have a negative impact on our lives” is true and the reasoning for my judgment along with how ads affect society will be conversed. [THESIS]
POM Wonderful LLC has been supplying the public for nearly a decade with 100% pomegranate juice marketed under the brand, POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice. In a video clip advertisement, I found while reading a New York Times online article last Thursday, a picture of a POM juice bottle appeared in an empty room covered in a gray background. A woman in about her 50s’ dressed in workout clothes, a red tank-top and shorts, sluggishly walked over to the bottle and picked it up subsequently drinking the bottle and quickly began to revert her age to about mid 20s’. After drinking the entire bottle the younger woman smiled and said, “New research offers further proof of the heart-healthy benefits of POM wonderful juice, so drink up to a longer, healthier heart!” Then she swiftly ran toward the gray background, which instantaneously changed into a brightly lit park scene filled with people exercising and smiling. The implication is that if I drink POM juice, I will literally become a younger more energetic person. This is a hasty generalization since the advertisement is basing the evidence that on the result of one average person, the woman in the video. Furthermore, another logical fallacy in this ad is a non sequitur since it does not necessarily follow that I will have the same consequence as the woman. Her age reduction is overly exaggerative and a product of film editing. The assumption that POM juice will regress your age can influence an individual in spending his or her money to produce results that are physically impossible. Due to the nature of POM juice’s claims in its advertising, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cited several complaints against the company (Fredrix). POM Wonderful LLC has currently halted many commercials and other advertisements containing claims on the POM juice health benefits.
A statement made by Liza Nordin in the Laulima discussion, “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!” complements my findings that ads ultimately have an adverse effect on society. Nordin writes, “Advertising encourages the conspicuous consumption and materialism so prevalent in our modern society…” which revealed how it influences individuals to consume a product that they do not necessary need. Excessive promotion for products and services can directly affect the environment through marketing waste such as promotional paper goods. Advertisements also can affect the environment indirectly as the individual continues to buy more items and discards previously bought commodities. Nordin also describes her view of how advertising and materialism are linked together through the unnecessary need for more products. Gathering more products to satisfy the expectations of how you want others in society to view you as causes individuals to become a slave to the mass media marketing. Another issue related to Nordin’s quote is increasing debt problems, which people then run into financial troubles. However, the issue of advertising and its impact on our lives creates two sides toward the argument.
In the Laulima discussion, “No, Ads Don't Have a Negative Impact!” Gregory Jenkins writes how ads create an identity and lifestyle with what we buy as consumers. Jenkins states, “Advertising leading to society’s alignment with consumer brands is an endorsement of positive freedoms...” which is skewed based on the logically fallacy of ad populum. In Jenkins’s testimony on the positive effects of advertising, he is appealing to the emotions of the people by utilizing certain terms such as positive freedoms, which construct an idealistic barrier. The term freedom is associated with independence and an expression of uniqueness, however in his argument he asserts that ads build an identity to which we correlate with others. This can conceive limitations in how we express freedom since if we buy a certain product that others are not particularly fond of, we usually change it based on another’s opinion. Jenkins also implies that branding oneself is a typical thing we do to create our own identity. The formation of an identity through the brands we choose from advertisements limit our accessibility to others. If one identities with a higher monetary value brand such as a Ferrari automobile, he or she is more likely to have friends with similar tastes in expensive goods. Nonetheless, advertising does have some positive impacts on our lives.
The positive impacts of advertising are seen through its effects on the prices and variety of assorted goods and services. Advertising a product or service allows the seller to have a better chance of persuading a consumer to purchase, which generates revenue for the business to pay its employees. The concept of competition amongst various advertisements allows society additional choices therefore permitting more opportunities. Advertising is also a tool used by many consumers to judge which product stands out and performs more effectively. The type of advertisement that is often conveyed as a positive impact is informational advertising on health-related issues. An example is a public service announcement on the health benefits of quitting smoking, which offers information rather then marketing a certain product.
