Thread: A Nation of Consumers

Originally Posted by DOMS

I'm not a fan of advertising. I haven't watched much TV in a long time. I rarely listen to the radio, and when I do and a commercial comes on, I change the station or turn it off. I use ad blocking on the web.

I learned a long time ago that advertising relies heavily on psychological tricks. Advertisers hire psychologists to figure out how to subconsciously push you into buying. It's not just a matter of showing you their wares and hoping that you'll buy. They try to take advantage of the design of the human mind to push their products on you. They do it every chance they get. It's not advertising so much as it is conditioning. It's no wonder we're a nation of consumers.

Growing up poor, I was never able to keep much (I have a skate board I got when I was 7, and a book I got when I was 12), so I've never really been driven to buy, buy, buy. So I've avoided advertising out of principle.

However, I've never stopped my children from watching TV, even though it's laden with advertising. I'm not going to let me beliefs stop them from finding enjoyment--so long as it's not too physically harmful to them.

About 4 months ago, I ditched satellite TV. Again, not wanting to deprive my children of watching TV, I got them Netflix. It has a wide range of shows. Both old and new. From vapid to educational. I've found that my children like to watch cartoons from when I was a kid (the 80s). Which is cool. My oldest son also "discovered" this great show called The Twilight Zone. They also watch more educational shows than ever before.

The unintended outcome of this has been incredible.

I was watching an episode of Voltron with them when the video faded to black, when a commercial should play, but it simply faded back in. I realized that they don't watch commercials anymore. I've watched them closely over the last three months and I've realized that they ask for stuff about 25% of the amount that they used to. Maybe less.

In short, if you have kids, ditch the TV and get them Netflix. Hell, do that for yourself.

Just my two cents.

Excuse me sir, but I feel it's my moral responsibility to ensure that you introduce your children to Ren and Stimpy. That is all.

I was poor too for most of my youth so ads have never had any effect on my purchases. I learned early on to just buy what fits my exact interests, cause when you only get 2 presents at Xmas that arent clothes you have to be positive it's what YOU wanted. Always have marched to my own drum even if it made me somewhat of an outcast.

Originally Posted by DOMS

I'm not a fan of advertising. I haven't watched much TV in a long time. I rarely listen to the radio, and when I do and a commercial comes on, I change the station or turn it off. I use ad blocking on the web.

I learned a long time ago that advertising relies heavily on psychological tricks. Advertisers hire psychologists to figure out how to subconsciously push you into buying. It's not just a matter of showing you their wares and hoping that you'll buy. They try to take advantage of the design of the human mind to push their products on you. They do it every chance they get. It's not advertising so much as it is conditioning. It's no wonder we're a nation of consumers.

I couldn't agree with you any more. It is for this reason I refuse to watch television.

Edward Bernays - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edward bernays was the man that helped bring about the inundation of advertisement.

What bothers me most about tv is that in order to hear the show you're watching you have to turn the volume up. When it goes to commercial you're nearly deafened by the sudden explosion of noise. They do that so you can hear the commercial when you leave the room but it's just turned into something that's just plain silly.

Good thread Doms. I never put much thought into it, but you are right. Our younger ones constantly watch nick and other junk almost every day.. scratch that - every day. My 3 yr old princess has a habit and says to mommy or daddy 'I have that' - meaning I want that. Want. Want. Want. No need ofcourse. I will make it a point in the future to tone down the tv (especially since it's spring/summer) and get them out more or doing other activities.

I remember as a kid looking through ninja sword catalogs, RC magazines and fireworks catalogs wanting this and that. Memorizing every page religiously - did I get all this stuff? Nope. I rarely got any of it, but it was fun to dream. Oh, I got plenty growing up, but always wanted more. Here I am all growed up and didn't even need a shrink because of it.

i downloaded some old shows hoping my son would like them and afraid he'd think i was retarded. he ended up loving them and it was fun watching them together. the waltons, andy griffith, the addams family, and kung fu. we hardly ever watch television. last shows we sat through were the human planet bbc shows. last night we watched a documentary on music in germany after 1945. he still asks for stuff but mostly it's normal boy things like swords and camping gear.

Tess watches mostly just movies not tv now but when she was little she loved infomercials and commercials. she adored that ron popiel guy and got pissed if anyone else was selling his stuff. she used to ask me things like "when are you gonna switch to glad lock" she asked a fat woman once "are you painfully bloated?" and when her grandmother yelled from the bathroom that she needed more toilet paper Tess yelled back " do you have a painful burning itch?" lol. kids absorb everything!

The gov tried to make it illegal to market commercials to children in the 70s because kids under a certain age, I think it was 12, can't tell the difference between programming and commercials. I'll give 50 cents to anyone who can guess who the president was when they decided to ignore this and start advertising to kids.

Reagan....

