lictor

Actually, when it comes to picking a particular drug, I can base my decision
on plenty of sources outside of adverti*****ts (which I don't get in my
country) or the government (no campain *ever* promotes a particular brand,
just generic *classes* of drugs). I can discuss my options with my doctors.
Then, I can check online resources for informations on the different drugs;
there are several French sites where I can access both the end-user and
doctor side information sheets for the various drugs. When it's a serious
choice (like, a drug I will have to take for a long while with potential
side-effects), I try to look up for clinical studies; there is plenty of
information like that. I also check on specific forums to find users of the
drugs and see how it's working for them. I try to see what real benefits I
might expect and balance them with the side-effects I might get.
I do exactly the same with whatever I need to buy. If it's a computer part,
I will look up from trusted online reviews, I will read the forums, peek at
a few magazines for benchmarks. If it's hi-fi, I will look at reviews, ask
for advice in the couple of shops I know for being honest and actually
listen to the thing before buying.
I don't need "information" from either the government or adverti*****ts at
any point of my decision process. On the contrary, I do need to erase all
information I might have gotten from these sources to be able to take a
neutral decision.
The value of adverti*****t as a "source of information" is just a joke
invented by advertising executives to try to find some moral ground for
their nasty profession. The goal of advertising is *not* to inform people,
it's to brainwash them. Here is a extract from a interview of the CEO of the
main French TV channel (TF1), it shows what advertising is all about :
" Il y a beaucoup de façons de parler de la télévision. Mais dans une
perspective *business*, soyons réaliste: à la base, le métier de TF1, c'est
d'aider Coca-Cola, par exemple, à vendre son produit. Or pour qu'un message
publicitaire soit perçu, il faut que le cerveau du téléspectateur soit
disponible. Nos émissions ont pour vocation de le rendre disponible:
c'est-à-dire de le divertir, de le détendre pour le préparer entre deux
messages. Ce que nous vendons à Coca-Cola, c'est du temps de cerveau humain
disponible".
"There are several ways to talk about TV. But from a strictly *businesslike*
point of view, let's be honest, the job of TF1 is to help, for instance,
Coca-Cola sell its product. But, for an adverti*****t to be perceived, the
brain of the viewer must be receptive. Our programs aim to make it
receptive, by entertaining and relaxing it so we can prepare it to receive
the adverti*****t. What we sell to coca-cola, it's available and receptive
brain slots.".

And once your brain slots have been filled with "information", you are
supposed to make a decision on what product to buy based on objective
criteria and your best interrest...