The statement, “In general, ads or commercials ultimately have a negative impact on our lives” is true and correlates with my findings. The effects on society are mainly seen in a negative direction since advertising can involve many logical fallacies such as the hasty generalizations and non-sequiturs. The POM juice advertisement previously discussed comprises of a hasty generalization and a non sequitur made by the content of the commercial. In spite of these negative attributions, ads do have a few positive acknowledgements for instance, the competition it creates among products and service, which generate favorable prices. However, these hopeful elements in advertisements do not outweigh the detrimental factors, which influence our lives. Advertisements promote a false reality and cause excessive waste in our society therefore negatively affecting our daily existence.
Works Cited:
Fredrix, Emily. “FTC says POM juice ads are deceptive about health.” Yahoo! News.
27 Sept. 2010. 28 Sept. 2010. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/ap_on_bi_ge/us_pom_wonderful_ftc_complaint].
Jenkins, Gregory. “No, Ads Don't Have a Negative Impact!” Online posting. 23 Sept.
2010. Laulima Discussion. 1 Oct. 2010.
[https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.XLSENG215js.201110].
Nordin, Liza. “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!” Online posting. 22 Sept. 2010.
Laulima Discussion. 30 Sept. 2010.
[https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.XLSENG215js.201110].
“Quick Review for Logical Fallacies.” ENG 215W. 6 Jan. 2009. 1 Oct. 2010.
[http://eng215kcc.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/quick-review-of-logical-fallacies-2/].
Log of Completed Activities
X Sep 17F- Intro to Paper #2. Read the Guidelines for Paper #2. (Confirmation reply required.)
X Sep 20M- Complete readings for paper #2. (Confirmation reply required.)
X Sep 24F- Laulima Discussion: Ad Pros and Cons
X Sep 28t- Laulima Discussion: Logical Fallacies Exercise
X Oct 4M – RD2 due [50 pts]. Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.)
X Oct 8F- RD2 evaluations due [50 pts]. Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.)
X Oct 12t- FD2 due [125 pts]. Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.
Oct 12, 2010
FD2
Wait There’s More! - How Advertising Affects Our Lives
The impact of advertisements on our daily lives has created a new sense of idealism, which we base our individual decisions on. Advertisements took root in the use of televisions, posters, flyers, billboards and any type of media available. The economic impact of advertising generated a large amount of money through global industries and provided a foundation for products and services to reach any consumer. The main effect on society is how it influences us to buy a product over another, which manipulates our judgment. Many believe advertisements including commercials and paper ads are causing a negative effect on our lives and implore the use of controversial statements and claims to convince the purchaser to acquire the item or service. [THESIS] The statement, “In general, ads or commercials ultimately have a negative impact on our lives” is true and the reasoning for my judgment along with how ads affect society will be conversed. [THESIS]
POM Wonderful LLC has been supplying the public for nearly a decade with 100% pomegranate juice marketed under the brand, POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice. In a video clip advertisement, I found while reading a New York Times online article last Thursday, a picture of a POM juice bottle appeared in an empty room covered in a gray background. A woman in about her 50s’ dressed in workout clothes, a red tank-top and shorts, sluggishly walked over to the bottle and picked it up subsequently drinking the bottle and quickly began to revert her age to about mid 20s’. After drinking the entire bottle the younger woman smiled and said, “New research offers further proof of the heart-healthy benefits of POM wonderful juice, so drink up to a longer, healthier heart!” Then she swiftly ran toward the gray background, which instantaneously changed into a brightly lit park scene filled with people exercising and smiling. The implication is that if I drink POM juice, I will literally become a younger more energetic person. This is a hasty generalization since the advertisement is basing the evidence that on the result of one average person, the woman in the video. Furthermore, another logical fallacy in this ad is a non sequitur since it does not necessarily follow that I will have the same consequence as the woman. Her age reduction is overly exaggerative and a product of film editing. The assumption that POM juice will regress your age can influence an individual in spending his or her money to produce results that are physically impossible. Due to the nature of POM juice’s claims in its advertising, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cited several complaints against the company (Fredrix). POM Wonderful LLC has currently halted many commercials and other advertisements containing claims on the POM juice health benefits.
