pretty, but non-functional.
Last week, I re-tweeted the following advertisement from Royal Dutch Airlines, which they had posted with the caption, "It doesn't matter who you click with." When I originally saw the advertisement posted on a friend's Facebook page, I didn't believe it could be real, but when I checked the Royal Dutch Airlines Twitter account, it turned out to be genuine. Surprised, my initial reaction was to comment: "It actually does matter."
Why would an airline use such an advertisement?
Well, as a non-evangelical friend of mine commented:
"When companies advertise in this way, they are advertising embracing equality in how they communicate with and serve their INTERNATIONAL customers. They are inviting people who are often rejected, turned away, put down, demonized, harassed, or even harmed, and letting them know that they will be given the same attention and fairness as the airline's straight guests, and ensure them that negative behavior from people of different beliefs and opinions will not be tolerated.
"Companies advertise this way to make people feel welcomed and loved. They are offering them a safe, hassle free journey."
This must certainly be the motive behind the advertisement. However, I believe that the advertisement itself, which attempts to use pretty, but non-functional [in 2 out of 3 cases] seatbelts in order to make a political point, is emblematic of the mode of thought expressed in many of our cultural/political conversations today.
We are not trained to consider the proper functions of our institutions nor the rational end of our assertions. The original designer of the seatbelt did not create it in order to make a political statement. This applies to other areas of reality as well.
I believe that, like trying to use a pretty, though clearly non-functional, seatbelt to make a political point, certain affirmations, while perhaps providing some sense of emotional relief for certain people in the short-term, are actually out-of-step with reality/rationality. Allowing emotion to trump reality (rather than submitting our emotions to reality) is ultimately destructive for society and individuals within it.
Why would an airline use such an advertisement?
Well, as a non-evangelical friend of mine commented:
"When companies advertise in this way, they are advertising embracing equality in how they communicate with and serve their INTERNATIONAL customers. They are inviting people who are often rejected, turned away, put down, demonized, harassed, or even harmed, and letting them know that they will be given the same attention and fairness as the airline's straight guests, and ensure them that negative behavior from people of different beliefs and opinions will not be tolerated.
"Companies advertise this way to make people feel welcomed and loved. They are offering them a safe, hassle free journey."
This must certainly be the motive behind the advertisement. However, I believe that the advertisement itself, which attempts to use pretty, but non-functional [in 2 out of 3 cases] seatbelts in order to make a political point, is emblematic of the mode of thought expressed in many of our cultural/political conversations today.
We are not trained to consider the proper functions of our institutions nor the rational end of our assertions. The original designer of the seatbelt did not create it in order to make a political statement. This applies to other areas of reality as well.
I believe that, like trying to use a pretty, though clearly non-functional, seatbelt to make a political point, certain affirmations, while perhaps providing some sense of emotional relief for certain people in the short-term, are actually out-of-step with reality/rationality. Allowing emotion to trump reality (rather than submitting our emotions to reality) is ultimately destructive for society and individuals within it.
Labels: Christian worldview
posted by Andrew Lindsey | 9:14 AM
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