Advertising and Consumer Submissiveness

Abstract

In this paper, I make the case for the prohibition of the advertisements that are established to negatively influence social life or culture (due to the promotion of stereotypes, violence, dangerousness, etc.). I claim that if any product is bad for social life or culture, it cannot be legal in the name of the liberty of choice. However, I also call for scientific proofs that establish the causal links between bad advertisements and worsened social life or culture.

The main claim of my paper is that the advertisements that deteriorate social life or culture should be legally prohibited. We will not de-legalize women’s common, sexualized images in advertisements, as this belongs to the moral sphere, yet we may, and we should, legally prohibit the advertisements that promote alcoholic consumption, dangerous driving, girls’ and boys’ wrong social representation, the promotion of prejudices about women, etc. It is evident in my opinion that such advertisements are unconstitutional, and are thus illegal.