Essay Stuff

In the contemporary world, though specifically centered in North America, the practice of promotion and persuasion towards the population's youth has become a rapidly increasing one. Preying upon the naivety of children and those less experienced in worldly matters by use of appealing stimuli to endorse items of particular interest by major corporations has always been one to produce favorable outcomes in terms of productivity, and it has been a subject of great controversy. Thus, it is not surprising to say that multiple articles and arguments have risen in the recent years over the fact that the developing populations of the worlds' youth have been used as fodder for the masses of companies hungry for money and their tactless tastes for those whom they are swindling.

Ranging from foodstuff to be consumed by the children to objects meant to consume their parents' income, advertisements and children seem to go hand-in-hand with one another as of late. Children, with blurred lines between reality and fiction, are perfect targets for companies wishing to fire out bullets of candies, toys, and attractive scenarios towards the bull's eye depicted upon a child's gullibility and a parent's lack of patience. Children are incredibly impressionable creatures without the ability to properly detect fact from falsity, and according to a study launched in 2004, it was discovered that children eight years and younger have difficulty in comprehending what is truth and what is not from the information they are given. As altricial young, children derive their common sense and ability to understand varying levels of honesty from mimicking what they see and hear at a young age, and in most instances, examples are born from the parental units in charge of the youth's care. However, with how many caretakers leave their offspring to indulge in modern media at a staggering amount, it is understandable to note that the youth of the latest generations have skewed perspectives about the corrupt world around them. The companies which target children are often the ones with the most resources to spend in order to ensure the following of the youth towards their product, as it is a gamble willing to be taken as it has been overly successful for years. Because of this, these powerful companies are the most cutthroat of the bunch as they have more to lose than the average company dedicating a few funds here and there to achieve their following. This is especially true in that most advertisements shown nowadays are nearly all exclusively targeted at children as they have practically become the only age group to act responsive towards ads, which appear as wolves in sheep's clothing.

Corporations are not the only ones being conniving, however. Public spaces such as shopping super centers, which partner themselves with the aforementioned businesses to promote and sell the coveted products, attempt to indirectly leech success from the young population. In any well-known store or shopping space, which products are presented at the eye level of a young child? It certainly isn't the whole grain-type foods or organic cereals. It is the brightly-colored, dye-laced cereals formulated into puffs by cheap processing procedures. Cereals like Trix, whose slogan literally announces itself as "Trix are for kids!" Completely enforcing the idea that such garbage health-wise is made specifically for our youth so that they would feel more comfortable in eating such. And the companies are clever in their scheme cost-wise. When one goes to purchase wholefoods, they are more often than not met with regularly-believed extreme pricing for the healthy product, and the rainbow-colored, cheaply produced food is more appealing to a person's budget. For the squealing kid wanting a small piece of colorful candy, throwing a fit in the purchasing line, such small prices offered for a simple treat is often enough to persuade a tired parent to purchase in order to instill silence upon their child, even for a brief moment. The corporations use the consumers by exploiting their preferred stimuli. While bright colors and attractive images may entice a child, the same is sure to not fool some of those older. Instead, the companies offer something more appealing to a matured person- a moment of peace or satisfaction in the busy, buzzing life of an adult individual. In a world of modern media, the lives of a population are always in a state of rush and seemingly never stop. With those who constantly find themselves working, either out in society or at home as a caretaker, the prospect of peace and quiet is almost surely one to win over the majority of individuals. So in allowing a moment of respite by pacifying their child, a parents pays what seems to be the rather small price of a small candy or toy. In placating their young, however, adults are giving their impressionable children the belief that what these advertisements are doing is improving their lives. "If Mommy and Daddy are happy, I get what I want. And what I want is on TV. If I make it known that I want something bad enough, then I will get it and Mommy and Daddy will be happy after I get what I want. Then, I can get more." It is a tireless cycle of hunger and consumption. Each time a child begs for something in a less than appropriate manner and receives the desired response, such as the toy or treat, they begin to learn that not behaving will get them what they want. As such, their 'hunger' grows and each time they receive their desired reaction, their satisfaction with the results lessen and lessen as the Dopamine rush received from the result of getting what the wanted has less of an effect. Thus, the children are becoming desensitized. Desensitizing them further instills the need to seek out more fulfilling stimuli and eventually proves to show signs of addiction in the consumers.

