Blog #2 - Looking Beyond Course Content

I just want to clear up a few things that may be offensive or seem like I am challenging the whole aspect of the class. What I want to be able to do is show how unethical advertising affects areas beyond sex, love and romance in advertisements. For instance, every commercial on television shows people bonding and having great times while drinking alcohol. You can check out the Coors Light commercials when everybody is having a shitty day and all of a sudden a huge F-ing train comes by and gives beer; everyone is happy. Another commercial involves a hot night and a six-pack of Smirnoff Ice's and everyone getting half naked while having a good time. As a recovering alcoholic, I see the ill effects that alcohol can cause on a person and a family. The outcomes of alcohol abuse are not fun but the consequences of binge drinking are never shown. How can the government make it illegal to advertising Cigarettes on commercial and not alcohol?

The answer may seem easy and its not that alcohol does not cause cancer like smoking. To me the reason seems clear, advertisers and marketers do not give a shit. The more effective the advertising campaigns the more the commericials will be viewed. We cannot drive anywhere without listening to ads or viewing big ass billboards about alcohol or tobacco. It is culturally acceptable to drink and we glamorize these behaviors due to all the bullshit movies and advertising we are exposed to. Looking at the complete picture, alcohol abuse and cancer due to tabacco is just fine in the minds of these immoral jerk offs but the trying to get younger people addicted to these substances is downright bullshit. My goal of this blog was not to compare objectifying women and the consequences to society with the consequences of our current advertising practices, but to shed light on other immoral practices involved in marketing.

Blog #1 - AKA introduction

My name is Chris Marini and I am a lazy senior at good old Ohio University. I am also a first time blogger because I have never had anything interesting to say to complete strangers, but I will try to be a good blogger. Ever since I completed a 15 page research paper on Wikis and Blogs in the work place, I have not wanted to see what blogging is really like. Hopefully no one will look at this because I am a private person but some may call me shy or anti-social. My major(s) is Management Information Systems and Marketing even though I am anti-corporation and I consider myself an aspiring Buddhist. I do not really get along with the philosophy of all of my professors but I respect them but I like to argue for the sake of arguing. Sometimes I may come off as brash or disrespectful, but I guess that is just the way I am.

On the topic of writing I love to write but I rarely have time to write or read due to my ADD. I do not know if I have ADD but most of my free time is spent programming or designing websites until I can make my way out to San Diego. My experience as a writer is poor to average at best. I do not mean that I am all around poor at writing but I just cannot think artistically. Research papers and rewriting assignments are my strong points while creative thinking makes my brain hurt. I like to read when I am at the beach enjoying a few beers and listening to the ocean while smelling the ocean air. My favorite author and pretty much the only author I read is Chuch Palinak. Some of you may know him as the author of fight club or the newest movie masacre of Choke. I hope that I can get my brain to think critically for this class as I am on my way out of Ohio University and into the real world. As for 308j, I hope this course will be fun and hopefully I can learn a few things.