The theory that religious views can affect moral standards is known as divine law. “The focus is on trying to understand God’s Will and Word. Moral principles are taken to be laws issued by God to humanity, and their authority thus derives from God’s supremacy” (BG 1). As the events of September 11 have shown, this theory can be used for evil as well as for good. Divine law is closely intertwined with moral objectivism, where an absolute principle like “killing is wrong on all levels” is espoused. “The view that moral principles have objective validity whether or not people recognize them as such. Moral rightness or wrongness does not depend on social approval and is not created or constructed by individuals or societies” (BG 1). Much of the advertising seen on television directly after the terrorist attacks took a morally objective stance towards what had happened to our country. Ford trucks told Americans they had “kept us rolling” for so many years now, symbolizing that despite what had happened, Ford was and will continue to be in the right. The irony of this coming less than a year after the Firestone tire fiasco with the Ford Explorer may have been lost to the average consumer, but unfortunately today’s Ford reality can not be. For the first time in its history, Ford has stopped production on the Escort and cut thousands of jobs. The company that promised to “keep America rolling” can not manage to keep its own self on the road.

(BG 4). As the recent conflict unfolds in Afghanistan, our society has been confronted daily with images of silent women in burkhas, homemade and hidden satellite dishes, and clandestine schooling. Never has our country been more aware of our freedoms, especially the freedom to choose what we say and dress, what channels we watch, and what we learn. Advertising, whether it is for a pair of jeans or an expensive automobile, is a freedom that allows us quick exposure to the choices many societies do not have. While it is true that puffery exists in advertising, it is also true that the responsibility for fully researching the product lies on the consumer. The right to autonomy and freedom of choice can only co-exist with personal responsibility.

Often the greatest argument for advertising without boundaries lies in our Constitution. The First Amendment, or freedom of speech act, gives free reign to advertisers, unless it violates the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations. From an ethical standpoint, this also falls under rights, specifically the right to freedom of choice and personal autonomy. “An autonomous individual is one

Some topics in this essay:
Commission FTC, Cardin FTC, Business Ethics, Times Square, Jean Kilbourne, Word Moral, Thorson Freistad, Booze Blacks”, Dave Thomas, Ford Explorer, divine law, bg 1, “the view, federal trade commission, emotional response, feminist ethics, moral objectivism, washing hair, bg 2, “the view moral, federal trade, moral principles,