The question regarding the ethics of whether or not the process of marketing to a public too young to understand right from wrong are positive or negative is an argument strongly defended and opposed. Whether or not a powerful corporation is behaving inappropriately and exploiting the consumers' believed "needs," the desensitizing of the world's youth is most definitely becoming a well-known issue in terms of nature and behavior, as well as a factor pertaining to poorly maintained health. When a massive label or company has enough power to enact a force strong enough to affect the will of a population, it should appear as the duty of the corporation to ensure the well-being of their customers in order to maintain their loyalty. However, in a world so power-hungry and corrupt, it is not surprisingly to see that such is very much the opposite in reality. Big business runs the world and it seems it shall always remain that way. Perhaps the ethics in question will do more than tarnish the world's youth. After all, with every new generation corrupted, the successors of the world bring upon a poison to society which will be found nearly impossible to cure.

Winter and Summer will destroy the clan. Spring and Autumn will the save the clan.

The white death shall mask it's scent behind the warmth of green growth
And attempt the hunt the clan with poisonous claws.
But the cure will arise from the gentle touch born of the beginning and end
And the melting clan will freeze back strong once again.

White death shall mask it's scent
Behind the warm, green growth.
And those with poison claws
Shall appear with loathing oath.

To smite the clan of cold
With hopes to rise anew.
They come upon a storm,
Allowing illness to blow through.

But the cure will arise
From gentle touch born
Of the beginning and end
On a star's fateful morn.

And the molten clan shall rise
Frozen solid once again,
Under the moonlight's guise
And force out the toxic sin.

Once they get accepted into the clan, Lemonkit will lead a few other kits away to play in the territory. They'll come across Quartzprickle and call her a snow badger. She'll tell them little stories and they'll go back to see her often until the clan figures out.

Lemonkit: "Hey! Just because she's a stranger doesn't mean she's bad. You were strangers to use when you helped my family. Are you bad?"

When the world was young and moon's face floated in the sky, flawless, the ancient race ran supreme. With the fresh, wild winds brushing their skin and sending their souls adrift, freedom was entirely true. Each and all did as they delighted, and under the light of their mother moon, the race sang their praised until the silver-dappled sky until the sun resumed its place above. Such peace was thought to last forever.

It was a century ago when the world was ravaged and the harrowing quake shook the universe to its roots. From the crevice that split open the land came Man.

At first, Man was weak and vulnerable- like a lost babe in the void. The ancient race took splendid care of the universe's newest offspring as if they were their own. Man remained weak and it seemed they would never reach the strength that the Ancient Race was blessed with, but in exchange, Man was smart. Quicker was the intelligence of Man than any other creature upon the world, and the Ancient Race did as best as they could to hone the intellectual abilities of their precious new kin.

Then came upon the End.

The End of the world was a crimson one, bloodied and filled with actions of cruelty. The Ancients had done well to aid their kinmates in prospering, but Man believed the Ancients to be too threatening to their rise. Man took control, using their mental abilities to cooperate in a way that was foreign to the Ancients. A method kept as a secret by the soft-skins while the wisened Ancients told all of their worth. Man used this honesty against the Ancients and thus, the First Race fell, and with it the world. This Old World was to be built anew, in the twisted image of Man.

Now, in a poisoned land teeming with soft-skins and a brittle moon as deep maroon as blood, the Ancients were believed to be extinct- killed off by their power-hungry younger brothers. However, Man was wrong.

A slim number have managed to survive, bearing the pelts of their former  friends and altering their customs to fit Man's image. All have been split by their will to survive rather than their long-forgotten pact of brotherhood.

The only driving force stronger than the will to survive is the call of the moon, mournful and weak. Yet ever-so-strong to those who once sang her chant. In a dusty, barren land, the Ancients have clustered- after the Century of the New World- in a grey kingdom where the moon shrieks the loudest. Here, they hope to find salvation. To return to Lucia- the land of the Moon.

