Should advertisers have free reign to just do what they want irrespective of our desires to privacy?

I for one don't mind "passive" advertising, the type I can choose to stop and read in detail or ignore.  It is the active type I abhor; you know as in when they call you, email you ,and force themselves into your presence; to talk to you about their what ever.  And actually force you to become rude to get them to leave you alone.

I actually Like a good advertisement form time to time, ones that challenge my conception of what I think about a thing or product, one like the "White Lie's" on TV or print.  Ones' like the cartoon that is subliminal to the degree it drives it's point home while making you laugh or chuckle.

I don't mind the gaudy sometimes, like the neon . . . bright enough to be seen easily so as to know if it is open or closed, or to draw my attention to it's location to "lure me in" like a blue gill.  I don't mind the reflective ones like directional signs that "brighten" as my headlights shine on them to let me see them more easily, especially if i am goose necking to find it in the first place.

What I do mind is some agency trying to "beige" everything in existence, in the sameness that is NOT American, Not Unique and trying to homogenize our community into their vision of what is "Good for Us", as if we don't know or don't care.  There are a lot of things that go on in life, that we partake of, that aren't "good for us", too Much of a good thing is even not "Good For Us", too little of a "good thing" is Not good for us. 

But does that give the advertiser t"he right" to invade my home through the TV, (yes I agree to watch)  or over the radio (yes I agree to listen), or force me to pay more for a Sunday paper (Yes I want a TV Guide) or insurance for a car (Yes because the State makes it mandatory) because someone, somewhere has been sold a bill of goods about my needing to be "better informed" or made aware, or believed a lie, half truth, or partial truth, of  how one thing or another contributes to this need ,to have this thing or another.  How about our government?  They get to force their junk down our throats, and have us pay them to do it, and pay for the way they want to do it.

Advertisers who don't, won't or can't bring themselves to understand that we are first and primarily individuals who don't want to be forced to do this or that and can't leave us alone are the ones I am most offended by.  The ones that want to "convince" me by facts, figures, and persuasion are not so bad.  But in the end, I want to "search out' or Look for what I want, and not be found looking for whatever.  If I search; if I click on, or if I call and ask, then and only then am I willing to go further with doing more more often.  It seems only when I let my guard down, that I run afoul of a slick advertiser trying to sucker me in.  Yes I said sucker, as I am a bit more trusting then I may should be and a bit more lack then I ought to be.  I do look for the good intent in most everyone.

But that said that is not a licence to steal or push or violate my Privacy.  I don't want to be told by the Government what is or isn't good advertising signage, or placement or whatever else they complain about these days.  If it is a "Safety Issue" OK, grab me get my attention, and "Let" me correct it.  If it is false or misleading language or a false misleading picture, OK then let's Identify, clarify and correct.  Otherwise stay out of my business and I will stay out of theirs.

Good advertisers, advertise the truth of a matter, policy, make it public and do Not hide the small print in dark shadowy clauses or language that leave room to miss-representation, miss-interpretation or not use clearly defined-language and terminology.  If you can't, won't, or are unable, to do something just say so.  How about the fact that someone may not want to be bothered with your type of inability and will gravitate to one who can, or at least say / claim they can.

So for media like the Muncie Free Press, that depends on some advertisers to pay for advertising; I applaud them for their letting us share some space and place to electronically publish this kind of article for all to see and to choose for themselves who they will support and why.

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