According to an article in The Huffington Post, Facebook has banned ads promoting the decriminalization of marijuana because it contained a picture of the marijuana plant. Now, I am not saying that I am for or against legalizing marijuana. However, I think it is strange that a company that makes its money from people socializing and being able to communicate on issues and interests is preventing such issues from being advertised. The group that placed the ad, Just Say Now, is promoting an issue that will be on the California ballot in this year's election, making it something that voters should be informed about. How else can an issue advertise if they cannot show what they are promoting?
Facebook states that it is considered a smoking product which is banned in their ad rules, however those same rules do not classify pot as a smoking product.. According to the Facebook Help Center, "Facebook does not allow advertisements promoting tobacco products.Tobacco or tobacco-related products include cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, tobacco pipes, hookahs or hookah lounges, rolling papers, vaporized tobacco delivery devices, or electronic cigarettes." Marijuana is not stated anywhere in their ad rules.
I understand that Facebook wants to keep ads clean and prevent misleading information, but the legalization of marijuana is a topic that most Facebook users are interested in and often comes up in today's political system. So why is it not being treated like one?
To read the full article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/24/facebook-blocks-ads-for-p_n_692295.html
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Something to keep in mind....
“Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either”- Aesop
This quote should be memorized by every person, especially those studying politics because it is important to always look at the big picture. Too often, people hear stories on the news or read about them in newspapers and will automatically assume that whatever the broadcaster or journalist states is exactly what is happening. This is not only unfair to the people involved in the story, but also to the people reading or watching the news. It closes people off from learning what is really happening and being able to be open minded about various issues. It is my hope that while writing this blog, I will portray both sides of important issues so that we all can understand our political system more clearly.
This quote should be memorized by every person, especially those studying politics because it is important to always look at the big picture. Too often, people hear stories on the news or read about them in newspapers and will automatically assume that whatever the broadcaster or journalist states is exactly what is happening. This is not only unfair to the people involved in the story, but also to the people reading or watching the news. It closes people off from learning what is really happening and being able to be open minded about various issues. It is my hope that while writing this blog, I will portray both sides of important issues so that we all can understand our political system more clearly.
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