~

World Mechanics -

World Glossary -
Pergehnna is the name of the New World, grey and dead under the rule of Man. While the name of the World as appointed by the masses, it is truly just the title of the largest kingdom in the land.

Lucia is the name of the Land of the Moon, a supposed sanctuary ruled by the Mother Moon. This was the olden name of Mother Moon and it has been prophecized that it will revive the Ancient Race upon arrival.

Lunarias are the seemingly star-dappled lilies that signal the light of the Coming of Lucia. These are followed like tracks by the remaining Ancients as clues to Lucia's location.

Soft-Skins are the derogatory name appointed to pure Humans. The title 'Man' has been deemed too powerful for casual use and has become a word in the Old Language. It is on par with the title 'Ancient.'

Wolves are the modern name appointed to the remainder of the Ancient Race. The title 'Ancient' has been deemed too powerful for casual use and has become a word in the Old Language. It is on par with the title 'Man.'

For now, the limit for characters is small, since I'm not sure how many will decide to join. Also, there is a gender ratio to fit of around 2:1 to males to females.

0 out of 8 Males; 1 out of 3 Females

Layle - He's by no means the strongest-looking wolf, but he makes up for this with great speed

Razeal - A large, silver and black wolf with golden eyes like sunlit honey.

Ramune - A red-haired runt, Ram is smaller than the rest of those she runs with. With dark, russet ticking her gingery pelt, she's also the one who sticks out most like a sore thumb. As a human, she's a young-looking girl, about 13 or some in age, with wild red hair pulled into two average-length pigtails. Her eyes are coppery as when she is a wolf, and her gaze always seems to hold a constant glare. She always smells of hyssop as she wears it in her hair.

In her human form, her pale skin is covered by a loose-fitted burgundy jacket with an oversized hood, and torn shorts of dark beige. Her knee-high socks were once white, but now sport dirty stains and holes from wear. And shin-high boots of dusty black cover her feet and shield her from the rough ground.

Pups -
Usina
Anat
Yuca

Ailila - A beautiful, pale-skinned young woman with a head of long, silvery white hair and bluish-white eyes like moonlit water.

The times have been ever-changing and with how contemporary America shovels out mass-produced goods to the population who consumes in only mass amounts, it appears that the process has remained firmly planted. Yet, is that truly so? Have the means which major corporations take to extend their sales truly remained the same and are found to still be progressive and yielding? The truth behind the ever-present shadow of massive companies and the stagnancy of their tactical processes in the every day lives of the American population can be greatly seen in the advertising towards children, from how they are preyed upon through the stereotypical loud stimuli attributed to children's media and persuasive words of the assumed 'trustworthy' adults in the industry.

While ethics revolving advertising to children and preteens has been a highly debated one, the topic of whether or not the methods of doing such have remained the same is one less touched upon. It is one that many believe to know of, but truthfully is rather unknown. While many assume that the media changes to best fit the tastes of the audience, while true to an extent, the way that children had been taken advantage of has remotely remained unchanged. The substances and objects offered may differ to appeal to the now jaded youth, however, the ways in which they are appealed to are similar, and stagnantly so. Bright colors and head-level view of toys and exciting foods grab the childrens' attention and urge them to seek out fulfillment through such substances. This is a result of how corporation-run media is meant to attract new life-long customers; to snag them at young ages, fill them with a sense of trustworthiness, and keep them hostage to their product while the customers themselves remain unaware of the ploy. Parents of such child victims are secondary consumers than often get pulled into the mess by association and compliance to their offspring's demands, and thus, the population of a single popular company rises exponentially. This process has maintained its strength throughout the generations of ever-changing individuals and has yet to lose its luster.