A statement made by Liza Nordin in the Laulima discussion, “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!” complements my findings that ads ultimately have an adverse effect on society. Nordin writes, “Advertising encourages the conspicuous consumption and materialism so prevalent in our modern society…” which revealed how it influences individuals to consume a product that they do not necessary need. Excessive promotion for products and services can directly affect the environment through marketing waste such as promotional paper goods. Advertisements also can affect the environment indirectly as the individual continues to buy more items and discards previously bought commodities. Nordin also describes her view of how advertising and materialism are linked together through the unnecessary need for more products. Gathering more products to satisfy the expectations of how you want others in society to view you as causes individuals to become a slave to the mass media marketing. Another issue related to Nordin’s quote is increasing debt problems, which people then run into financial troubles. However, the issue of advertising and its impact on our lives creates two sides toward the argument.
In the Laulima discussion, “No, Ads Don't Have a Negative Impact!” Gregory Jenkins writes how ads create an identity and lifestyle with what we buy as consumers. Jenkins states, “Advertising leading to society’s alignment with consumer brands is an endorsement of positive freedoms...” which is skewed based on the logically fallacy of ad populum. In Jenkins’s testimony on the positive effects of advertising, he is appealing to the emotions of the people by utilizing certain terms such as positive freedoms, which construct an idealistic barrier. The term freedom is associated with independence and an expression of uniqueness, however in his argument he asserts that ads build an identity to which we correlate with others. This can conceive limitations in how we express freedom since if we buy a certain product that others are not particularly fond of, we usually change it based on another’s opinion. Jenkins also implies that branding oneself is a typical thing we do to create our own identity. The formation of an identity through the brands we choose from advertisements limit our accessibility to others. If one identities with a higher monetary value brand such as a Ferrari automobile, he or she is more likely to have friends with similar tastes in expensive goods. Nonetheless, advertising does have some positive impacts on our lives.
The positive impacts of advertising are seen through its effects on the prices and variety of assorted goods and services. Advertising a product or service allows the seller to have a better chance of persuading a consumer to purchase, which generates revenue for the business to pay its employees. The concept of competition amongst various advertisements allows society additional choices therefore permitting more opportunities. Advertising is also a tool used by many consumers to judge which product stands out and performs more effectively. The type of advertisement that is often conveyed as a positive impact is informational advertising on health-related issues. An example is a public service announcement on the health benefits of quitting smoking, which offers information rather then marketing a certain product.
The statement, “In general, ads or commercials ultimately have a negative impact on our lives” is true and correlates with my findings. The effects on society are mainly seen in a negative direction since advertising can involve many logical fallacies such as the hasty generalizations and non-sequiturs. The POM juice advertisement previously discussed comprises of a hasty generalization and a non sequitur made by the content of the commercial. In spite of these negative attributions, ads do have a few positive acknowledgements for instance, the competition it creates among products and service, which generate favorable prices. However, these hopeful elements in advertisements do not outweigh the detrimental factors, which influence our lives. Advertisements promote a false reality and cause excessive waste in our society therefore negatively affecting our daily existence.
Works Cited:
Fredrix, Emily. “FTC says POM juice ads are deceptive about health.” Yahoo! News.
27 Sept. 2010. 28 Sept. 2010. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/ap_on_bi_ge/us_pom_wonderful_ftc_complaint].
Jenkins, Gregory. “No, Ads Don't Have a Negative Impact!” Online posting. 23 Sept.
2010. Laulima Discussion. 1 Oct. 2010.
[https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.XLSENG215js.201110].
Nordin, Liza. “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!” Online posting. 22 Sept. 2010.
Laulima Discussion. 30 Sept. 2010.
[https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.XLSENG215js.201110].
“Quick Review for Logical Fallacies.” ENG 215W. 6 Jan. 2009. 1 Oct. 2010.
[http://eng215kcc.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/quick-review-of-logical-fallacies-2/].
Log of Completed Activities
X Sep 17F- Intro to Paper #2. Read the Guidelines for Paper #2. (Confirmation reply required.)
X Sep 20M- Complete readings for paper #2. (Confirmation reply required.)
X Sep 24F- Laulima Discussion: Ad Pros and Cons
X Sep 28t- Laulima Discussion: Logical Fallacies Exercise
X Oct 4M – RD2 due [50 pts]. Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.)
