Shay Seaborne

From: Thad Martin <tmartin@...>
Subject: on tv and consumerism

<SNIP> my son will have a powerful tool, which is the ability to
recognize that those things may be fun but they will never bring him
happiness. with this understanding and perspective he will be able to
foster discernment.>>

I think that's great! Similar to what we do, which is help our children
understand the *reason* for the ads. We discuss: at whom the ad is
targeted; what the ad is implying; whether we know, out of the hundreds
of people we know, *anyone* who looks like the perfect actor in the ad;
whether we can believe the advertisement.
My kids will often laugh at even "serious" ads, saying, "Look! That ad
is trying to tell us that if we buy that car we will be sophisticated,
sexy, and popular."
After viewing a series of cigarette billboards, in which individual
cigarettes were substituted for people in scenes (all making cigarette
smoking seem pleasurable, of course), my then-7 y.o. made a series of
counter ads. They showed the same cigarette characters, but with arms and
legs, smoke coming out, and slogans like, "Don't be a butt head." I think
she's got it.

-Shay

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