[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa0iivtTclM]
Jean Kilbourne has been a media literacy activist for decades. Can’t Buy My Love was orignally published as Deadly Persuasion and is one of the books that I am using this fall in the body image course I’m teaching. Her insights in Can’t Buy My Love inspire significant media literacy— I found my mouth hanging open while I was reading about the machinations and manipulations that take place at our expense. I’m not naive; I am fairly skeptical; I like to keep “my consumer” in check; I talk a lot about media literacy. And yet there was so much I learned while reading this book; there’s so much I am still reeling from after putting it down. One of the most interesting revelations to me is how many other countries- capitalist countries just like ours- prohibit advertising that targets children. And why might this be important? You’ll be horrified to learn what company is on record as saying, “If you own this child at an early age, you can own this child for years to come.” Also interesting to me was the lines Kilbourne drew between advertising and addiction and the correlation between unsettled relationships and advertising. It’s a fascinating read. Pick it up and you’ll find yourself even more inclined to vote (or withhold your vote) with your dollar.
