Clearasil Video Is Free Speech

Article By Writer Michael Kraft Author: Michael Kraft
Published: September 10, 2007
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Related: Key Issues Free Speech Videos Offbeat American Culture

So I caught on headline news a brief debate about the tastelessness (or not) of the new line of ads from Clearasil. The new ad campaign basically shows teens in awkward sexual situations with a friend’s mother. The host on Headline news was in the opinion that the ads were tasteless and promoted and advocated sex with minors. He connected the ads to the kind of thinking that causes popular cases of teachers and students breaking the law and acting immorally.

The host was right, but that is not important.

As we have said on this site before, free speech is unpopular in nature.

Speech that everyone agrees with is not free speech, because it is easy to protect and nobody needs to be protected in speaking it.

It is essential that we always protect and stand up for the right to ay things we don’t agree with. It is also important to demand the same respect for our thoughts from others.

Don’t agree with those that offend you, but agree with their right to be offensive.

The host made one good point. He thought that advertising needs to be held to a higher standard than TV in general. He thinks ads ‘hijack viewers’, because you don’t know what you are about to be exposed to. An ad can hit you in 30 seconds and you don’t have the ability to see what is in the programming as you do with a TV show.

This is a valid point.

The compromise that is American and logical is that ads should be held to the same level of standard and taste of the show they are displayed during.

If I see this ad while watching HBO Real Sex series, then this should not be an issue to the viewers who choose this genre of programming. If this ad airs while my kids are watching teletubbies at 3pm on PBS, then it should not be allowed to hijack the viewers of G level programming.

Throughout all this hair-splitting, it is important to disagree with content but support the right to present it.

Free speech is unpopular speech.

Clearasil ad that shows kids having sexual encounters with moms and parents