Since the dawn of advertising, surely there's always been someone who made a fuss. "They're brainwashing us!" they might say. Today, these people are everywhere. Is it because ads get in the way of their daytime television? Or car dealership ads flood airwaves during the morning trek? Even I'm anti-dealership ads. But the problem I want to address is that these anti-ad people are blaming the industry. Do you believe that? The same industry I talk about everyday. The one that my professors insist is so fun and exciting. Don't worry, I feel the same way.

I don't feel the blame should be directed at the industry. It seems like a cop-out. These anti-ad people are anti-consumer people. They believe being a consumer is a negative thing. Let's get real. If you see ads it's because you're a consumer. You see them on your T.V. because you're a consumer. You see them on the net because you're a consumer. They seem them on the street when they step out for a smoke. An anti-ad person doesn't want to blame the company. They consume the company!

I remember in my first year of college. Me and a few others had been invited to a second year ad party. How intimidating. There was an anti-ad guy there. Clearly he had no business at this party. He was ranting to whoever would listen about how the advertising industry over the years has changed the way people consumer, and how it creates super-consumers. He often paused his rant to drag from his cigarette and sip from his beer.

He wasn't far off though. We are super-consumers. This isn't 1953. When we see an ad we aren't immediately sold. We can often see through the bullshit. We've been trained to know what we want and need, and need more than one product and one ad to tell us that, and advertisers know this.