Even more so than in the sales of toys is that of the edible variety. Fast foods and candy companies know to target younger audiences as the majority of children do not understand the effects of harmful foods and simply wish to eat only the most appealing to look at foods, such are those featured in multiple different colors or like those seen on television because they are aware of the fact that their peers have seen such as well. It is known that children seek recognition and a level of respect from their peers that adults seem to have forgotten through their aging- a sort of respect that wins a child a place within a game on the playground or a shared sticker from another over the simple factor of sharing a common interest. And those who have something that everyone else has seen tends to make such an individual that more popular over others. For children, it is so much more than eating a peace of candy or having a cheeseburger. It is being able to carry a tangible symbol, for even a moment at a time, that displays a sense of superiority upon a single individual amongst many others. You don't see a group of children flock to another student who has a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a field trip; you see them crowd around that which owns the appealing Lunchables© or another popular lunch item often seen within the media targeted towards children. What adult would be appealed to seek sustenance from a location with a mascot as a rat? Yet, over the course of time, such a figure as Chuck E. Cheese has received a multitude of physical changes and revamps, and ultimately stays popular within the child-based subculture of the advertising industry.

The industry knows what they are currently doing works and makes the money necessary for a process to be called profitable. Children are the perfect marketing focal point because of the various factors that keep them attached as mentioned above, and because they are a nearly endless supply. Children, indeed, grow up and move on, but as young adults, are still generally loyal to companies they choose to trust. And in being so, their children grow up believing the same while children born from those outside the appeal of the corporations may also have a strong chance to find interest in the colorful, exuberant media to feature curiosities and objects of desire. Thus, the consumer population continued to widen and remain a constant presences, securing stability for the particular company of choice. Companies prey off this ever-constant supply of energy that is the human populous and this tactics are working. Which companies have been around for 30+ years and are still thriving to this very day while others plummet out of existence after a sheer few months? It is those which so brutally enforce their advertisements and marketing gestures to those most likely to bite the hook, and it has been noted that such a marketing industry is that which targets children and the youth of the country.

Unchanged has remained the way in which children are hooked to their favorite companies, be it food-based or toys. Despite the various different monikers and facades they sport, the companies behind the means of these playful placebo effects placed upon their unsuspecting consumers have remained in the same state of wishing to exploit the population's gullibility, to which their productivity exceeded that of others in differing fields. Truly, it is a worn process that have been practiced by nearly everyone in the field, and yet, it still manages to transcend the times of countless generations, fishing for potential clients and ending up with netting nearly the entire population. After so much time has passed and many factors within the world have changed, it is an oddity and a rarity that the same cannot be said about the marketing industry. But then again, why fix a process which is not yet broken?

The Passionate Politician; Phil Davison

After listening over the speech of the republican Phil Davison, whom was running for treasurer back some time ago, a few things can be inferred in regards to him as a person as perceived through his speech. Particular notice will be paid towards the Style and Delivery canons of Rhetoric out of the four.

In addressing the company of his audience and potential followers, Davison's start was somewhat smooth as the loudness of his voice demanded the attention of his audience. However, any signs that the auditory experience of the crowd was meant to be a favorable one shortly fled. Almost at once, Davison unleashes a barrage of words in an exuberant, blaring tone and invokes a sudden scramble at the audience's full attention. Beyond the point of garnering attention, Davison's delivery is outright aggressive as he begins to scream his argument to the audience. An argument which seems to follow a very loose, if not nonexistent, layout. His choice of wording is practically elementary and unable to make any form of relevance in accordance to his blistering demeanor. Although passionate in his words, the fluctuation between shrieks and calm is almost nauseating to listen to and his timing is wayward as well. And his botching of Albert Einsteins' quote does not strengthen his argument.

In short, Davison makes a memorable speech, but not by what he says- it is by how he says it which collects the attention of his audience, who dare not turn their attention away for the fear of receiving the onslaught of shaky screams one more. Coupled with his poor choice in impacting words, overly aggressive tone and demeanor, and subpar organization of thoughts, Davison's speech revolving around winning the election was queer and almost appalling to the art of speaking. And yet, it will be a rarity to remember.

In an industry where things are not as innocent as they may seem, companies geared towards children do their damnedest to instill the influence of their products upon the youths so eager to consume. In short, this spells trouble on all sides and paints a picture of controversy over the ethics of marketing to children. To use children as a viable source of publicity or to avoid employing the influence of purchase upon them is the question at hand, and the answers- to some- is not as clear cut as some would hope.

