It seems almost impossible to escape the glare of advertisements in today’s society. In Current Issues and Enduring Questions, in an article entitled “Reading Advertisements”, Sylvia Barnet states that advertising is “one of the most common forms of visual persuasion we encounter in everyday life” (151). I am bombarded with billboards telling me which restaurant I should dine at next, or which tasting room I should visit. I might stop to fill up my car with gas, and have a loud commercial blare at me how Cheetos have now been injected with extreme cheesy flavor. Advertising in corporate America, however, rarely contains any information that is beneficial. Fast food companies are most likely not all too concerned with the well being of children, who are their number one advertising target. In an excerpt from Marion Nestle’s book, “Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health.” the author states that, “The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity results from complex interactions of societal, economic, demographic, and environmental changes”. These changes are largely the increase of advertisements that target children. Corporations like Burger King and McDonalds promote “Happy Meals” for children that include bright, colorful toys. Children are encouraged to collect more of these cheap trinkets, thereby consuming unhealthier, fattening foods. Corporations utilize this manipulative method of advertising, which takes advantage of undeveloped minds, without considering harmful side effects such as increased obesity. In truth, advertising is mainly composed of false promises that urge consumers to purchase more useless garbage. By manipulating the desires and views of individuals, companies are able to sell vast amounts of their products. Although this manipulation can also be an effective way to get an important message across, as in a Public Service Announcement, it is more often than not a means to sell a product, without considering...