Clearly, this was a tragedy of global proportions. Just as clear, this was a tragedy that was far from simple; it was complex in its planning, its execution, and in the players involved. Instead, however, the message became quite clear in the media:
Repetition -- Again and again the terrible footage was shown, usually in slow motion, of the plane hitting the World Trade Center.
Simplicity -- the simple message: "America is under attack from the World of Islam."
Rewards for Believing -- America has a reason to launch a global war on terror, including but not limited to further action in Iraq. The need to believe and be patriotic will override the need for personal freedom and allow government action.
REFERENCE
"Bin Laden Claims Responsibility for 9/11." (October 29, 2004). CBS News. Cited in:
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2004/10/29/binladen_message041029.html
Part 3 - Advertising is part of the marketing mix that is designed to persuade a consumer to purchase something. Of course, there are many ways of doing this, and the "science" of this media has certainly evolved in the last century. Advertising is subliminal, sophisticated, pervasive, covert, overt, and a seminal part of the contemporary world. However, advertising has become so sophisticated that it sends messages both overt and covert that even if we are not paying attention to the exact product, the images we see become part of our cultural identity. The "power" of advertising in undeniable -- so powerful, it can even get the public upset over something as "earth-shattering" as the taste of a soft drink (Glaser).
What should happen to the...
Critical thinking is primarily a way of looking at information, processing that information in an analytical manner, and being able to bring outside materials to bear upon the material studied. It is more of a process, and can be utilized in public speaking, reading, watching television or movies, or a general approach to daily life. In general, the basic aspect of critical thinking is to analyze the source material and decide upon its veracity and relevance (Cosgrove). For example, not everything posted on the Internet is true; one must read to establish the sources of the material. A critical thinker also uses other senses to establish their opinion of the stimuli, be that visual, audible, or even body-language (in the case of speech, etc.). When viewing advertising, for instance, the critical thinker would go beyond and behind the words and images to find out what message was really being sent? Is that sale on that car for all the models, or just one particular one; are there added costs, what does the fine print say, are there stipulations. The operative word would be, use critical thinking to be careful -- knowing that the job of advertising is to convince.
REFERENCES
Cosgrove, R. "Critical Thinking." The Critical Thinking Company. 2009. Cited in:
< http://www.criticalthinking.org/research/index.cfm>
Glaser, T. "The Power of Advertising." St. Petersburg Online. (May 10, 2001). Cited in:
< http://www.sptimes.com/News/051001/NIE/The_power_of_advertis.shtml>
