Church Teaching on Advertising

“…you cannot remain only on a virtual level. You need to open yourself to a real community of disciples of Jesus,” reflects Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications reflecting on how good things can come out of a virtual world but can stop you from seeing the need for reality in this world. Edward Pentin, a reporter for the Catholic network, reports on how the church view social networking sites like YouTube, Facebook, etc. asking this Archbishop all sorts of questions about the church’s opinions on the matter at hand. Archbishop Celli says the church does not agree with it fully but thinks its such a good idea that they are in the process of creating a “Catholic Facebook” and is eager for that to arise. To sum it all up, the church likes the idea but is ‘afraid’ for the younger viewers to have access to such venues as YouTube, Facebook and so on.

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Advertising in general

                                           

"Advertising is the promotion of a company's products and services carried out primarily to drive sales of the products and services but also to build a brand identity and communicate changes or new product/services to the customers."  Advertising can be a bad thing, but it could also be a very good thing.  I think that what is being advertised on televison such as on MTV aren't showing what teenagers need to see. However, it isn't all bad, some advertisements are great because they introduce you to some material and spiritual things that you may need in your every day life. Television is just one way of advertising.  There are many other ways, such as: radio, the internet, newspapers, magazines, movies, commercials, etc.  As Edgar A. Shoaff said, "Advertising is the art of making whole lies out of half truths."  As I said earlier, advertising isn't bad, but some ways of advertising can hurt people.

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Believe In Yourself

This is a clip about how someone should not try to just blend into the crowd. Blending into the crowd will make you more likely to fall into peer pressure.  The more you try to blend in the more you fall for peer pressure.  "When you don't stand for anything, you will fall for everything."  Which is very true, if you don't stand up for anything or have you have a passion for you will easily fall for anything.  And this example of believing in yourself is a perfect example so you don't fall into peer pressure.

Body Image Doesn't Matter

The theme I'm trying to go for is that body image doesn't matter.

RAP-stinence

Abstinence - Click here for more home videos

This is a video promoting abstinence.  Hope you all enjoy!

Video About Acceptance

Is premarital sex immoral?

Morality is the determination of  whether human acts are good or evil.  This brings us to the big question, Is premarital sex immoral?  In 1 Corinthians 6:18 it reads " Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does.  For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body."  Sex is advertised everywhere,  on commercials, tv shows, magazine articles, etc.  This special gift should be between you and your husband.  Many teenagers think that it's ok if they have sex and get pregnant because they will end up getting married. Most of the time, that's a lie.  They aren't ready to take on such responsibility yet.  Some advertisements don't show the affects of premarital sex either: a transmitted disease or being pregnant.  This can really harm a teenager's life.  I think it is really sad when people have to go through that because it hurts their reputation and high school career.  The best way we can help stop premarital sex is by showing them church teaching, and what the bible has to say. "The Catholic Church continues to teach that sexual love between a man and a woman is reserved for marriage."  I definately agree with the Catholic Church, premarital sex is immoral.

read here about Catholic Church teaching click here

Do Barbie's have a negative connotation of the way a young girl looks at herself?

A Barbie is a toy that most young girls have.  Barbies, as you can see in the picture at the left, show a perfect body, perfect smile, perfect make-up, and perfect hair.  Not to mention how she lives in Malibu, has a perfect husband, has a perfect life, and never grows old.  After a girl receives a barbie she usually gets more and more barbies and consequently intrigues a girl to compare herself to a barbie.  Therefore with a barbie that looks so perfect a girl would gain a yearning to become like a barbie. Any girl, especially a young one, wants a perfect life with a perfect body.  Who wouldn't?  This negative outlook on a girl's body may cause them to go to extremes to get like that.  These extremes can range from many things like anorexia, bulimia, attempted suicide, and many more. 
An editorial in the New York Times discussed many things about barbies including, "...I hate Barbie. She gives little girls the message that the only thing that's important is being tall and thin and having a big chest and lots of clothes."  I agree with this 100% because a typical girl looks at another girl who maybe skinnier, prettier, or anything you can think of and say, 'man I wish I could be more like her.'  And as I have previously stated girls go through great measures to look good, including in very extreme measures.     
In conclusion, Barbies definately have a negative connotation on the way a young girl looks at herself.


If you would like to read the rest of the article this article is based off of, click here.

Fast Food Advertisement

Is fast food advertising food to children that will later hurt them?  According to Fox News, "A little less, I'm lovin' it could put a significant dent in the problem of childhood obesity.."  A lot of commercials these days are advertising places such as McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger king, etc.  These places are unhealthy and they are causing people to become obese.  Being the second most obese state, Mississippi is drowning in what is being played on tv over and over again.  Also, statistics show that " Others have estimated children see fast food commercials tens of thousands of times a year."  I think this is definately unnecessay.  Children need to be healthy and active, and these fast food commercials are making their tastebuds dance for delight over these greasy hamburgers and french fries.  They need to fix this problem because Mississippi and other states are going down the wrong road all because of fast food.  This is really hurting people and it is becoming an ethical problem.


To read the Fast Food article click here.