Is Better Best?

America is known as the land of equality and equal opportunity.   But how true is this claim in reality? Picture the following: A person is on their way to work and sees a homeless man.   Gritty, dirty, with less than idyllic hygiene- for all intents and purposes, the quintessential bum.   He asks for some spare change.   Now, a few people would give him some coins, maybe a dollar or two if they were feeling generous, but most would say “No, sorry” and continue on their way.   Some might just put up their hand as a signal of refusal.   Some might not even respond to him.   Do people view themselves as so superior to this other person that they feel entitled to turn their noses up at him? This man was not always homeless; he was not born in the streets. Yet it seems to be a trend that once people realize that they have surpassed someone else in social standing, a certain air of smugness seems to fall upon them, whether they want it to or not (and most do). Why does this happen? It happens because people, Americans especially, have been conditioned since they were young to always get the best and newest things available; the better their possessions, the better their person.
Advertisers know how to get attention.   Comedy (mainly verbal abuse or physical pain), explosions, and sex all sell.   But advertising corporations also know when to get the attention of people, and that is when they are young. Young people are constantly changing their identities and how they view themselves.   Their perception of self varies greatly from the ages of 11 or 12 through their teens to their early 20s.   During this time, they will be influenced by a variety of things: older siblings, peers, and what is “in” or “cool” at the time. This shows that young people do make use of the media and imagery around them (Hamley).   One thing that remains constant though, is that commercials and advertising are continuously with them.   Commercials exist to tell them that “It’s alright; everyone gets acne,...