Raymond A. Schroth

Defenders of advertising claim that it provides useful information about products and services. In the following viewpoint, Raymond A. Schroth presents a more critical view of advertising. Schroth contends that while advertising may seem peripheral to most people, it promotes values of materialism and consumption. The purpose of advertising, according to Schroth, is to goad people into buying products they do not need, which ultimately leaves consumers unhappy and unfulfilled. Schroth is assistant dean of Fordham College and the author of The American Journey of Eric Sevareid.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What does Schroth find offensive about an ad showing a car being lowered into a grave? 2. What does the 1954 book People of Plenty reveal about the role of advertising in society, according to the author? 3. What intellectual development coincided with the rise of advertising...