This was an attempt not to rant about ethics. It was unsuccessful in this attempt. - Week 9

"Ethics is knowing the difference between what we have the right to do and what is right to do"- Potter Stewart

What’s the difference between unethical and just bad taste? I struggled to make that differentiation when Dr. Harrison flashed the class advertisements during our lecture this week. I personally don’t want to degrade my blog with images of poor examples, I’m sure you can let your imagination run ramped. I also don’t want to waste your time by writing “Oh golly, advertisement is just smut these days. It’s simply racist and sexist and every other -ist I can think of. Let’s burn all advertisers at the stake for the heinous crime of corrupting my innocence.” I tire of false condemnation.

 Yes, some advertisements are “bad taste”, “unethical" even. No, I don’t believe that the act of racism or sexism or whatever else should be condoned. I do, however, think that we shouldn’t just attack advertisers, stand over them and tell them to say sorry to society for trying to get our attention. Let’s look at this from their perspective. I want to make you buy my product. Yelling, “SALE! HOLY HEN’S TEETH THERE’S A SALE!” doesn’t cut it anymore. Advertisers are resorting to risqué techniques that often aren’t too popular among the owners of high horses. It is more of a consequentialism approach, the “I’ve had to step on a few toes but my advertisement is now open for discussion on prime time television and the sales have never been better” approach. The point is advertisers have a job to do. Sure there are other clever ways of getting the viewers attention, Frank from National Tiiiiiles springs to mind, but not everyone is that original or virtuous.

At the end of the day, I get angry at a sexist slur as much as, if not more so, then the next person. This doesn’t mean I’m going to be a ranting lunatic on my dodgy blog, that isn’t going change a thing.  I believe that there are two sides to every story and if I kick and scream and demand action over something I have no idea about then I think that’s just ignorant. Dr. Harrison even said, “Justice is the mean between the injustice of overzealous and excessive law and the injustice of lawlessness.” I am in no way fighting for lawlessness or being flippant over degrading and immoral advertising. I am, however, saying we all need to step back and stop finding scapegoats in advertisers for society’s spiralling moral standard.