The Burden of Advertising
Scott Russell Sanders:
…ubiquitous merchandizing affects more than our buying habits. It monopolizes our attention. It trains us to think of ourselves as consumers, defined by our purchases and possessions, rather than as citizens, defined by our membership in communities. It distracts us from genuine sources of happiness, many of which are not for sale, such as nature, storytelling, evening strolls, and service to our neighbors. Worst of all, commerce appropriates and corrupts the language we use for everything we value, from adventure to zest, and it leads us to expect that all public uses of language will be dishonest and manipulative. Made cynical by the lies of merchants, we are more likely to shrug at the lies of politicians, generals, pundits, televangelists, and propagandists.
The Way of Imagination, pp. 88f