Should ads be controlled?

gzlaser

IS it wrong for advertisers to keep pushing a lifestyle that only the lucky few can enjoy?

In a recent speech on controlling outdoor advertising, Beijing's Mayor Wang Qishan remarked that the excessive use of certain words on real estate billboards has marred the capital's image. The words in question include \"luxury\", \"ultimate\" and \"exclusive\", to name just a few. They suggest a lifestyle of the super rich.

Well, enough is enough, Beijing's commerce regulator said last week.

\"There is a problem with some advertising not conforming to the needs of the socialist spirit,\" the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce announced on its website, \"and they do not help social harmony.\"

In fact, many of the billboards along the city's busy streets have been taken down. Many residents applauded the move, saying they didn't need these ads pushing things they can never afford. But others say that the government needn't bother itself with these bits of rhetorical excess. Instead, it should do something about the housing prices that are going up high.

So, do you think the government needs to regulate luxury housing ads?