The Deadly Sin of Advertising

Advertising makes the world go round. That is because consumer spending keeps the economy running securely. If ads are never put out, people would never feel like they want more and need something else.

Advertising provokes people to engage in one of the seven deadly sins. That sin is envy. As women see ads of beautiful models wearing Cover Girl make-up, women begin to envy those models and therefore buy the product so that they can look just as beautiful. When men see ads for exercise machinery and the models of that ad have perfectly sculpted abs and women all around them, men too begin to become envious of these men and therefore buy the product. The biggest effect of all that advertising has on its consumers is that ads encourage people to want others to envy them. That woman that envies the Cover Girl model wants someone else to envy her the same, and that man who envies the bulky muscular man with all the sexy women around him wants people to envy him the same.

Let’s talk more about the sin of envy. What is ironic about this so-called sin is that it really does keep the world going. If people did not envy others, they would never buy products and keep the economy going. If people did not see rich celebrities on television with million dollar homes, beautiful and luxurious homes would not be sold. Moreover, the job market would not be as competitive and colleges would make no money if students did not enroll because they wanted to live the “American dream.”

Why is envy considered a deadly sin? Around the fourth century, the seven deadly sins were created, and became a part of the Christian faith. Christians began educating other Christians about the seven deadly sins, which are lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, anger, envy and pride. The seven deadly sins are supposedly sins that God will never forgive. These sins do not appear in the bible, but the Old and New Testaments both discuss attitudes and behaviors that are considered sinful, thus relating to these seven deadly sins. This standard list of the seven deadly sins was constructed by Pope Gregory or Gregory the Great around the sixth century. Those who commit these sins are believed to be punished in certain ways. A person who commits envy is believed to suffer by being encased in freezing water.