The (Mis)Information Society

No doubt you’ve seen the billboard, commercial or advertisement that shows a rump roast piled high on a plate, with the caption &dquo;Ahh, beef!&dquo; &dquo; No, it’s not a reply to Walter Mondale, it’s just propaganda for eating meat, which keeps cattlemen happy and well fed. I’m not a vegetarian or an animal rights proponent. But &dquo;Ahh, beef!&dquo; bothers me a lot. The agency that devised this clever ad didn’t mince words, or meat, in making their latest pitch. They don’t try to convince you that meat is good for you, that you can serve it in a dozen ways or that it’s cheap. Nor do they insinuate that meat will make your teeth sparkle or do wonders for your sex life. None of the usual con games or techniques of illicit persuasion. In short, nothing to criticize. Instead they’re grabbing us by the entrails. Like Bert Lahr, who got everybody hooked on potato chips by daring ’em to eat just one, the &dquo;Ahh, beef!&dquo; message is ’bet you can’t resist, you animal, you.’ No argument; rather, the ad insinuates that argument is useless, that your mouth has reasons your mind does not know, that even those who rationally believe that eating animals is immoral or at least unhealthy will compromise their principles as soon

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