Alexsandro Palombo: What Is False Advertising Ethical?

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Throughout the years as our culture has become more and more saturated in media, and advertisers have taken advantage of us. Advertising at it’s core is getting the word out about your product and showing people that they need it and why they have to have it. Recently however, advertisers have figured out how to get people to buy things. They will pull on your heartstrings, and make you think that if you don’t have that one product that they are selling, that you have to have it immediately. One of the first examples that came to mind when thinking of false advertising is photo-shopping celebrities to make a point, for something that they did not give their approval for. Several months ago artist, Alexsandro Palombo, who is also an activist, …show more content…

He also said that he wanted to raise awareness that all women could be victims of abuse. Since these advertisements came out in November, there has been a lot of debating on if releasing these images was ethical or unethical. A spokeswoman for Palombo, Vanessa Esteban, said that there was no need to seek the celebrities’ permission to alter their images because it is a contemporary art series. QUT domestic violence researcher, Kerry Carrington said, “It’s unethical. It would have been more power had they consented because it would be sending a much more meaningful …show more content…

When I look at this specific situation I think that I lean toward the Agape Principle (The Golden Rule). I think that in this case we need to show love to all of our fellow humans and I do not feel like that is happening in this specific situation. I think that Palombo took what he wanted without permission and put graphic content out there for the world to see knowing that it would draw a reaction. Carrington said, “I think there was good motivation behind it, but domestic violence is also about control and power and if you’re not seeking the consent of using the image that way, it’s sending a bad message.” I think Carrington’s comment really speaks to the Agape