Maybe its my own prejudice towards the media, but I expected the reading to not only highlight the tactics used by the media, but to shed light on how the government benefited from the directly from advertisement. I was also surprised that the government run media allowed such an offensive Shell advertisement to air! I also wondered what kinds of methods were used on the smaller, more independent stations and newspapers. Did the local media have more control over it?
The section on Seventh Day Adventists and advertising immediately made me think of the effect of religion in the classroom, particularly the debate over sexual education. Because of separation between church and State, school districts cannot use religion as the sole basis for preventing sexual education, but the reasoning behind the protests is based on religious beliefs. The argument for healthy lifestyles and healthy habits so similarly mirrored that of preventing condoms in high schools; like teaching abstinence would instill a healthy habit! Their suggestions were so extreme, but would have been more effective if people were given the information necessary to make an informed decision, rather than "just say no".
1 comment:
so agree with you about the ludicrous position schools and/or teachers find themselves in regarding sex education. More information from more points of view is ALWAYS preferable and naturally leads to better access, enhanced self-esteem, and 'educated" choices.
And, now that you are commenting, it does seem desirable to apply priciples of cirtical literacy discourse to government objectives and outcomes of mass media machinations.
Not a stretch to imagine there are stated and unstated benefits.
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