The actions taken by large, wealthy companies are deplorable by the social standards of most, and yet despite this fact, participation in such has not yet ceased. In fact, the negative media whipped up by what some would see as a scandal is managing to draw free recognition for the companies and the result of this is more people conversing over the company more frequently, bringing more attention to those who seek more endorsement. Such is how the saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" goes. Despite how the public chooses to speak up about the ordeal at hand, awareness is being spread and more popularity- whether positive or not- is being eaten up by the corporations.

Companies of contemporary America are exploiting every possibility for brand awareness and attention that they can and from this stems the practice of using children and other immature people

Over the course of time, the masses have been swayed by multiple factors over how to think, feel, and act. Despite the changes the world has made in such an amount of time, things have easily remained the same as well. Included within this is the practice of influence, and the unfair use of the tactic as well. Within the contemporary times, the vast blanket of influence that the media expands over the population remains ever-growing. And with how prevalent the word of those who run the countries by their pockets is among the public, it is easy for a certain darkness to be depicted through all the fuss. A target for negative press and the appeals of the distraught have painted a picture of foul play within the companies and have coined the moniker of being 'unethical.' The worst example of this can be seen in how media influences the population's youth through commercials and advertisements geared towards children and the young.

A topic which has been fought over a multitude of times, the idea of marketing towards children has been a highly debated and fiery feud between major corporations and rebels against the flux of popular advertisements. Parents and social groups have brought attacks to the massive companies, and yet, the companies have remained unrelenting in their quest for money and awareness. Since the 50's, when television became a somewhat regular occurrence within the homes of everyday families, brands have been plastered in playful ways and other demeanors meant to appeal towards the unsuspecting children of the middle and even working classes. Media has sculpted its means of marketing over the extent of it lifespan, and nearly all companies which flourish to this day have placed much of their efforts on persuading the children of past generations; children which have now grown into the adults willing to spend their own earnings on whichever product is of choice, rather than the money of their own guardians.

Such is the reason that today, more than half of the United States population has become well above their weight class for their ages; why children clock in at 100, 150, and 200 pounds before even a decade of their lives have passed. The fast food market has become a damning source of passive-aggressive marketing towards everyone, with high focus on the younger portion of the population. Within nearly any company meant to provide a quick means to eat, it is commonplace to see a menu meant for children, or a pre-produced box of food items meant to draw in children. Menus meant in these regards are almost often colorful, or have the ability to be colored in a way unique for each young customer. This could be an alternate picture for each visitor the same one each and every time, but given the option for the children to color their own menu to their heart's desire will keep the child wanting to come back. Subtle little cues and quirks that many find 'cute' or 'charming' are stunts created to draw the population in and keep them coming back for more.

Toys, which are often featured in the aforementioned 'meant-for-kids' meal plans, have always been a marketing ploy to attract younger viewers. Because of these, companies often receive secondary commercials to dish out to the public to promote said toys, thus giving the company even more exposure to the masses. Second-long media of bright and attractive images have been seen to collect the attention of younger audiences more effectively than one that extends for longer amounts of time. This is even evident in the social media platform Vine, as the attention spans of the modern population has shortened and has been calculated to continue doing such in the years to come. So in providing snippets of the most effective stimuli during the most effective amount of time, companies have been clever in their marketing strategies towards children, adolescents, and young adults, garnering their appeal and money, or money of their guardians, as a reward for their conniving ploys.

People often find fault with advertisements selling false ideas to the public, such as unattainable features in models and other aesthetically pleasing factors, deeming the practice unkind and unethical. However, only recently has the idea of unethical influence and use of the younger audiences of the nations come into the limelight of the public, and while some argue that it isn't the media's fault for causing factors such as obesity and addiction to afflict the population's youth, the media fueled by the corporations certainly has a hand in the matter which people fail to view. Only now have some tried to fight back, and their efforts ought to be commended for their feeble attempts at striking the powerful mass media have been rather fruitful endeavors. Lately, fast food industries have been offering more healthy items to their menus, and have even incorporated certain items permanently into the pre-packaged meals designed for children. While it still remained to be these very companied who target children the closest, the effects of the outraged public can be seen affecting them more and more with each passing day. This has been a selling point in more people speaking out against the injustice seen in marketing towards children and as time passes, more change can be expected to be found throughout the varying media outlets. Already, ads and commercials have dwindled down to a smaller size in terms of influence as now, they appear online where most spend their time dwelling rather than on television. While they still dominate television in having commercial remain unescapable, online websites where commercials tend to gather due to highly rates of trafficking, offers are made and purchased every day to block or mute commercials, while others can simply be skipped free of charge.

