4 ms·

I have to be honest, it doesn't change my answer. Advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry who spends millions yearly on figuring out how to manipulate u

I have to be honest, it doesn't change my answer. Advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry who spends millions yearly on figuring out how to manipulate us into buying things we don't need. The average person has no chance against this manipulation. So yes, burn it all to the ground.

macintux 3y ago
Banning all advertising would also destroy many small businesses. Interstate billboards are a nuisance, no doubt, but I can’t tell you how many roadside markets, small restaurants, etc I’ve visited while traveling that I’d never have known about otherwise.
- thfuran 3y ago
  If a business cannot exist without polluting the commons, should it really exist?
  - macintux 3y ago
    A customer base doesn’t spring from the aether.
    - falcolas 3y ago
      That doesn't imply it should be manufactured out of false need though. Companies have proven too irresponsible to let the industry continue.
    - thfuran 3y ago
      So what? Society should be structured for the benefit of the people rather than corporations, which are only useful to the extent that they benefit people. We don't need or want all possible businesses, just the ones that are sufficiently useful without being too harmful.
- mrguyorama 3y ago
  Funny, billboards have been banned here in Maine for decades, and small businesses do very very well in this tourist driven economy. Meanwhile you cross the border to new hampshire and are immediately pestered with garbage advertising that provides no benefit to your life.
  - macintux 3y ago
    There’s a difference between a destination and a waypoint. If I’m driving through, say, Georgia, I’m not there as a tourist, I’m desperately trying to get away from it, probably via the interstate. But I’d rather stop at an interesting restaurant that I spot via a billboard than whatever fast food chain happens to be camping out at the next interchange.
    - mrguyorama 3y ago
      Funny, because the billboards I see always seem to be for places like McDonalds, not the hole in the wall, niche place where you get an awesome plate of food for $10, because they can't compete with the fast food industry for billboard space.

macintux 3y ago

Banning all advertising would also destroy many small businesses. Interstate billboards are a nuisance, no doubt, but I can’t tell you how many roadside markets, small restaurants, etc I’ve visited while traveling that I’d never have known about otherwise.

thfuran 3y ago
If a business cannot exist without polluting the commons, should it really exist?
- macintux 3y ago
  A customer base doesn’t spring from the aether.
  - falcolas 3y ago
    That doesn't imply it should be manufactured out of false need though. Companies have proven too irresponsible to let the industry continue.
  - thfuran 3y ago
    So what? Society should be structured for the benefit of the people rather than corporations, which are only useful to the extent that they benefit people. We don't need or want all possible businesses, just the ones that are sufficiently useful without being too harmful.
mrguyorama 3y ago
Funny, billboards have been banned here in Maine for decades, and small businesses do very very well in this tourist driven economy. Meanwhile you cross the border to new hampshire and are immediately pestered with garbage advertising that provides no benefit to your life.
- macintux 3y ago
  There’s a difference between a destination and a waypoint. If I’m driving through, say, Georgia, I’m not there as a tourist, I’m desperately trying to get away from it, probably via the interstate. But I’d rather stop at an interesting restaurant that I spot via a billboard than whatever fast food chain happens to be camping out at the next interchange.
  - mrguyorama 3y ago
    Funny, because the billboards I see always seem to be for places like McDonalds, not the hole in the wall, niche place where you get an awesome plate of food for $10, because they can't compete with the fast food industry for billboard space.