Not Easily Offended wrote:
Why would I take the time to post? Why does anyone post anything? In this case I am surprised that anyone would give a sh!t about some ad. So, I suppose that I am checking as to whether folks really are or is this all just for the fun of arguing.
You "submit that (I am) offended"? Seriously? So here I am wondering if people (in this case you) realize how incredibly stupid it is to tell others (in this case me) what they really think. Do you?
OK, this has taken 54 seconds to post. Guess I shouldn't take so much time.
No, I didn't seriously think you were offended (the latter part of the post was intended to clarify that).
I would, however, like to adress the "why should anyone give a sh!t about some ad". Ads are terribly effective at selling stuff, in fact some would claim that that is their purpose, and they do so by striking at the very core of our values, even the ones we don't even admit to ourselves. Also, they occupy a considerable cultural space, on billboards, airwaves, tv screens, internet pages etc. Should we ignore them? Of course. Can we? Doubtful. Studies show how frightfully effective they are at digging into our subconscious mind and exerting a subtle control on our buying habits. So a discussion of what an ad, especially a country-wide ad, is saying, is not a useless exercise.
Of course, you may say that talking about them just makes them *more* effective. Which is true. But understanding what they are saying at a subtextual level frees us somewhat from their influence, which is not useless.