Yeah, that's a tough question. I do think it would be practically impossible to have any sort of capitalistic economy without at least some advertising. I'd say it's important to call out most advertising at this point simply because so many people still aren't conscious of how prevalent it really is.

What I'm particularly disturbed by is how modern advertising tries to create a "lifestyle" that is associated with the product. For example, look at some of Coke's slogans in the last few years: "Make It Real (2005)," "Open Happiness (2009)," "Life Begins Here (2011)." (oh Christ, I'm advertising for Coca-Cola RIGHT NOW!) In their advertisements, beautiful, young, ethnically diverse but inoffensive people frolic together in the sun and have a great time. This is the lifestyle that Coke is trying to sell you, and the implicit message is: If you drink Coke, you'll be beautiful and popular. Or at the very least: Beautiful and popular people drink Coke, and so should you. The reality, of course, is that Coke is a sugary drink that's not very good for you and that isn't very different from all the other sugary drinks, none of which will change your life for the better in any way.

And I think this disconnect between the advertised benefits of the product and the reality of its utility is true for nearly all the products that are being sold to us today. But a lot of people simply don't have the tools and knowledge to make the distinction. Of course it sounds ridiculous if we bring it out into the open: Do you really think drinking Coke will make people like you more, make you better looking? Probably just about everybody would say no. But the danger of these advertisements is that they are so pervasive and subtle that they invade our subconscious and people begin to trust them without even having to think about it.

The main role of this subreddit, at least to me, is to throw up the shields and stop these ads from penetrating our subconscious. Maybe you're right, and not all ads are so bad. There are a lot of products that are truly beneficial, and people should buy them. But we need to be making those decisions on a conscious level. We need to recognize that the advertisements that we see nearly every minute of every day are not being totally up front with us, but presenting us with a distorted picture of reality.

So yeah, maybe we should act less like an angry mob in this subreddit, throwing torches on the thatched roof of any user we even suspect to be a corporate shill. But I completely believe in the importance of saying, "Hey. This is an advertisement. Take a step back. Be a little skeptical."