Tide can get you a girl?

This is a full page advertisement from a magazine for Tide soap.  It features a woman held in a man's arms, trembling because his shirt is so white from the Tide soap he used.  This advertisement just goes to show how ridiculous things have become.  Men are being told that they need a certian type of soap for their clothes so that they can have women falling into their arms.  Advertisements commonly play on a person's need to belong or their need to escape loneliness.  Advertisers wouldn't be wasting their money on these types of ads unless they worked.  Many people buy into these ideas that material things can bring them what they need.  This ad is just one example of that.  Other advertisements tell people that they need a certain car to live the life they want, or they need certain types of clothes to be accepted by the world.  Advertisements draw people's attention away from their internal self and tell them that they need to change their outside.

The Tide ad above is not only manipulating, but it is quite hilarious.  The notion that a man needs only to wash his clothes with tide to have a woman wanting him to hold her tight is pretty unbelievable when you actually think about it, but the advertisers are counting on you not to think about it.  Advertisers know that when you view an advertisement, you don't think about it, you have a quick reaction to it in your brain, and they are counting on that reaction to be exactly how they planned.  When advertisers design ads like the one above, they are equipped with the knowledge of how to manipulate the consumers' reaction to the advertisement.  They have gotten so good at it, it can be scary to think that maybe in the future they may even be able to control your mind!!!!!  That's probably a long way off though, so we should be safe for now.  Advertisers have become very effective at their job and they learn more every day, so you can expect ads to become even more manipulative in the future. 

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PB&J: An American Tradition

When the average American bites into a delcious peanut butter and jelly sandwich, they often do not realize that this delicious treat is an American creation and tradition.  No one can exactly pinpoint where or by who the peanut butter sandwich was created, but there are some clues that paint a pretty clear picture.  Historians have not been able to find anything written about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before the year 1940.  During World War II, American soldiers were given peanut butter as well as jelly in their rations.  It is believed that they combined the two to make a delicious sandwich.  After the war when the soldiers returned to America, both the sales of peanut butter and the sales of jelly skyrocketed.  Many believe that this indicated the birth of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Not only was the peanut butter and jelly sandwich created by Americans, it is also very heavily favored by them.  Many American children grow up eating delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches almost daily.  Their childhood memories are filled with the wonderful taste of the perfect blend of peanut butter and jelly dancing on their tongues as they prepare to go out and discover the world.  No country in the world purchases and consumes more peanut butter than America, and much of this peanut butter is used to make sandwiches.  It has been calculated that the average American child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the time they graduate from high school.

Not only are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches delicious, but they are also generally healthier for you than a deli sandwich.  Most deli sandwiches that contain deli meat, also have condiments and cheeses on them which contribute to the high fat and calorie content of these sandwiches.  Also, both peaunut butter and jelly are non perishable, which means they do not have to be kept in a refridgerator to keep them from going bad.  They are easy to pack in a lunch bag and not have to worry about them going bad, even on a hot day.  Many people have even made delicious variations of this American tradition.  Some of these include: peanut butter and banana sandwich, peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich, peanut butter and honey sandwich, and peanut butter and sugar sandwich.  Some of these variations may seem strange to some, but the great thing about this sandwich is that anyone who wishes can create their own variation.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have been loved by Americans for decade, and will always remain an important part of the American diet.