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The Culture of Advertising and Television/ The Commercialization of Schools and Public Space

Any effort to challenge unsustainable patterns of consumption must examine the role of advertising and commercialization of our culture and public spaces. Two speakers, in particular, addressed these problems. George Gerbner of the University of Pennsylvania and Mark Crispen Miller of The Johns Hopkins University described the relationship between degradation of the physical environment and the intrusion of advertisers and corporations into our daily lives. They reminded the group that power over information available to Americans is dangerously concentrated in a handful of large corporations which own many of the nation's newspapers, publishing houses, television networks, film studios, and music studios.

Gerbner noted that the dominant cultural messages - material excess and violence - persist despite their destructive effects on environmental, human, and societal levels largely because these images are skillfully mass produced and marketed. They also travel well on the global market. "This is what makes it possible for 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' to be seen in 80 countries by 300 million children a day," Gerbner said. He urged those gathered to "begin to work for the right and need of every child to be born into a cultural environment which is reasonably free, reasonably fair, reasonably diverse, and reasonably non-damaging."

Participants in the small working group continued to explore these issues and possible next steps. They outlined the following priorities, in order of importance:

• Raise awareness about advertising to children.
• Declare schools ad-free zones; organize parents and teachers.
• Eliminate the tax deduction for advertising.
• Reinvigorate the Fairness Doctrine as a way to counter ads.
• General public education/media literacy program.
• Raise awareness about consolidation of corporate control of most media and cultural outlets.
• Use advertising talent for Public Service
• Announcements.
• Save public broadcasting.
• Ban billboards.