"Studies indicate that these children are more susceptible to advertising and even less likely to understand the purpose of this advertising"
About this Quote
“Studies indicate” is the politician’s favorite incantation: a way to borrow the authority of science without having to argue like a scientist. Filner’s line isn’t trying to win a seminar debate about developmental psychology; it’s building a moral perimeter around a policy fight. By invoking research, he frames the issue as settled fact, then pivots to an implied verdict: if kids can’t grasp the purpose of advertising, advertising to them starts to look less like commerce and more like exploitation.
The sentence does two subtle things at once. First, it paints “these children” as uniquely vulnerable, a phrase that quietly invites the listener to supply the missing demographic details (age, income, disability, immigration status) while keeping the claim broadly usable. Second, the pairing of “more susceptible” with “even less likely to understand” creates a one-two rhetorical punch: kids aren’t merely influenced; they’re influenced without informed consent. That’s the emotional payload.
Context matters because Filner operated in an era when childhood was becoming a high-value market segment and screens were turning advertising into an ambient environment rather than an occasional TV interruption. The quote reads like a preemptive strike against the predictable counterargument - that ads are harmless, parents can manage it, the market can self-regulate. Filner’s intent is to shift responsibility upward, away from individual families and toward institutions and industries that profit from attention while outsourcing the costs. It’s less an observation than a permission slip for regulation: if the audience can’t understand the pitch, the pitch stops being legitimate.
The sentence does two subtle things at once. First, it paints “these children” as uniquely vulnerable, a phrase that quietly invites the listener to supply the missing demographic details (age, income, disability, immigration status) while keeping the claim broadly usable. Second, the pairing of “more susceptible” with “even less likely to understand” creates a one-two rhetorical punch: kids aren’t merely influenced; they’re influenced without informed consent. That’s the emotional payload.
Context matters because Filner operated in an era when childhood was becoming a high-value market segment and screens were turning advertising into an ambient environment rather than an occasional TV interruption. The quote reads like a preemptive strike against the predictable counterargument - that ads are harmless, parents can manage it, the market can self-regulate. Filner’s intent is to shift responsibility upward, away from individual families and toward institutions and industries that profit from attention while outsourcing the costs. It’s less an observation than a permission slip for regulation: if the audience can’t understand the pitch, the pitch stops being legitimate.
Quote Details
| Topic | Parenting |
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