Billions of dollars are spent every year on advertising by those who want to promote their products, and advertising itself has become very big business. The appeals to consumers through advertising are obviously successful; the business keeps growing. How is it that people are persuaded to buy products they do not need in addition to those that are needed? And how is it that they are persuaded by advertising tactics that consist mainly of messages that no one really believes?

In this chapter, we will discuss the rise of a consumers' republic – one that defines citizenship more in terms of consumption than of civic action. We will see that the topic is loaded with complexities: Should we buy only what we really need, or is it our duty as citizens to maintain the economy by buying as much as we can? Has mass consumption furthered or hurt the American work ethic? Does advertising serve an educational purpose? How do advertising and propaganda overlap? What should be the school's role in educating consumers? Why has pharmaceutical advertising grown so rapidly, and should we believe what is advertised? Should we regard ourselves as a free society because there are no legal constraints against our speaking out, or should we worry that we are enslaved by a huge system that manipulates our opinions?