32.        In order to determine whether advertisements reflect a nation's ideas, it is
necessary to determine whether advertisements present real ideas at all, and, if so,
whose ideas they actually reflect. On both counts, it appears that advertisements fail to
accurately¹ mirror a nation's ideas.
     Indisputably, advertisements inform us as to a nation's values, attitudes, and
priorities—what activities are worthwhile, what the future holds, and what is
fashionable and attractive. For instance, a proliferation of ads for sport-utility vehicles
reflects a societal concern more for safety and machismo than for energy conservation
and frugality², while a plethora³ of ads for inexpensive on-line brokerage services reflects
an optimistic and perhaps irrationally⁴ exuberant⁵ economic outlook. However, a mere⁶
picture of a social more, outlook, or fashion is not an "idea"—it does not answer
questions such as "why" and "how"?
      Admittedly, public-interest advertisements do present ideas held by particular
segments of society—for example, those of environmental and other public-health
interest groups. However, these ads constitute a negligible percentage of all
advertisements, and they do not necessarily reflect the majority's view. Consequently, to
assert that advertisements reflect a nation's ideas distorts reality. In truth, they mirror
only the business and product ideas of companies whose goods and services are
advertised and the creative ideas of advertising⁷ firms. Moreover, advertisements look
very much the same in all countries. Western and Eastern alike. Does this suggest that
all nations have essentially⁸ identical ideas? Certainly not.
      In sum, the few true ideas we might see in advertisements are those of only a few
business concerns and interest groups; they tell us little about the ideas of a nation as a
whole.

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