Alcohol Advertisements Exploit Younger Crowds Essay -- Drinking Alcoho

Alcohol Advertisements Exploit Younger Crowds According to the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), approximately 19 percent of teenagers 12 to 17 years old were reported to be engaged in alcohol abuse last year. As teenagers grow older, they tend to maintain a higher level of alcohol consumption. The survey reports that approximately 32 percent of young people aged 18 to 24 continue alcohol abuse. In fact, this is the most troubled age group having the highest rates of alcohol use, alcohol dependence, and need for treatment. In spite of restrictions, several millions of teenagers and adolescents are interested in drinking alcohol and are able to get alcohol. According to the Federal Trade Commissionà ­s survey, alcohol advertising and promotions do not reach, and do not affect teenagers and adolescents. But I contend that younger crowds are reached by alcohol advertisers. Unfortunately, teenagers and adolescents see only the obvious side of alcohol ads--messages on how drinking alcohol may benefit them. A t the same time, alcohol advertisers know that all these messages is nothing but drawing a veil over the exploitative nature of alcohol ads, and advertisers donà ­t care how younger crowds may benefit from drinking, advertisers simply want their money. Roland Barthes, a French philosopher and literary critic, calls advertisements the à ¬signsà ® (47). The sign is a system of signification, which consists of two elements: the à ¬signifierà ®--actual graphical representation that signifies a concept, and the à ¬signifiedà ®--the concept, which is signified by the à ¬signifierà ® (Barthes 115). The author says that, if the à ¬signifierà ® is viewed apart from the concept it utters, the à ¬signifierà ® has no meaning and is not... ... putting warning messages about the possible negative consequences of alcohol use in their ads. Works Cited: Bacardi by Night. Advertisement. Jane Magazine. September 1999. 60-61 Barthes, Roland. Elements of Semiology. New York: Hill and Wang. 1968. 42. Barthes, Roland. Mythologies. New York: Hill & Wang, 1998. 115. Evans, Janet. Self-Regulation in the Alcohol Industry. US Federal Trade Commission. 13 Sept.1999. Online. 12 Nov.99 . Shalala, Donna. 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 18 Aug. 1999. Online posting. 1 Dec. 99 . Stamborski, Al. à ¬FTC Asks that Alcohol Ads be Kept From Minors A-B Begins Campaign Against Drinking Abuse. St. Louis Post à ± Dispatch 10 Sept. 1999: C10.