Just make your kids watch cartoons from the 50's. They'd be asking you for cigarettes instead of toys.

Originally Posted by danzik17

Excuse me sir, but I feel it's my moral responsibility to ensure that you introduce your children to Ren and Stimpy. That is all.

Already have, man. Hell, I used to have Ren and my avatar.

Handling kids is very difficult these days. You can prevent or switch off TV . But what to do with the internet ? They get all the information from there.

Originally Posted by maniclion

I was poor too for most of my youth so ads have never had any effect on my purchases. I learned early on to just buy what fits my exact interests, cause when you only get 2 presents at Xmas that arent clothes you have to be positive it's what YOU wanted. Always have marched to my own drum even if it made me somewhat of an outcast.

I know what you mean. I got clothes for almost every Christmas and birthday until I was 12. Sometimes I got really cheap toys. A notable exception being the large-ass Rodan I got when I was 8.

Originally Posted by withoutrulers

Edward Bernays - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edward bernays was the man that helped bring about the inundation of advertisement.

Thanks, man. I'm going to track down the rest of that.

That shit makes me angry.

Originally Posted by phosphor

Good thread Doms. I never put much thought into it, but you are right. Our younger ones constantly watch nick and other junk almost every day.. scratch that - every day. My 3 yr old princess has a habit and says to mommy or daddy 'I have that' - meaning I want that. Want. Want. Want. No need ofcourse. I will make it a point in the future to tone down the tv (especially since it's spring/summer) and get them out more or doing other activities.

I'm telling you, get Netflix. Not only am I happy with the loss of commercials, but my kids really do enjoy the older shows.

Originally Posted by phosphor

I remember as a kid looking through ninja sword catalogs, RC magazines and fireworks catalogs wanting this and that. Memorizing every page religiously - did I get all this stuff? Nope. I rarely got any of it, but it was fun to dream. Oh, I got plenty growing up, but always wanted more. Here I am all growed up and didn't even need a shrink because of it.

There's a huge difference between simply wanting something, and being coerced into needing something.

Originally Posted by Little Wing

Tess watches mostly just movies not tv now but when she was little she loved infomercials and commercials. she adored that ron popiel guy and got pissed if anyone else was selling his stuff. she used to ask me things like "when are you gonna switch to glad lock" she asked a fat woman once "are you painfully bloated?" and when her grandmother yelled from the bathroom that she needed more toilet paper Tess yelled back " do you have a painful burning itch?" lol. kids absorb everything!

That's awesome!

Ever since I read Brave New World when I was 12 I just naturally resisted Programming and Conditioning....

It's also why I knew what Incubus was referring to by the "you keep your riches, I sew my stitches" in the kick ass song Idiot Box (the whole song is a tribute to Brave New World literature and movies like Brazil)

Ah damn it, I thought this thread was going to be educational. It's just a commercial for netflix.

I... I suddenly feel the need to purchase Netflix. I didn't even know about it until now; I don't actually watch TV unless hubby pre-records something. But now I must have Netflix!!!

Damned propaganda. <shakes tiny fist in rage>

DOMS, I blame you.

Originally Posted by troubador

Ah damn it, I thought this thread was going to be educational. It's just a commercial for netflix.

I cancelled my tv service some time ago, me and wife don't watch tv, so i started downloading Disney channel programs for our little one.

Originally Posted by Imosted

I cancelled my tv service some time ago, me and wife don't watch tv, so i started downloading Disney channel programs for our little one.

I haven't had anything except basic cable in a decade. used to have all the pay channels then found myself watching the same movies over and over just because they were on.

Netflix does kick ass, been using it for a good 1.5 years now. I just checked out the streaming content about 3 months ago, and the first thing I thought to myself was dam, you don't even need cable tv if you have this.

Originally Posted by LAM

I haven't had anything except basic cable in a decade. used to have all the pay channels then found myself watching the same movies over and over just because they were on.

Netflix does kick ass, been using it for a good 1.5 years now. I just checked out the streaming content about 3 months ago, and the first thing I thought to myself was dam, you don't even need cable tv if you have this.

Use torrents bro all the new movies are up there, i checked netflix but movies are kinda behind most are 2-3 years old.

Originally Posted by troubador

Ah damn it, I thought this thread was going to be educational. It's just a commercial for netflix.

Originally Posted by Built

I... I suddenly feel the need to purchase Netflix. I didn't even know about it until now; I don't actually watch TV unless hubby pre-records something. But now I must have Netflix!!!

Damned propaganda. <shakes tiny fist in rage>

DOMS, I blame you.

Yet another unintended consequence.

Originally Posted by Imosted

I cancelled my tv service some time ago, me and wife don't watch tv, so i started downloading Disney channel programs for our little one.

I torrent some stuff for my kids, but they mostly use Netflix and Redbox.

I want to give them stuff that they can spontaneously watch.