5 ms·

normalizes expectation of others inserting ideas in ones head instead of critically assessing concepts with available observations and deriving one's own opinio

by tejtm 5y ago

normalizes expectation of others inserting ideas in ones head instead of critically assessing concepts with available observations and deriving one's own opinion for starters

jobs_throwaway 5y ago
why can't consumers critically assess ads the way they critically assess things like this post? what makes ads uniquely menacing?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- kzrdude 5y ago
  Their sheer volume. Drive into a major city in some country where ads are entirely unregulated. There will be billboards everywhere, impossible to take it all in or critically assess it.
  - jobs_throwaway 5y ago
    as opposed to the internet, where the content is bounded and manageable? I fail to see how you can square such disdain for ads while taking part in an online forum like hackernews
    - Nextgrid 5y ago
      The voting and moderation system on HN essentially distributes the load of managing & sorting all the information across many people, so that overall the workload is manageable. Most of us wouldn't be browsing HN if it was a free-for-all unmoderated cesspool.
    - kzrdude 5y ago
      My head has limited capacity. I'm happy to filter out ads. Thankfully, HN doesn't need the filter. I also think constant lies on TV is a problem. I of course believe somewhat in my own ability to filter through, but at the end of the day, it is reality-distorting when it goes on in large scale and a societal problem!
- pgcj_poster 5y ago
  Most ads have no content that can be subjected to critical assessment. Geico's terrible comedy sketches are not designed to convince you that they have a good product – they're designed to rattle around in your mind and influence you subconsciously. To the extent that they succeed in that, they make people behave less rationally, and are of negative social utility. And if they don't succeed, then they're just a pointless drain on society's money, time, talent, and attention.
  - jobs_throwaway 5y ago
    I certainly can critically assess Geico's ads - just like you did in your analysis above So your real issue is that people are spending their time and energy on something you don't like
    - pgcj_poster 5y ago
      You can assess their comedic and social value, but you can't assess their argument about car insurance, because there isn't one. They're trying to manipulate how you feel, not convince you of some point. It's like if, rather than making an argument in this comment to convince people of my point, I just said "Lol, imagine being such a corporate beta cuck." Some not-particularly-mature people might be influenced by that statement, perhaps more than by an actual argument, but it would be an inappropriate and underhanded tactic.

by tejtm 5y ago

normalizes expectation of others inserting ideas in ones head instead of critically assessing concepts with available observations and deriving one's own opinion for starters

jobs_throwaway 5y ago

why can't consumers critically assess ads the way they critically assess things like this post? what makes ads uniquely menacing?

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
kzrdude 5y ago
Their sheer volume. Drive into a major city in some country where ads are entirely unregulated. There will be billboards everywhere, impossible to take it all in or critically assess it.
- jobs_throwaway 5y ago
  as opposed to the internet, where the content is bounded and manageable? I fail to see how you can square such disdain for ads while taking part in an online forum like hackernews
  - Nextgrid 5y ago
    The voting and moderation system on HN essentially distributes the load of managing & sorting all the information across many people, so that overall the workload is manageable. Most of us wouldn't be browsing HN if it was a free-for-all unmoderated cesspool.
  - kzrdude 5y ago
    My head has limited capacity. I'm happy to filter out ads. Thankfully, HN doesn't need the filter. I also think constant lies on TV is a problem. I of course believe somewhat in my own ability to filter through, but at the end of the day, it is reality-distorting when it goes on in large scale and a societal problem!
pgcj_poster 5y ago
Most ads have no content that can be subjected to critical assessment. Geico's terrible comedy sketches are not designed to convince you that they have a good product – they're designed to rattle around in your mind and influence you subconsciously. To the extent that they succeed in that, they make people behave less rationally, and are of negative social utility. And if they don't succeed, then they're just a pointless drain on society's money, time, talent, and attention.
- jobs_throwaway 5y ago
  I certainly can critically assess Geico's ads - just like you did in your analysis above So your real issue is that people are spending their time and energy on something you don't like
  - pgcj_poster 5y ago
    You can assess their comedic and social value, but you can't assess their argument about car insurance, because there isn't one. They're trying to manipulate how you feel, not convince you of some point. It's like if, rather than making an argument in this comment to convince people of my point, I just said "Lol, imagine being such a corporate beta cuck." Some not-particularly-mature people might be influenced by that statement, perhaps more than by an actual argument, but it would be an inappropriate and underhanded tactic.