Your final exam, brought to you by Coca-cola...

Left to fend for himself after budget cuts, Tom Farber's tests cost over $500 a year to print, but this year he only got $316, so one calculus teacher resorted to selling ads on quizzes and tests to cover his printing costs. $10 for quizzes, $20 for tests, and $30 for a final.


After a local newspaper featured his story, the offers rolled in and he sold out his semester. Most of the ads are positive messages bought by parents, while others are from local businesses.


While the story is cool, it does raise the concern that other schools and teachers might get inspired and start renting out space to more sophisticated clients, like McDonald’s or Coke.


“The advertisers are paying for something, and it’s access to kids,” said Robert Weissman, managing director of Commercial Alert, a non-prof that combats commercialization in the classroom.




Are there any aspects of our lives free from advertising? Jesus.

 

I don't mind it so much. This is a capitalist society. The companies are providing a service. The students do have choices. They don't have to eat McDonalds or drink Coca-Cola or Pepsi.

I guess I would mind if were interfering with the curriculum though.

 

I just hate how so much of our culture is dependent upon advertising dollars. You can't go anywhere without seeing brand names plastered all over everything, even our clothing and bodies. People getting tattoos of websites? Tell me that doesn't seem wrong on some level.

Schools are places to learn shit about the world, not about which hardware store has the best prices on hammers this week. I haven't found if this is a high school or college, but either way...if it's at the college level the tuition dollars of the students should've been spent better to provide ad-free tests and quizzes. If it's high school...then where the fuck is the funding? don't they cut enough music and art programs in public schools to fund printing costs?

It just feels so wrong to me. I don't like it at all. But I also have a personal problem with rampant advertising everywhere in general. It just sometimes feels like we're floating through an imaginary life, brought to you by Pepsi. I guess it just bothers me that everywhere I go I'm reminded of how heavily we rely on the corporations to keep us satiated and complacent.

Bah, capitalism.

 

I'm going to get a tattoo www.whitewomenblackmen.com Lol. Jokes.
I can't really argue because the profession I'm hoping to go into is Advertising and PR so I'll be the one coming up with all these bad advertising campaigns.

 

I understand your point DH. It does seem awkward on some level to have businesses sponsoring exam papers and what not. It can be kind of tacky

On the other hand, it gives dollars to the colleges and universities. In this time of economic chaos, schools need all the dollars they can get

One thing I like about our society is that we as individuals can band together with other individuals with similar interests to make our voices heard about things we disagree with, like people who dislike the commercialization of colleges and universities

 

I think it's the hippie in me, homie. It's at war with my fascination of human culture.

I dunno. I guess it's just down to that "Is anything sacred?" mentality. Isn't there a point when enough is enough?

But I guess I'm the only one anyway. Ah well.

 

Well I commend you for your principled beliefs

 

I agree with you, but I think this is the greater crying shame in this particular situation.