Kareem’s Blog

I noticed this advertisement from Chipotle, representing GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in a negative light. They make the person viewing the ad believe that GMOs are harmful, and if they go to Chipotle, they can eat great food with "real" ingredients. They chose to portray GMOs negatively because of the stigma that already exists within society. This idea stems from the advertising technique of magic ingredients. They glorify their products through denouncing those made of GMOs, when in reality they aren't a bad thing, everything is technically a GMO. I also noticed that it followed the concept of glittering generalities, making their food seem particularly appealing by making their product seem better than it actually is, even though all their food is frozen. They pick out the parts of their food that are associated with positive connotations, making it seem like everything they produce is above average.

I was recently at the mall shopping for clothes when I realized a lot of the expensive clothing items I noticed on the rack, were a fraction of the price at the thrift store, yet still the same quality. I was sort of confused and didn't really understand why someone would rather spend five times as much on something than to get it for cheap. Then it hit me, people would much rather buy their things from the store or at the mall because the connotation with shopping at the thrift store means you don't have as much money. I believe this ideology stems from media. Even with the literal name of the store, "Goodwill", it makes it seem like you're donating to people in need. Nobody wants to feel like they are in need or depend on others donations to wear clothes, it hurts one's pride. The distortion of this in media creates a false reality where the connotation with shopping from thrift stores is that "you're poor" versus "you know how to bargain&

As I watched the documentary, The Persuaders, in class, I was struck with several ideas about what advertisers are trying to convey. The entire point of them appealing to you in every ad, is so that you can remember them. It's not necessarily trying to get you to go buy their product at that moment, but it installs a memory in your brain that makes you remember when you're at the store choosing what kind of dish soap to buy. It's all about getting into your head. Advertisers want to change the way you think, to create issues that you never had so they can solve them for you. They make us emotionally attached to their products, controlling us when we don't have it, feeling like we do when there are other options that are equal. The products aren't the main goal, it's the sense of attachment they want you to feel towards it, so you'll always come back for more. Society has developed a sickness and the only way to break free from it is to detach ourselves, wh

I recently was at the store buying water, and I ran into a few different options. The most striking choice was "SmartWater." I found this brand interesting not for it's slogans or image, but because of its name. I realized that I was most tempted to buy it over other brands that had ordinary names. Perhaps it is because somewhere deep inside of me, I want it to make me smarter, or maybe it'll help me a little more on my upcoming math test. I then understood that that is exactly what the brand wants me to be thinking when it comes to choosing which to buy. I believe SmartWater did this because since it was started in America, a country that has long been plagued with the idea of us being a great nation, with test scores fail that claim, it took advantage of this and began producing the product because Americans tend to enjoy feeling smarter. In reality the makers of SmartWater are the smart ones for making money off people's stupidity.

As I compared different news outlet's analyzation of the situation on the migrant caravan on the Mexican Border, I found interesting portrayals of the situation. In the first paragraph of Migrant caravan shelter shutdown over 'bad' sanitary conditions as hundreds move to new facility by Fox News, says "Mexican authorities shut down a crowded, unsanitary and mud-filled shelter at a sports complex, moving the remaining migrants who want to enter the U.S. to a new, government-run facility" their choices of words like, "unsanitary" and "mud-filled" immediately strike us as disgusting ideas. Then they say how these people want to enter America, quickly making the viewer feel as though this is something disgusting and associates it with a negative connotation. This is in comparison to CNN's video, Cuomo reveals desperate reality in migrant camp, he says, "what is next? things can't stay this way." Immediately giving us the idea that