[kiryin]

I strongly believe that advertising by definition is unethical in all of it's forms and "block" ads to the best of my ability, in real life as well. I do not view ads that reach me by mail, and as for billboards and posters I see around town, I make a note to avoid the products they advertise. I know this doesn't make a difference but it's an ideological thing. If my actions could in theory cause a tiny little dent in a graph somewhere, I make a point to do it.

[ljm]

Junk mail is particularly frustrating because companies are generating so much paper waste only for someone to deliver it to your door, and you to put it directly in the bin. No, Dominoes, I don't give a fuck about your shit pizza, and sending junk through my letterbox 5 days a week isn't going to change my mind.

I wish it was banned outright.

[timbit42]

I asked my local post office to not put anything in my mailbox that doesn't have my name on it. Life is good.

[Izkata]

Sports Illustrated recently started sending me their full monthly magazine with my name on it, without a subscription. It also goes straight into the trash.

(For anyone thinking once a month doesn't sound too bad: Sports Illustrated has so many pages it stacks up to almost a centimeter thick)

[Someone]

> I strongly believe that advertising by definition is unethical in all of it's forms

So, you think “Show HN” is unethical, too? If so, how are people with a new product going to find customers? Word of mouth? How do they find their first customer?

I suspect your opinion on advertising is strong, but not that strong.

[guerrilla]

I agree with you, but you might be getting down voted because you didn't say why you think it's unethical.

[kiryin]

A commenter below us put it rather nicely:

"Advertising is a huge business predicated entirely on manipulating people to make purchases they otherwise wouldn't, surgically exploiting weaknesses in our psyche."

[bagacrap]

it must be very annoying when one of your favorite products is advertised to you