"ADVERTISING IS SICK"
It wouldn't fly today.
W E D N E S D A Y, 1 1 O C T
Philosophy: Teddy Bear wasn’t too bad. But we had to write a short essay on ‘How to Recognise a Person’ (honestly).
Current Events was staggering. It's odd, but whenever we have a staggering lesson like that, I’m happy - not because Mrs Evans has taught me a lot of interesting things but because other people have benefited. I don’t think many people really have these sort of discussions with their parents, so I feel relieved at least that they've been able to at school.
First she started about the Brain Drain and the thousands of people who are going to America. They go because engineers get nowhere here - although accountants can earn up to £18,000 a year. Prospects here are nil, and the prospects in America are greater. Mrs Evans says you should see the world before you settle down in Britain for life, and everybody should visit America. But I couldn’t bear to. It’s a completely materialistic society, and success is the only thing that matters.
“The flower-power people are America’s drop-outs - and the root of the trouble lies with the ad-men. ”
They have taken complete advantage of the affluent society, and they have done their little job very well.
The status of jobs is changing - advertising, modelling and entertaining are going up. What worries Mrs Evans is that the professions won’t be valued any more, and will be less and less well paid. It’s all very well talking about the schools of the future when there won’t be teachers to fill them! And she doesn’t think anybody should leave to live in America when the state has spent £16,000 on training them. I don’t entirely agree. If the country is dim enough not to give people good prospects, that’s the country’s fault.
Everyone left the lesson talking about it - a pretty remarkable thing. But this advertising business is worrying. It’s the most sick thing there is. America will destroy herself because the advertising will get out of hand, and it won't be worth living in America anymore.
Daddy doesn’t entirely agree with the bit about engineers.
"This advertising business is the most sick thing that's ever happened."
