Ads vs. Reality
I love this! Ah, reality...does it bite? I guess if you're hungry enough...
This also reminds me of when I was in 7th grade and had one of the best teachers in my life. Mrs. A, our English teacher, had us analyze and dissect commercials by understanding the various gimmicks/strategies of companies to sell their products/goods. We learned how companies would claim to be the best, put down their competitors, appeal to snobbery, use colors and people types to make products appealing, etc. It was, as a 7th grader, very eye opening. Oddly, this was the only class (until I took college level art classes) that talked/showed all the gimmicks used in visual arts/advertising. I think more English teachers should do this...have kids think critically about commercials and what they are trying to do/sell.
For years now, I've been telling my kids (when we see a commercial) that this one is trying to sell you junk food, this one wants to take your money for cheap plastic toys (this one, I admit is a hard sell...for Pete’s sakes, they're selling fairy dolls! very cute...) and so on.
Anyway, we've also talked about not smoking/doing drugs and to tell mommy/daddy if someone does this. We tell them these people are sick and this is why they do those things.
We've also stopped going to McDonald's and if we have to have fast-food we go to Wendy's (this is probably once or twice a month). We told the kids we don't go to McDonald's because they put bad things in the food (still use trans fat) and Wendy's does not. Also, if there is a toy from McDonald's you must have, you can actually just buy it for a dollar. I know because my brother-in-law bought one for my niece once...something Hello Kitty.
This also reminds me of when I was in 7th grade and had one of the best teachers in my life. Mrs. A, our English teacher, had us analyze and dissect commercials by understanding the various gimmicks/strategies of companies to sell their products/goods. We learned how companies would claim to be the best, put down their competitors, appeal to snobbery, use colors and people types to make products appealing, etc. It was, as a 7th grader, very eye opening. Oddly, this was the only class (until I took college level art classes) that talked/showed all the gimmicks used in visual arts/advertising. I think more English teachers should do this...have kids think critically about commercials and what they are trying to do/sell.
For years now, I've been telling my kids (when we see a commercial) that this one is trying to sell you junk food, this one wants to take your money for cheap plastic toys (this one, I admit is a hard sell...for Pete’s sakes, they're selling fairy dolls! very cute...) and so on.
Anyway, we've also talked about not smoking/doing drugs and to tell mommy/daddy if someone does this. We tell them these people are sick and this is why they do those things.
We've also stopped going to McDonald's and if we have to have fast-food we go to Wendy's (this is probably once or twice a month). We told the kids we don't go to McDonald's because they put bad things in the food (still use trans fat) and Wendy's does not. Also, if there is a toy from McDonald's you must have, you can actually just buy it for a dollar. I know because my brother-in-law bought one for my niece once...something Hello Kitty.
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