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Quite simply, advertising is visual pollution; whether it be on large billboards, on bus stops or freestanding in the middle of the sidewalk. It's visual pollu

Quite simply, advertising is visual pollution; whether it be on large billboards, on bus stops or freestanding in the middle of the sidewalk. It's visual pollution and it has ruined our towns and cities. I'm excited to read this article and see that people are taking a stand.

msla 7y ago
It's a much more literal form of pollution in mailboxes.
Joe-Z 7y ago
The first time I started thinking about it that way was when I bought a book featuring a selection of Banksy's works [0]. In the opening pages it had a quote of him, making pretty much that point: The public space is ours. It's not their for corporations. It's to be enjoyed by the people and if you want to come in with your hands full of money to make something else of it you can fuck right off. He's a true artist. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Piece-Banksy/dp/1844137872 https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Piece-Banksy/dp/1844137872
- andrepd 7y ago
  Banksy quote on advertising. --- People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you. You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity. Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don't owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs.
oska 7y ago
It's mental pollution as well. I don't see any need or moral justification for push advertising, i.e. showing advertising to people who are not looking for a certain service or product. Fine to have directories for services and products that people are actively looking for and thus choose to actively view. Not fine to push advertising on people who are not actively looking for any such services and products. I would very happily support a ban on advertising in all public spaces.

msla 7y ago

It's a much more literal form of pollution in mailboxes.

Joe-Z 7y ago

The first time I started thinking about it that way was when I bought a book featuring a selection of Banksy's works [0]. In the opening pages it had a quote of him, making pretty much that point: The public space is ours. It's not their for corporations. It's to be enjoyed by the people and if you want to come in with your hands full of money to make something else of it you can fuck right off. He's a true artist. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Piece-Banksy/dp/1844137872 https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Piece-Banksy/dp/1844137872

andrepd 7y ago
Banksy quote on advertising. --- People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you. You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity. Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don't owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs.

oska 7y ago

It's mental pollution as well. I don't see any need or moral justification for push advertising, i.e. showing advertising to people who are not looking for a certain service or product. Fine to have directories for services and products that people are actively looking for and thus choose to actively view. Not fine to push advertising on people who are not actively looking for any such services and products. I would very happily support a ban on advertising in all public spaces.