X Oct 8F- RD2 evaluations due [50 pts]. Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.)
X Oct 12t- FD2 due [125 pts]. Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
RD 2- Wait There’s More! - How Advertising Affects Our Lives.
Thomas Akiyama
Oct 4, 2010
RD2
Wait There’s More! - How Advertising Affects Our Lives.
The impact of advertisements on our daily lives has created a new sense of idealism, based on materialism and false information. Advertisements took root in our day-by-day use of television, posters, billboards and any type of media available. The economic impact generated a large amount of money through global industries and provided a foundation for products and services to reach any consumer. The main effect on society is how it influences us to buy a product over another, which manipulates our judgment. Many believe advertisements including commercials and paper ads are causing a negative effect on our lives and implore the use of controversial statements and claims to convince the purchaser to acquire the item or service. [THESIS] The statement, “In general, ads or commercials ultimately have a negative impact on our lives” is true and the reasoning for my judgment along with how ads affect society including a pros and cons analysis will be conversed. [THESIS]
POM Wonderful LLC has been supplying the public for nearly a decade with 100% pomegranate juice marketed under the brand, POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice. In a small video clip advertisement, I found while reading a New York Times online article last Thursday, a picture of the POM juice bottle appeared in a small room with a light gray background. A woman in her 50s’ dressed in workout clothes, a red tank-top and shorts, sluggishly walked over to the bottle and picked it up subsequently drinking the bottle and quickly began to revert her age to about her mid 20s’. After ingesting the entire bottle the younger woman smiled and said, “New research offers further proof of the heart-healthy benefits of POM wonderful juice, so drink up to a longer, healthier heart!” Then she swiftly ran toward the gray background, which instantaneously changed into a brightly lit park scene filled with people exercising and smiling. The implication is that if I drink POM juice, I will literally become a younger more energetic person. This is a hasty generalization since the advertisement is basing the evidence on the result of one person, the woman in the video (Quick). Furthermore, another logical fallacy in this ad is a non sequitur since it does not necessarily follow that I will have the same consequence as the woman. Her age reduction is overly exaggerative and a product of film editing. The assumption that POM juice will regress your age can influence an individual in spending his or her money to produce results that are physically impossible. Due to the nature of POM juice’s claims in its advertising, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cited several complaints against the company (Fredrix). POM Wonderful LLC has currently halted many marketing commercials and advertisements containing claims on the POM juice health benefits.
A statement made by Liza Nordin in the Laulima discussion, “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!” complements my findings that ads ultimately have an adverse effect on society. Nordin writes, “Advertising encourages the conspicuous consumption and materialism so prevalent in our modern society…” which reveals how it influences individuals to consume a product that they do not necessary need. Excessive promotion for products and services can directly affect the environment through marketing waste such as promotional paper goods. Advertisements also can affect the environment indirectly as the individual continues to buy more items and discards previously bought commodities. Nordin also describes her view of how advertising and materialism are linked together through the unnecessary need for more products. Gathering more products to satisfy the expectations of how you want others in society to view you can cause individuals to become a slave to the mass media marketing. Another issue related to Nordin’s quote is increasing debt problems, which people then run into financial troubles. However the issue of advertising and its impact on our lives creates two sides toward the argument.
In the Laulima discussion, “No, Ads Don't Have a Negative Impact!” Gregory Jenkins writes how ads create an identity and lifestyle with what we buy as consumers. Jenkins states, “Advertising leading to society’s alignment with consumer brands is an endorsement of positive freedoms...” which is skewed since it is based on the logically fallacy of ad populum. In Jenkin’s testimony on the positive effects of advertising, he is appealing to the emotions of people by utilizing certain terms such as positive freedoms, which construct an idealistic barrier. The term freedom is associated with independence and an expression of uniqueness, however in his argument he asserts that ads build an identity to which we correlate with others. This can conceive limitations in how we express freedom since if we buy a certain product that others are not particularly fond of, we usually change it based on another’s opinion. Jenkins also implies that branding oneself is a typical thing we do to create our own identity. The formation of an identity through the brands we choose from advertisements limit our accessibility to others. If one identifies with a higher monetary value brand such as a Ferrari automobile, he or she is more likely to have friends with similar tastes in expensive goods. Nonetheless, advertising does have some positive impacts on our lives.
