William Williams

Every year around this time, Jewish people around the world celebrate Purim—a holiday commemorating the time when Persian King Ahasuerus (traditionally identified as Xerxes I), extended to the scattered descendants of Judah’s captivity the right to defend themselves against their enemies. It was a momentous day, when a mighty world ruler—hardly a Jew himself—intervened against one of his own advisor’s schemes, and prevented persecution of the beleaguered Jewish minority living in his kingdom.

How would you feel if someone aimed a loaded weapon at your children? And yet, in the interests of more than 700 billion dollars worth of annual purchases, many industries are doing just that: loading the barrels of their marketing campaigns with whatever ammunition they can. Their targets: the minds and impulses of children—and if you think it’s just about money, you’re only partly right.

On November 19, 1863—exactly 150 years ago to this day—U.S. President Abraham Lincoln gave his historic “Gettysburg Address,” known for its famous lines: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Despite his lofty words, Lincoln understood that this proposition—like the nation as a whole—was being tested. What about today?