Killing Us Softly

I had the chance to watch the video "Killing Us Softly" by media and culture critic Jean Kilbourne. I really enjoyed this video and found it to be very unique and interesting. Throughout this video, I found myself thinking more and more about advertisements in our society today. Before watching this video I didn't pay much attention towards advertisements. I just thought of advertisements as another way of getting ones attention towards certain products.

There were several interesting topics on advertisements throughout this video. For example, the topic of women and the effect they have on every advertisement they are on. I fount this topic on women to be very interesting due to the fact that I realized the amount of effect they actually have on an advertisement. Women seem to have more effect on advertisement than a man does. The reason for why this was were also very effective. There were also some facts explained in this video that I have never thought of learning. The author, Jean Kilbourne also did a great job of making this video even better by having some comedy in it. The comedy in this video was funny but then again everything she said was very true about advertisements today.
In overall, this was a very good video. I enjoyed watching it and I recommend it to anyone elso who hasn't.

Social/Cultural Messages in Advertising

I was able to analyse an advertisement made for an alcohol bottle called "Bacardi Limon."

In this advertisement, there were several stylish young people in a club. There were African American and American people in this advertisement. In this advertisement there is an American sitting in the bar of the club looking at the reflection of his glass with the bottle of Bacardi Limon in front of him. When he is looking at his glass, he see the reflection of a women in the dance floor staring straight at him. You can tell that the women has her attention on the guy by her sensual look on her face.

This advertisement has a obvious purpose. The purpose of this advertisement is to try convince people, especially if you are a male, to buy this drink. The advertisement is also obviously stating that with this drink, you will get females attention. In other words, the target in this advertisement are males and/or females who like to go out and have a good time.

Ring Around the Collar

Niel Postman's article "The Parable of the Ring Around the Collar," had very religious views on advertisements. In society today, an other word for advertisements is "commercials." Postman's article was all about television and religious advertisements. For example, Postman explains a story about a couple having dinner at a restaurant. This couple have an awkward moment during this dinner but after they go from being angry to being happy. In postman's article, this is used as an example of one's religion. Also, in this article Postman explains how television commercials no role in bringing in one's religious transformation, but they do do reflect the change. Postman has a great way of explaining and showing the importance of commercials.

In the very last sentence in Postman's article says, "That is why we have a solemn obligation to keep television commercials under the continuous scrutiny of hermeneutics." This last sentence to Postman's article is an example and shows the importance of these religious advertisements/commercials.