5 ms·

> The current approach of companies pushing their products to everyone is how we got to the mess we are in today. The most prosperous society ever known to man

> The current approach of companies pushing their products to everyone is how we got to the mess we are in today. The most prosperous society ever known to man, a veritable wonderland of consumer choice and entrepreneurial opportunity that draws people from all over the world to study visit and move here. What a mess. So we have some annoying advertising. Small price.

imiric 2y ago
> So we have some annoying advertising. Small price. Ha. Tell that to the millions of victims from false advertising of Big Tobacco and Big Pharma. That prosperous society and veritable wonderland is not looking so great these days. Perhaps the fact that the tools built for psychologically manipulating people into buying things can also be used to manipulate people into thinking and acting a certain way could be related to your current situation? Maybe those tools shouldn't have been available to everyone, including your political adversaries? But hey, glad you're enjoying it over there.
- bluebarbet 2y ago
  The snark padding is a waste of screen pixels and undermines your point.
- vogelke 2y ago
  > millions of victims from false advertising of Big Tobacco People have known that smoking is bad for your health for around 400 years. You can't fix stupid, not even by making advertising illegal.
ansmithz42 2y ago
Having lived overseas, the US isn't a "veritable wonderland of consumer choice". There are 5 grocery store chains, for the great majority of the country there is one way to travel: car. At the store (Kroger), I can buy 2 kinds of salt on the shelves. Where is the "veritable choice"? It has been told in the advertising but the reality is very limited.
- WillPostForFood 2y ago
  There are scores of grocery chains in the US, not 5. There are thousands of independent grocery stores. And literally hundreds of salt options, even at Kroger. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supermarket_chains_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supermarket_chains_in_... https://www.kroger.com/search?query=salt&searchType=default_search https://www.kroger.com/search?query=salt&searchType=default_...
  - ojbyrne 2y ago
    The salt options must be customized regionally, because I only get 3 choices.
  - relaxing 2y ago
    Found the guy that doesn’t actually shop at the grocery store.
  - crazygringo 2y ago
    Seriously. Even the most basic supermarkets stock like at least 10 different kinds of salt. Iodized, non, kosher, sea, for grinding, packets, in disposable shakers, etc., and often a couple brands, e.g. Morton and Diamond. And a larger supermarket will have pink salt (Himalayan), various fancy sea salts, fleur de sel, flavored salts...
- mindcrime 2y ago
  Meh. This scenario does not seem broadly representative of the US to me. I mean, I don't live anywhere exceptional and near me alone there are Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Wegmans, Trader Joes, Aldi, and Whole Foods stores in addition to the grocery sections at Walmart and Target. And if one drives a little further, there are Publix, H-Mart, and several smaller local outfits - Compare, Li Ming's Global Mart, etc. And just Food Lion alone has probably half a dozen to a dozen different salt varieties on the spice aisle. I'm sure there are places in the US where choice is more limited, but that's the thing about a country of the size of the United States... you can find all kind of scenarios in different regions.
- 2y ago

imiric 2y ago

> So we have some annoying advertising. Small price. Ha. Tell that to the millions of victims from false advertising of Big Tobacco and Big Pharma. That prosperous society and veritable wonderland is not looking so great these days. Perhaps the fact that the tools built for psychologically manipulating people into buying things can also be used to manipulate people into thinking and acting a certain way could be related to your current situation? Maybe those tools shouldn't have been available to everyone, including your political adversaries? But hey, glad you're enjoying it over there.

bluebarbet 2y ago
The snark padding is a waste of screen pixels and undermines your point.
vogelke 2y ago
> millions of victims from false advertising of Big Tobacco People have known that smoking is bad for your health for around 400 years. You can't fix stupid, not even by making advertising illegal.

ansmithz42 2y ago

Having lived overseas, the US isn't a "veritable wonderland of consumer choice". There are 5 grocery store chains, for the great majority of the country there is one way to travel: car. At the store (Kroger), I can buy 2 kinds of salt on the shelves. Where is the "veritable choice"? It has been told in the advertising but the reality is very limited.

WillPostForFood 2y ago
There are scores of grocery chains in the US, not 5. There are thousands of independent grocery stores. And literally hundreds of salt options, even at Kroger. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supermarket_chains_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supermarket_chains_in_... https://www.kroger.com/search?query=salt&searchType=default_search https://www.kroger.com/search?query=salt&searchType=default_...
- ojbyrne 2y ago
  The salt options must be customized regionally, because I only get 3 choices.
- relaxing 2y ago
  Found the guy that doesn’t actually shop at the grocery store.
- crazygringo 2y ago
  Seriously. Even the most basic supermarkets stock like at least 10 different kinds of salt. Iodized, non, kosher, sea, for grinding, packets, in disposable shakers, etc., and often a couple brands, e.g. Morton and Diamond. And a larger supermarket will have pink salt (Himalayan), various fancy sea salts, fleur de sel, flavored salts...
mindcrime 2y ago
Meh. This scenario does not seem broadly representative of the US to me. I mean, I don't live anywhere exceptional and near me alone there are Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Wegmans, Trader Joes, Aldi, and Whole Foods stores in addition to the grocery sections at Walmart and Target. And if one drives a little further, there are Publix, H-Mart, and several smaller local outfits - Compare, Li Ming's Global Mart, etc. And just Food Lion alone has probably half a dozen to a dozen different salt varieties on the spice aisle. I'm sure there are places in the US where choice is more limited, but that's the thing about a country of the size of the United States... you can find all kind of scenarios in different regions.
2y ago