Along with the rapid progress of society, the advertising industry has undergone remarkable development. Every day we are surrounded by all kinds of ads and commercials, which have a profound influence on our daily lives. As a result, there arises a fierce debate concerning the proposal that we should ban all kinds of advertisements.
On one hand, some people are in favor of the idea that advertisement should not be banned; instead it should be further developed. They are of the opinion that advertisement is a good channel which helps promote the exchanges of information. In an era of information, everyone can benefit a lot from the advertisements, not only the manufacturers but the customers. Moreover, the advertisement enables people to catch up with the amazing advance in all fields. From the mushrooming advertisements, people get to know some newest products and the trend of consumption. Thirdly, advertising, to some extent, is not only an industry but an art. Many advertisements are elaborate works of art full of ingenuity and originality, which render great spiritual pleasure to the viewers and add to the picturesque cityscape. In a word, the advertisement is a blessing for modern people.
Despite the benefits advertisement has brought us, many people strongly condemn it, saying that they have been fed up with all kinds of rubbish ads. They call for a comprehensive ban on the advertisement based on the following reasons. First of all, a majority of advertisements are fictitious and misleading, causing confusion in people’s daily life and even leading to the injury and death of some customers. Secondly, they bring many inconveniences and troubles to us. For example, are you pleased with a mailbox stuffed with unwanted ads or a wonderful film on TV being interrupted frequently? Furthermore, the non-standard use of language in advertisement brings about irreparable damage to the integrity and purity of our language. Consequently, it will exert a disastrous impact on the literacy of our younger generations. In some people’s eyes, the advertisement is just a Genie out of the bottle.
To be frank, it is quite impossible for people to reach an absolute consensus on most controversial issues. To my mind, a total ban on advertisement is not an ideal and practical choice. How can we imagine all advertisements vanishing overnight? The demerits should by no means make us lose sight of the benefits advertisements have brought to us. A more workable and rational attitude should be adopted; that is, to eliminate the false and retain the true. Always bear in mind the old saying:“never throw away the baby with bath water.”
