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Again, who said that they're evil? Maybe your politics are getting the best of you? Can't someone be against advertising and still enjoy the fruits of capital

by ap22213 13y ago

Again, who said that they're evil? Maybe your politics are getting the best of you? Can't someone be against advertising and still enjoy the fruits of capitalism? Personally, I hate ads. I hate being manipulated. And, I hate that corporations spend an insane amount of money every year just to get me to buy their stuff that I don't want - it just increases the price of the products that I do want.

icebraining 13y ago
I think facepalm is correct when saying the author implies something more than just hating ads, when she says "I should be taking them on a long hike or handing out aprons and baking cookies. But we aren’t doing those things; instead we spend our weekends hunched over expensive plastic bricks". If the issue was just the ads, playing with the bricks themselves wouldn't necessarily be bad, but that's what she implies.
- MoosePlissken 13y ago
  You left out a lot of context for that quote. Here's the full paragraph: > No wonder I feel guilty as I’m driving my children to see “The Lego Movie.” I should be taking them on a long hike or handing out aprons and baking cookies. But we aren’t doing those things; instead we spend our weekends hunched over expensive plastic bricks, and now we’re going to watch them on the big screen. I have filled my daughters’ empty minds with a blind devotion to an indifferent commercial empire. The issue isn't just the ads, or just the expensive bricks, it's how the two come together to form a feedback loop. The kids enjoy playing with legos, so they want to see the movie. They see the movie, which makes them want to buy more bricks. Lego Movie 2 comes out and the process repeats. The main thing the author seems to dislike is manipulation.
  - spiritplumber 13y ago
    Thing is, a lot of people eventually graduate from legos. The step from buildable toys to making your own furniture is just a garage corner away.
hippee-lee 13y ago
To a certain extent, I used to feel that way too. But now I have to ask 'why waste your time hateingthe ads?' Sure they could be better or more entertaining. But most ads are easily recognizable and easily ignored. As much as I get a similar reaction to being manipulated once I recognize the manipulation I can use the info for my advantage or to move on. Maybe this is naive but without advertising how robust would the worlds economy be?
andrewflnr 13y ago
Ads are as likely to decrease the price of the product as increase it. Advertising leads to new customers which may lead to economies of scale that reduce the unit price enough to offset the ad outlay. In fact, if the company in question has to increase their prices to cover advertising, it's probably an irrational investment, unless the alternative is to go out of business, or they manage to drum up enough demand that the market bears a higher price. In the last case, competition is likely to bring the price to a reasonable level.

by ap22213 13y ago

icebraining 13y ago

I think facepalm is correct when saying the author implies something more than just hating ads, when she says "I should be taking them on a long hike or handing out aprons and baking cookies. But we aren’t doing those things; instead we spend our weekends hunched over expensive plastic bricks". If the issue was just the ads, playing with the bricks themselves wouldn't necessarily be bad, but that's what she implies.

MoosePlissken 13y ago
You left out a lot of context for that quote. Here's the full paragraph: > No wonder I feel guilty as I’m driving my children to see “The Lego Movie.” I should be taking them on a long hike or handing out aprons and baking cookies. But we aren’t doing those things; instead we spend our weekends hunched over expensive plastic bricks, and now we’re going to watch them on the big screen. I have filled my daughters’ empty minds with a blind devotion to an indifferent commercial empire. The issue isn't just the ads, or just the expensive bricks, it's how the two come together to form a feedback loop. The kids enjoy playing with legos, so they want to see the movie. They see the movie, which makes them want to buy more bricks. Lego Movie 2 comes out and the process repeats. The main thing the author seems to dislike is manipulation.
- spiritplumber 13y ago
  Thing is, a lot of people eventually graduate from legos. The step from buildable toys to making your own furniture is just a garage corner away.

hippee-lee 13y ago

To a certain extent, I used to feel that way too. But now I have to ask 'why waste your time hateingthe ads?' Sure they could be better or more entertaining. But most ads are easily recognizable and easily ignored. As much as I get a similar reaction to being manipulated once I recognize the manipulation I can use the info for my advantage or to move on. Maybe this is naive but without advertising how robust would the worlds economy be?

andrewflnr 13y ago

Ads are as likely to decrease the price of the product as increase it. Advertising leads to new customers which may lead to economies of scale that reduce the unit price enough to offset the ad outlay. In fact, if the company in question has to increase their prices to cover advertising, it's probably an irrational investment, unless the alternative is to go out of business, or they manage to drum up enough demand that the market bears a higher price. In the last case, competition is likely to bring the price to a reasonable level.