The positive impact of advertising is seen through its effects on prices and variety of assorted goods and services. Advertising a product or service allows the seller to have a better chance of persuading a consumer to purchase, which generates revenue for the business to pay its employees. The concept of competition amongst various advertisements allows individuals additional choices therefore permitting more opportunities. Advertising is also a tool used by many consumers to judge which product stands out and performs more effectively. The type of advertisement can be conveyed, as a positive impact on us is informational advertising in health-related issues and products. An example is a public service announcement on the health benefits of quitting smoking, which offers information rather then marketing a certain product.
The statement, “In general, ads or commercials ultimately have a negative impact on our lives” has been proved true through my finding on its impacts on daily lives. The effects on society are mainly seen in a negative direction since advertising can involve many logical fallacies such as the hasty generalizations and non-sequiturs. The POM juice advertisement previously discussed comprises of a hasty generalization made by the content of the commercial. In spite of these negative attributions, ads do have a few positive acknowledgements for instance, the competition it creates among products and service, which influence prices. Advertisements initiate individuals to think beyond the product and give us choices that influence our lives on a daily basis.
Works Cited:
Fredrix, Emily. “FTC says POM juice ads are deceptive about health.” Yahoo! News.
27 Sept. 2010. 28 Sept. 2010. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/ap_on_bi_ge/us_pom_wonderful_ftc_complaint].
Jenkins, Gregory. “No, Ads Don't Have a Negative Impact!” Online posting. 23 Sept.
2010. Laulima Discussion. 1 Oct. 2010.
[https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.XLSENG215js.201110].
Nordin, Liza. “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!” Online posting. 22 Sept. 2010.
Laulima Discussion. 30 Sept. 2010.
[https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.XLSENG215js.201110].
“Quick Review for Logical Fallacies.” ENG 215W. 6 Jan. 2009. 1 Oct. 2010.
[http://eng215kcc.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/quick-review-of-logical-fallacies-2/].
Oct 4, 2010
RD2
Wait There’s More! - How Advertising Affects Our Lives.
The impact of advertisements on our daily lives has created a new sense of idealism, based on materialism and false information. Advertisements took root in our day-by-day use of television, posters, billboards and any type of media available. The economic impact generated a large amount of money through global industries and provided a foundation for products and services to reach any consumer. The main effect on society is how it influences us to buy a product over another, which manipulates our judgment. Many believe advertisements including commercials and paper ads are causing a negative effect on our lives and implore the use of controversial statements and claims to convince the purchaser to acquire the item or service. [THESIS] The statement, “In general, ads or commercials ultimately have a negative impact on our lives” is true and the reasoning for my judgment along with how ads affect society including a pros and cons analysis will be conversed. [THESIS]
POM Wonderful LLC has been supplying the public for nearly a decade with 100% pomegranate juice marketed under the brand, POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice. In a small video clip advertisement, I found while reading a New York Times online article last Thursday, a picture of the POM juice bottle appeared in a small room with a light gray background. A woman in her 50s’ dressed in workout clothes, a red tank-top and shorts, sluggishly walked over to the bottle and picked it up subsequently drinking the bottle and quickly began to revert her age to about her mid 20s’. After ingesting the entire bottle the younger woman smiled and said, “New research offers further proof of the heart-healthy benefits of POM wonderful juice, so drink up to a longer, healthier heart!” Then she swiftly ran toward the gray background, which instantaneously changed into a brightly lit park scene filled with people exercising and smiling. The implication is that if I drink POM juice, I will literally become a younger more energetic person. This is a hasty generalization since the advertisement is basing the evidence on the result of one person, the woman in the video (Quick). Furthermore, another logical fallacy in this ad is a non sequitur since it does not necessarily follow that I will have the same consequence as the woman. Her age reduction is overly exaggerative and a product of film editing. The assumption that POM juice will regress your age can influence an individual in spending his or her money to produce results that are physically impossible. Due to the nature of POM juice’s claims in its advertising, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cited several complaints against the company (Fredrix). POM Wonderful LLC has currently halted many marketing commercials and advertisements containing claims on the POM juice health benefits.
