"Alcohol: I'm Not Buying It"
You know how I like posting my homework on here... if someone steals this and uses it as their own, they shall recieve a beating. And thats not a threat, its just a prediction of your future, to be carried out by some other individual.
Alcohol: I’m Not Buying It
I do not believe that I am immune to all messages in advertising. That would be silly. One thing that advertisers will never be able to sell me on, however, is alcohol. Real life is just too strong of a driving force for me to be blinded by advertisements selling alcohol as the key to a happy life. No amount of advertising could ever convince me that alcohol will lead me to be happier, more social life. I buy a lot of things, but this, I won’t buy.
I think that advertisers go through a lot to convince people that alcohol is the key to a happy, social life. If you listen to and are influenced by alcohol advertisements, they can tell you a lot of things. My favorite magazine to look through to find crazy advertisements is Rolling Stone. In the first magazine I looked through the first ad featured 3 young men with a tag line, “Real friends. Real bourbon.” The message is social, you drink real bourbon, you have real friends. The second ad is for Maker’s Whiskey. The ad pictures a large, whiskey filled golf ball. The message is that whiskey is sophisticated and classic, like golf. The final ad is for Stoli Vodka. The advertisement shows an origami butterfly, with an exotic background. Their message is that their alcohol is unique, special. Do you buy into any of these messages? A lot of people do, but I’m not one of them.
Real friends can get together without drinking. The idea that you need to go out and drink to talk about things, is unfounded. Believe me, I’ve had plenty of meaningful conversations brought about without any influence of alcohol. Actually, the conversations that I have with people who are drinking, are typically less meaningful. For example, have you ever tried to argue with a drunk person screaming, “I don’t care how many soldiers have to die in Iraq, I want my gas prices lowered!”? Because, its really pointless. So, does drinking lead to better friendships? Hardly. I’m not buying that message at all. So many advertisements try to sell you on the idea that you need to drink to be social. Why does this work? Because so many people believe that they can’t be outgoing and fun without having some alcohol in their system.
Or they believe that they are just more fun with it. But to say that you can’t have fun without drinking? I know, from experience, that that isn’t true. Not just for me, but for the people I spend time with. For varying reasons, most of my friends don’t drink much. Either they’re driving that night, they’re health nuts, they don’t have the money, or they just don’t like how they act when they drink. So, we go out to bars to just hang out, to see bands, to dance, to eat, to go bowling. We have a lot of fun, and there is usually little to no alcohol involved. Do you need alcohol to have fun? I’m not sold on that idea either.
Just for fun, lets look at another magazine. In the second magazine, the first ad, for Captain Morgan, pictures a young man dancing, sandwiched in between 3 attractive women. The message is that alcohol makes a party more fun, and makes you more attractive. I look further, it’s the only alcohol add in the entire magazine. Why? Because on page 78 there is an article about a high school student who died after getting in a fight at a party where there had been excessive drinking. How attractive is that? I don’t know about you, but I’m looking at the message that Captain Morgan is selling me, and pairing it with the message of a young man killed at a party, and the keg party doesn’t seem so fun anymore. Which message is stronger? To me, it’s the reality. The risk outweighs the benefits.
Some people can’t see the risks. Some people, especially young people, don’t see the connection between what happens to other people, and what can happen to them. It’s a hard connection to make for young people. I see the connection. Growing up with a best friend whose father was an emotionally and physically abusive alcoholic, I see the connection. Having an uncle who was an alcoholic and drug addict, who accidentally killed himself by mixing alcohol and his medications, I see the connection. Having had a 21 year-old cousin killed by a drunk driver, I see the connection. I have personally known young women who have been beaten or raped because of instances involving alcohol. I see the connection clearer than any alcohol advertisement. And I am not sold on any of their messages.
Alcohol: I’m Not Buying It
I do not believe that I am immune to all messages in advertising. That would be silly. One thing that advertisers will never be able to sell me on, however, is alcohol. Real life is just too strong of a driving force for me to be blinded by advertisements selling alcohol as the key to a happy life. No amount of advertising could ever convince me that alcohol will lead me to be happier, more social life. I buy a lot of things, but this, I won’t buy.
I think that advertisers go through a lot to convince people that alcohol is the key to a happy, social life. If you listen to and are influenced by alcohol advertisements, they can tell you a lot of things. My favorite magazine to look through to find crazy advertisements is Rolling Stone. In the first magazine I looked through the first ad featured 3 young men with a tag line, “Real friends. Real bourbon.” The message is social, you drink real bourbon, you have real friends. The second ad is for Maker’s Whiskey. The ad pictures a large, whiskey filled golf ball. The message is that whiskey is sophisticated and classic, like golf. The final ad is for Stoli Vodka. The advertisement shows an origami butterfly, with an exotic background. Their message is that their alcohol is unique, special. Do you buy into any of these messages? A lot of people do, but I’m not one of them.
Real friends can get together without drinking. The idea that you need to go out and drink to talk about things, is unfounded. Believe me, I’ve had plenty of meaningful conversations brought about without any influence of alcohol. Actually, the conversations that I have with people who are drinking, are typically less meaningful. For example, have you ever tried to argue with a drunk person screaming, “I don’t care how many soldiers have to die in Iraq, I want my gas prices lowered!”? Because, its really pointless. So, does drinking lead to better friendships? Hardly. I’m not buying that message at all. So many advertisements try to sell you on the idea that you need to drink to be social. Why does this work? Because so many people believe that they can’t be outgoing and fun without having some alcohol in their system.
Or they believe that they are just more fun with it. But to say that you can’t have fun without drinking? I know, from experience, that that isn’t true. Not just for me, but for the people I spend time with. For varying reasons, most of my friends don’t drink much. Either they’re driving that night, they’re health nuts, they don’t have the money, or they just don’t like how they act when they drink. So, we go out to bars to just hang out, to see bands, to dance, to eat, to go bowling. We have a lot of fun, and there is usually little to no alcohol involved. Do you need alcohol to have fun? I’m not sold on that idea either.
Just for fun, lets look at another magazine. In the second magazine, the first ad, for Captain Morgan, pictures a young man dancing, sandwiched in between 3 attractive women. The message is that alcohol makes a party more fun, and makes you more attractive. I look further, it’s the only alcohol add in the entire magazine. Why? Because on page 78 there is an article about a high school student who died after getting in a fight at a party where there had been excessive drinking. How attractive is that? I don’t know about you, but I’m looking at the message that Captain Morgan is selling me, and pairing it with the message of a young man killed at a party, and the keg party doesn’t seem so fun anymore. Which message is stronger? To me, it’s the reality. The risk outweighs the benefits.
Some people can’t see the risks. Some people, especially young people, don’t see the connection between what happens to other people, and what can happen to them. It’s a hard connection to make for young people. I see the connection. Growing up with a best friend whose father was an emotionally and physically abusive alcoholic, I see the connection. Having an uncle who was an alcoholic and drug addict, who accidentally killed himself by mixing alcohol and his medications, I see the connection. Having had a 21 year-old cousin killed by a drunk driver, I see the connection. I have personally known young women who have been beaten or raped because of instances involving alcohol. I see the connection clearer than any alcohol advertisement. And I am not sold on any of their messages.