4 ms·

Words have meaning. I despise the insertion of ads in every form of media, but it is not violence. That's just silly.

ericmay 4y ago
We have precedent for mental and emotional harm. I'd argue that invasive advertisements including but not limited to ads that make you remember catchy jingles, billboards on highways, ads that specifically target you based on profiling ("addictive") etc. are or can be emotional and mental harm. Ever hear the phrase "stuck in my head"? This happens with commercial jingles all the time. What if I don't want it to be stuck in my head but I happen to hear it? Seems akin to assault, especially if I'm not explicitly opting in to that behavior. It seems strange only because being blasted with advertisements 24/7 is normalized.
- Karsteski 4y ago
- themitigating 4y ago
  If you asked most people, out of this context, if remembering an ad jingle or having one stuck if their head had a negative, positive, or neutral effect on them what would they say? I don't have any studies, but this is the first time I've heard anyone state this as a negative. Most people don't seem bothered or might even associate a good time with some jingle.
- anthony_d 4y ago
  None of that changes word meanings. Violence is physical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence
- markedle 4y ago
  I see where you're coming from but I think it's more accurate to call them manipulative. Violence has a different connotation and we should keep them separate. Trying to force one thing into another is also manipulative.
- yibg 4y ago
  What you just wrote is violence, since it caused me to feel defensive and anxious and also think about it more than I'd like.
  - ericmay 4y ago
    You can easily draw lines between "I go to Hackernews.com to read the opinions of others and encountered an opinion I don't like" and "I have to listen to ESPN commercials at the gas pump and look at Jesus billboards when I'm driving down the highway". Other states have precedent for banning billboards actually. If you want to take the other extreme of your extreme example here, you should be ok with people driving down the street and blaring advertisements from trucks at full volume day and night.
    - rendall 4y ago
      I'm sure upthread was being sarcastic. The trend to conflate violence and words is dangerous. While words can lead to violence, to say that words are violence tacitly allows physical retaliation for speech that the listener does not like. We learnt as children this is wrong, and it remains so for adults.
- andsoitis 4y ago
  If you truly believed that words can be violence, then logically you condone a physical response (eg hitting, shooting, etc.) to said verbal violence?
matheusmoreira 4y ago
Yes, they do. Especially words like "consent". Not even once did I consent to their brands being forcibly inserted into my mind. I feel extremely violated every single time some advertiser manages to get around my uBlock Origin. Advertising is mind rape.

We have precedent for mental and emotional harm. I'd argue that invasive advertisements including but not limited to ads that make you remember catchy jingles, billboards on highways, ads that specifically target you based on profiling ("addictive") etc. are or can be emotional and mental harm. Ever hear the phrase "stuck in my head"? This happens with commercial jingles all the time. What if I don't want it to be stuck in my head but I happen to hear it? Seems akin to assault, especially if I'm not explicitly opting in to that behavior. It seems strange only because being blasted with advertisements 24/7 is normalized.

Karsteski 4y ago
themitigating 4y ago
If you asked most people, out of this context, if remembering an ad jingle or having one stuck if their head had a negative, positive, or neutral effect on them what would they say? I don't have any studies, but this is the first time I've heard anyone state this as a negative. Most people don't seem bothered or might even associate a good time with some jingle.
anthony_d 4y ago
None of that changes word meanings. Violence is physical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence
markedle 4y ago
I see where you're coming from but I think it's more accurate to call them manipulative. Violence has a different connotation and we should keep them separate. Trying to force one thing into another is also manipulative.
yibg 4y ago
What you just wrote is violence, since it caused me to feel defensive and anxious and also think about it more than I'd like.
- ericmay 4y ago
  You can easily draw lines between "I go to Hackernews.com to read the opinions of others and encountered an opinion I don't like" and "I have to listen to ESPN commercials at the gas pump and look at Jesus billboards when I'm driving down the highway". Other states have precedent for banning billboards actually. If you want to take the other extreme of your extreme example here, you should be ok with people driving down the street and blaring advertisements from trucks at full volume day and night.
  - rendall 4y ago
    I'm sure upthread was being sarcastic. The trend to conflate violence and words is dangerous. While words can lead to violence, to say that words are violence tacitly allows physical retaliation for speech that the listener does not like. We learnt as children this is wrong, and it remains so for adults.
andsoitis 4y ago
If you truly believed that words can be violence, then logically you condone a physical response (eg hitting, shooting, etc.) to said verbal violence?

matheusmoreira 4y ago

Yes, they do. Especially words like "consent". Not even once did I consent to their brands being forcibly inserted into my mind. I feel extremely violated every single time some advertiser manages to get around my uBlock Origin. Advertising is mind rape.