After reading the excerpt, "Buy This 24-year-old and Get All His Friends Absolutely Free", by Jean Kilbourne , I was horrified and disappointed at how low advertisers are willing to go in order to influence us as consumers. Kilbourne brings to light the many secrets advertisers try to hide from us , and she and I both think these techniques need to be put to a stop before it's too late. Advertising in educational institutes has negative effects on children and even more so in children with delayed development.
             Kilbourne points out that advertisers are targeting our youth into thinking its cool to buy a certain product and what's worse is that its showing up in our schools. In exchange for the advertising rights our schools often get money or book supplies for allowing this to go on. As mentioned in Kilbournes article, when Mike Cameron walked into school wearing a Pepsi shirt on a Coke-sponsored day, he got suspended for wearing the shirt ( 275). That message is very disturbing to me: don't you usually get suspended for violence, not for wearing a shirt? In this case, even the school is turning their back on our youth by sending the message of either you stay with Coke or you get punished. This message can have a profound effect on children, as well as those with a weak state of mind, including the special education department of the school.
             In my opinion, there should be a separation between schools and advertising. Schools should be aware of the harmful effects advertising could have on the student body. Advertising could lead to negative peer pressure, students pressuring other students to buy something in
             order for them to be down with the crowd. I think schools already know the harmful effects of peer pressure because of the relevant issue of school uniforms. School uniforms were first introduced to stop kids from being so critical of each other and to promote learning rather than care who has the new Jordans....