My class was discussing the annoyances, frustrations, and evils of our modern American culture. Students deplored violence, materialism, divorce, pollution, traffic, television. Their list went on and on. But even after quite some time my own pet peeve still had not been mentioned.

“One thing I’d personally love to be rid of,” I volunteered, “is advertising.”

Instantly—from the back row of desks—a young man’s hand shot into the air. He screwed his face into a caricature of intellectual pain. Too utterly disgusted to wait for my acknowledgment he exclaimed:

“But Mr. Skank! Without advertising, how would we know what we need?”