Ban on all forms of advertising

Advertising is a sign of our times; it is everywhere, from my public to my private
life, from SMS messages on my phone to the back of toilet doors, to TV screens in the
supermarkets, on the streets and in elevators. But does it ever serve a purpose other than
to tell me how pitiful my life is without a certain product?
Advertising might be like medicine; not nice but necessary from time to time. When
we want to buy a new computer or go on a holiday, some of us will do two things: do
some online research and then check out the best deals online or in the papers. This
works for us; we get the right information at the right time. And we are grateful.
On another day, we may be strolling in the street with our friends enjoying the
sunshine, but then a large TV screen jumps into life telling us the merits of a certain
shampoo, or a certain car model. This is intrusive, distracting and perhaps even dangerous
as it makes vision in the street more difficult.
But advertising pays for things that I enjoy; it pays for the TV programmes I watch,
the TV screens that help me pass the time on the public transport system, and subsidises
the newspapers I read online.
It, however, does seem that sometimes there is too much, that it is too pervasive and
too intrusive. But to completely eliminate it from our everyday life would be an unwise
decision. We have to live with it, but maybe some respect for the consumers might be nice. (268 words)