A statement made by Liza Nordin in the Laulima discussion, “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!” complements my findings that ads ultimately have an adverse effect on society. Nordin writes, “Advertising encourages the conspicuous consumption and materialism so prevalent in our modern society…” which reveals how it influences individuals to consume a product that they do not necessary need. Excessive promotion for products and services can directly affect the environment through marketing waste such as promotional paper goods. Advertisements also can affect the environment indirectly as the individual continues to buy more items and discards previously bought commodities. Nordin also describes her view of how advertising and materialism are linked together through the unnecessary need for more products. Gathering more products to satisfy the expectations of how you want others in society to view you can cause individuals to become a slave to the mass media marketing. Another issue related to Nordin’s quote is increasing debt problems, which people then run into financial troubles. However the issue of advertising and its impact on our lives creates two sides toward the argument.
In the Laulima discussion, “No, Ads Don't Have a Negative Impact!” Gregory Jenkins writes how ads create an identity and lifestyle with what we buy as consumers. Jenkins states, “Advertising leading to society’s alignment with consumer brands is an endorsement of positive freedoms...” which is skewed since it is based on the logically fallacy of ad populum. In Jenkin’s testimony on the positive effects of advertising, he is appealing to the emotions of people by utilizing certain terms such as positive freedoms, which construct an idealistic barrier. The term freedom is associated with independence and an expression of uniqueness, however in his argument he asserts that ads build an identity to which we correlate with others. This can conceive limitations in how we express freedom since if we buy a certain product that others are not particularly fond of, we usually change it based on another’s opinion. Jenkins also implies that branding oneself is a typical thing we do to create our own identity. The formation of an identity through the brands we choose from advertisements limit our accessibility to others. If one identifies with a higher monetary value brand such as a Ferrari automobile, he or she is more likely to have friends with similar tastes in expensive goods. Nonetheless, advertising does have some positive impacts on our lives.
The positive impact of advertising is seen through its effects on prices and variety of assorted goods and services. Advertising a product or service allows the seller to have a better chance of persuading a consumer to purchase, which generates revenue for the business to pay its employees. The concept of competition amongst various advertisements allows individuals additional choices therefore permitting more opportunities. Advertising is also a tool used by many consumers to judge which product stands out and performs more effectively. The type of advertisement can be conveyed, as a positive impact on us is informational advertising in health-related issues and products. An example is a public service announcement on the health benefits of quitting smoking, which offers information rather then marketing a certain product.
The statement, “In general, ads or commercials ultimately have a negative impact on our lives” has been proved true through my finding on its impacts on daily lives. The effects on society are mainly seen in a negative direction since advertising can involve many logical fallacies such as the hasty generalizations and non-sequiturs. The POM juice advertisement previously discussed comprises of a hasty generalization made by the content of the commercial. In spite of these negative attributions, ads do have a few positive acknowledgements for instance, the competition it creates among products and service, which influence prices. Advertisements initiate individuals to think beyond the product and give us choices that influence our lives on a daily basis.
Works Cited:
Fredrix, Emily. “FTC says POM juice ads are deceptive about health.” Yahoo! News.
27 Sept. 2010. 28 Sept. 2010. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/ap_on_bi_ge/us_pom_wonderful_ftc_complaint].
Jenkins, Gregory. “No, Ads Don't Have a Negative Impact!” Online posting. 23 Sept.
2010. Laulima Discussion. 1 Oct. 2010.
[https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.XLSENG215js.201110].
Nordin, Liza. “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!” Online posting. 22 Sept. 2010.
Laulima Discussion. 30 Sept. 2010.
[https://laulima.hawaii.edu/portal/site/KAP.XLSENG215js.201110].
“Quick Review for Logical Fallacies.” ENG 215W. 6 Jan. 2009. 1 Oct. 2010.
[http://eng215kcc.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/quick-review-of-logical-fallacies-2/].
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