Adverse Effects of School Commercialization - Essay Example

Molnar's stance is subjective in the article and is based on the ethos of audience appeal in a rhetorical situation. Less focus on school commercialization does not indicate an end to it, rather it can be an indication of increased acceptance of this marketing practice.

Molnar’s audience here is the district government, educational institutes, parents, and students. Molnar also impliedly communicates to the community and government at large. In the article, we find a lack of government policies and their implication along with a similar blind conscience of the community. By making this deficiency apparent in his article, Molnar emphasizes the promotion of active resistance on all levels. His persuasive argument is casting a strong glimmer of reprimand for the advertising industry.

The objective of the article is to evoke an active resistance against school commercialism and to make it clear that school commercialism has not disappeared yet. In the support of his stance against the prevailing misperception, he clarifies that it may have only been due to the acceptance of increasing commercialization in educational institutes, as he mentions that "Of particular note again this year was the lack of voice in the education media on commercializing activity in schools" (Molnar and Reaves, 2001). The article’s purpose also is to jolt the authorities of educational institutes and the district governments to stir their ethical educational conscience. School marketing is misleading the young generation and thereby jeopardizing the future of our country. Molnar aims to highlight the still prevailing unworthy cost of such commercialization, as was the case of Philio Morris's textbook program that was advertising smoking at a subliminal level (Molnar and Reaves, 2001). The article intends to evoke awareness in schools and institutions against the persuasive strategies of the industries, to make the institutes aware of the meager benefits and abundant disadvantages that they receive.

Molnar takes a strong rhetorical stance with a focus on ethos audience appeal and builds his case with ethically logical arguments. He has reasoned that such marketing practice has given rise to various adverse factors, e.g. the increasing student plastic money debts (Molnar and Reaves, 2001). Owing to such marketing practices the ethics of school curricula are being undermined and the efficacy of teaching and learning processes is reducing, as the focus has been diverted towards promoting the interests of the corporations. The subliminal message about cigarette smoking (Molnar and Reaves, 2001) highlights a disastrous disadvantage of school marketing. Molnar’s stance assumes a stronger stand when he acknowledges that such incentives do provide educational institutes with incentives. However, he later clarifies that in most instances, like in Pizza Hut’s reading program ‘Book It!’ (Molnar and Reaves, 2001); the corporation’s interest outweighs the meager benefits, if any, of the educational institute.  Another negative aspect mentioned by Molnar is the advertisement of ‘violent R-rated films’ by the entertainment industry (Molnar and Reaves, 2001). Molnar cites all the recent instances of school marketing to show that neither the threat nor its harmful effect has died out yet.

Molnar’s strong rhetorical subjective stance reflects his quest for fair and ethical educational practices. His audience here is the district government, school authorities, parents, students, and the community in general. His purpose is to emphasize that the outcry, against such commercialization, from the education sector, has diminished in the past few decades without any evidenced reason for it. On the whole, Molnar aims to educate his audience about the fact that school commercialization is still in full force, and he persuades his audience with plausible ethical arguments to rise against such marketing practices, again. His purpose is the quest for ethical school education with fair practices and his strong persuading language, expression, and usage of ethos (an effective rhetorical audience appeal) is the tool he is using to make a difference. The precise purpose of the article is to educate the community in general about the still-existent perils of school marketing and the need not to overlook them.