Brana Hardway: Post #7

Albuquerque Journal 11/20/09
"'Sobering' Ad Begins Superblitz"
By: Jeff Proctor
This article describes the new anti-DWI television advertisement which tells the story of how a drunken father kills his daughter in a fatal car crash. The commercial is intended to be very emotionally charged in attempts for people to "designate a driver." This ad is purposely aired frequently in order for alot of people to view it. The commercial is also used to advertise the increased number of sobriety checkpoints and police patrolling for DWI offenders while also advocating the state's "new data-tracking system" that "will help law enforcement predict where drunken drivers will be and where they will crash."
This article exhibits the use of social control because it shows how agencies of control use the media to regulate our thoughts and behavior. This new commercial that tugs on the heart strings of the community seems to be unavoidable seen because as Governor Bill Richardson says, "No matter where you live in New Mexico, you will see this campaign." Media used as a strategy of social control is a scary thought because it so prevalent in our modern lives that we have no choice but to view, read and hear the messages of these controlling agents. They use media to scare us into acting the way they want, shaping our conduct. In this article the commercial scares people into thinking that we may kill our loved ones by driving drunk, the assertion that more checkpoints and police enforcement will be on the streets looking for drunk drivers instills fear and also scares us into thinking we cannot hide from this control and surveillance because of the new detection equipment. The messages used to control our mind and body conveyed through the media may be beneficial to our life and liberty but the impact this control has may not be as favorably held as good for us.