In class on Monday, we watched the first 22 minutes or so of "Merchants of Cool." It was quite relevant not that long ago, but now it might seem a little bit old. That raises a question (which isn't the same as "begging the question") about how much is the worry about advertising in our lives is simply the latest iteration of Doomsday talk.
For Tuesday,
a) watch the rest of "Merchants of Cool," and respond to it as a comment here: What parts of Rushkoff's argument make sense to you? Which don't? How has the teen marketing landscape changed, in your view, since 2000?
b) read at least the first half of the Consuming Kids chapter in the packet I gave you in class and be ready to talk about it.
Here are a number of other Consumerism readings and videos, most of which are only suggestions. As I said in class Monday, you shouldn't feel as though the homework you are assigned is adequate research on this topic. What's in these links could help you get a sense of other ideas. I highly recommend the trailer to "Killing Us Softly 4," which is about images of girls and women in advertising, and the video on "Native Advertising."