Media Controls Your Mind
Media Controls Your Mind
The media has a greater effect on America’s popular culture than most people realize. Americans are always “plugged in,” and our access to media has a greater effect on our choices than ever before. People must learn that just because something is being reported in the media does not mean it is true. This lesson goes all the way back to the beginning of “modern media,” starting with the television. One cannot trust everything he sees being advertised. Most advertisements are overly exaggerated and sometimes manipulative, just to persuade consumers to buy a product, vote a certain way, or believe in a certain thing. For instance, in the 1930s America’s first “drug czar” Harry J. Anslinger began one of the world’s greatest public relations campaigns to demonize marijuana by telling apparent lies to society, such as marijuana is more harmful to the body than alcohol and tobacco. Seventy years later people still believe the lies even after decades of scientific proof. Because media can have significant influences on our opinions, the American public as a whole need to be more aware of it on a daily basis. The media has a responsibility to use only truthful explanations as opposed to exaggeration when arguing against the legalization of marijuana. The campaigns that Anslinger designed consisted of many movies, musicals, and advertisements, all aimed at demonizing the usage of marijuana. His main argument against the use of marijuana was that smoking it could drive a person insane. Every single one of his claims omitted some very important facts, which made the advertisements misleading. Study after study over the years has proved that marijuana is way less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, and it is not a “gateway drug” leading to the usage of other drugs. For example in the article posted by Paul Armentano he says, “In the United States alone, an estimated 79,000 lives are lost annually due to excessive drinking.” Anslinger
The media has a greater effect on America’s popular culture than most people realize. Americans are always “plugged in,” and our access to media has a greater effect on our choices than ever before. People must learn that just because something is being reported in the media does not mean it is true. This lesson goes all the way back to the beginning of “modern media,” starting with the television. One cannot trust everything he sees being advertised. Most advertisements are overly exaggerated and sometimes manipulative, just to persuade consumers to buy a product, vote a certain way, or believe in a certain thing. For instance, in the 1930s America’s first “drug czar” Harry J. Anslinger began one of the world’s greatest public relations campaigns to demonize marijuana by telling apparent lies to society, such as marijuana is more harmful to the body than alcohol and tobacco. Seventy years later people still believe the lies even after decades of scientific proof. Because media can have significant influences on our opinions, the American public as a whole need to be more aware of it on a daily basis. The media has a responsibility to use only truthful explanations as opposed to exaggeration when arguing against the legalization of marijuana. The campaigns that Anslinger designed consisted of many movies, musicals, and advertisements, all aimed at demonizing the usage of marijuana. His main argument against the use of marijuana was that smoking it could drive a person insane. Every single one of his claims omitted some very important facts, which made the advertisements misleading. Study after study over the years has proved that marijuana is way less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, and it is not a “gateway drug” leading to the usage of other drugs. For example in the article posted by Paul Armentano he says, “In the United States alone, an estimated 79,000 lives are lost annually due to excessive drinking.” Anslinger
Cited: "Legal history of cannabis in the United States." www.wikipedia.com. Wikipedia, 02 2012. Web. 5 Nov 2012. Lutz, William. "With These Words, I Can Sell You Anything." Exploring Language. pg. 207-215. Print. O 'neil, Tom. "The Language of Advertising." Exploring Language. pg. 207-215. Print. Miller, Scott. "History of Marijuana." www.newslinetheatre.com. N.p., n.d. Web. Wilson, Jacque. "The Highs and Lows of Using Marijuana." kvue.com. CNN, Nov 11, 2012 Armentano, Paul. "Study: Alcohol Is “More Than Twice As Harmful As Cannabis” — So Explain To Me Again Why Pot Is Illegal?." norm.org. Nov1 2011.