Instead, companies of particular interest have been forced to become even more clever in their tactics by nearly giving up their massively-built means of advertisement in the form of commercials, and have resorted to the new means of finding exposure- through influential stars.

Not stars as in idols and actors- which has been done to the nth degree- but rather popularities such as YouTube creators and individual developers whose own products in the form of entertainment have been decided by the public to be the new form of influence. Companies have started paying the people that the world's population so revere to promote the products of the company's choosing depending on the audience of their new part-time 'spokesman'. Such are now known as sponsorships, where companies pay the Indi creators in order to promote their product, and the creators put said funds towards bettering the quality of their own content, thus enhancing the desire for the audience to keep watching and to grow in size. Such is the cycle of growth which modern media has started to practice, and massive corporations have been clever enough to comply with.

And with keeping in touch with the topic at hand, the majority of the audiences of these new 'spokespeople' tend to range within the subset population of younger individuals, from child to young adult. Thus, the scandal is seen that massive companies within the marketing industry have remained faithful to their tactics of reaching out to young audiences to take advantage of their oblivious or immature natures in regards to purchases. Despite how much change has occurred within the world in regards to how aggressively the public has fought against the media, children are still becoming more and more overweight, and the debt of the world's countries are still increasing every year. Despite all the change, nothing is truly changing, and that is the biggest issue at hand.

Companies are still going to use the most effective method; they are not going to fix what is not broken and what still gains them the most income. And the masses are still going to purchase from the very companies they supposedly despise out of the sheer laziness of it all. Convenience has always been the little devil on the shoulder, whispering sweet nothings of influence into the unsuspecting ear of the next newest customer, and that is where the most brutal of truths lies.

In the end, everything could change, and nothing still would. It matters not what the public thinks, as all the public remains the true hypocrite. While companies of heavy influence continue to act in rather despicable ways, they are not ones to really hide such information. All exposure, positive or negative, is good exposure in the end. It is the people who claim to wish to do better by themselves and by their children who end up lying to themselves and whittling away at their own ethics each and every time they make another 'harmless' purchase to the vampiric organizations flashing their influence in every facet of the media platform's plane.

In an industry where things are not as innocent as they may seem, companies geared towards children do their damnedest to instill the influence of their products upon the youths so eager to consume. In short, this spells trouble on all sides and paints a picture of controversy over the ethics of marketing to children. To use children as a viable source of publicity or to avoid employing the influence of purchase upon them is the question at hand, and the answers- to some- is not as clear cut as some would hope.

The actions taken by large, wealthy companies are deplorable by the social standards of most, and yet despite this fact, participation in such has not yet ceased. In fact, the negative media whipped up by what some would see as a scandal is managing to draw free recognition for the companies and the result of this is more people conversing over the company more frequently, bringing more attention to those who seek more endorsement. Such is how the saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" goes. Despite how the public chooses to speak up about the ordeal at hand, awareness is being spread and more popularity- whether positive or not- is being eaten up by the corporations.

Companies of contemporary America are exploiting every possibility for brand awareness and attention that they can receive and from this stems the practice of using children and other immature people as fodder. On a more narrowed scale, an example can be made from McDonalds, whose brand has plastered itself across all of North America in its bright colors and attractive advertisements. With catchy slogans and toys to shell out to everyone under the prism of modern humanity, they have captured the focus of the nations and yet to release the population from its iron-clad grip. Sucking the life of public- or rather the money- so to speak, they honed in on the children who typically spend their time watching commercials, more likely to sit through them while watching television or streaming videos online. Children are often gullible and have tendencies to place what the media states in the same place as truth solely based on the fabricated ethos of the massive corporations.

The means of the actions enacted by big, "household name" companies have been under fire by the population of people who have seen through their fancy façade and wish to bring about change. However, they have been unable thus far to figure a way to free the oppression placed by the Man, nor have the funds been found in order to effectively fight back in resistance.