After my last post titled Advertising is Evil, Robin Edgar posted an interesting comment about a highly misleading, if not outright fraudulent ad. It turns out to be one of the latest new magazine ads for the Unitarian Universalists. It starts with a very provocative statement for shock value, then goes on to discuss it in a more reasonable tone.
I'd rather not go into a discussion about the effectiveness of this approach at the moment. It does bring up an interesting thought though - if advertising is evil, does this apply to ads from religious groups or non-profit organizations in general? This is somewhat of an intellectual game, but after giving it some thought I came up with the following answer. Advertising by commercial entities can be considered evil because they are trying to change your thoughts without regard to the harm it may cause you or society, motivated solely by their own profit. Non-profit organizations, including religious ones, are by definition not operating only for their own financial gain. They are much more likely to be concerned with benefiting society in general or you in particular, at least according to their view on what is beneficial.
Now it's certainly possible of course that they can end up using unethical and deceptive methods for doing this. No organization is perfect. So I'll view advertisements from non-profit groups as being potentially good or evil, needing evaluation on a case-by-case basis. I think political advertising also falls into this category, though given recent history I'm likely to consider them guilty until proven innocent.
Since I don't know of any TV or radio show supported only with non-profit advertising (with the possible exception of some PBS and NPR shows that have non-profit underwriting), this doesn't really change anything. I'm still left with the big question - what to do about watching the upcoming Olympics? I'm guessing that it will be a commercial advertising extravaganza setting new records for at least the amount of advertising money spent, and possibly the amount of total time devoted to advertising. Ugh.
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2 comments:
Thanks for posting that response to my brief comment. Perhaps I should point out the ways in which that UUA advertising, published in TIME magazine as part of the UUA's national marketing campaign, is highly misleading if not outright fraudulent in some ways.
The top of the page carries the slogan -
Nurture Your Spirit, Help Heal Our World
Unfortunately the UUA, some U*U clergy, some U*U "churches", and plenty of individual U*Us are guilty of not only failing and refusing to do things that would help people to nurture their spirit, but actively engage in suppressing people's ability to nurture their spirit in various ways. As if this was not bad enough, these U*Us say and do things that are harmful and damaging to some people's spirits. These and other U*Us, who are aware of U*U injustices and abuses of various kinds, are also guilty of abjectly failing, and even obstinately refusing, to "do the right thing" and actually *do* what is necessary to help heal the victims of diverse U*U injustices and abuses, including victims of clergy misconduct committed by U*U ministers. How can the UUA call upon people to "help heal our world" when UUA administrators, including some top-level U*U clergy who may be directly involved in the creation of that misleading advertising campaign. . . refuse to do what is necessary to help heal the U*U World?
MY GOD IS BETTER THAN YOUR GOD.
OK. That is indeed a rather provocative, to say nothing of quite literally "in your face" advertising slogan that is obviously intended to grab people's attention. I have two problems with it.
1) It is a thinly veiled attack on the theistic religions of the world such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam which obviously plays up their exclusive claims about God.
2) Many if not most Unitarian*Universalists themselves believe that their "God", or at least their "idea of God" is better than other people's "idea of God".
Rhetorically asking -
Is this any way to talk about religion?
With the obvious answer being "no", is very hypocritical considering that a good number of U*Us fervently believe that their "idea of God" is far superior to the "idea of God" of other "obsolete religions" to use Rev. Peter Morales' words. . . Quite regrettably, "MY GOD IS BETTER THAN YOUR GOD", or at least "MY IDEA OF GOD IS BETTER THAN YOUR IDEA OF GOD" is precisely how a whole lot off U*Us talk about religion, often in fairly obnoxious and insulting ways. N'est-ce pas? Most ironically this is perhaps especially true of the fundamentalist atheist aka Atheist Supremacist faction of Humanist U*Us. Imagine how Christian oriented Americans, or otherwise God believing Americans, are going to feel when they visit a U*U "church" as a result of be sucked in this U*U false advertising only to be confronted by intolerant "Humanist" U*Us who have no qualms about telling theists that their "idea of God" is "primitive" "delusional" "absurd" and "obsolete" etc. etc.
Maybe you yearn for an open-minded, spiritual community where people respect each other’s beliefs and worship together as one
faith.
Indeed I expect that a good number of Americans do yearn for an open-minded, spiritual community where people respect each other’s beliefs, but a good number of U*U congregations are chronically unready, obstinately unwilling, and pathologically unable to live up to the "promise", or at least premise, of that advertising and the UUA is perfectly aware of this. . . God knows, and the UUA knows, that a good number of U*U "Welcoming Congregations" are anything but genuinely welcoming to God believing people in general and Christians in particular. Theistic religious beliefs are responded to with condescension disdain, and even outright hostility and contempt in too many U*U "churches". Far from being open-minded too many U*Us are narrow-minded, close-minded, suspicious minded, and at times even outright bloody-minded in their responses to the religious beliefs and practices of "others", including those of their fellow U*Us. . . Even if theists are lucky enough to not to encounter the anti-religious intolerance and bigotry of Atheist Supremacist "Humanist" U*Us they can still find themselves to be second-class citizens in the U*U World.
Where no one’s idea of God is better than another’s.
I think that I have already quite adequately pointed out how a good number of U*Us fervently believe that their idea of God is in fact significantly better than another’s. The UUA is perfectly aware of this unfortunate fact of U*Uism yet runs this ad anyway. That goes well beyond just being misleading, it is outright fraudulent as far as I am concerned, and I expect that plenty of "others" will agree with me on that point.
Welcome to Unitarian Universalism.
Welcome?
I don't think that the UUA, and a good number of U*U "Welcoming Congregations". . . know the meaning of that word.
Personally I think that the UUA may well be shooting itself in the food by running this national advertising campaign before taking adequate steps to ensure that U*U congregations will live up to its promise. It could well backfire badly if enough people visit or join U*U congregations on the basis of this misleading propaganda only to discover to their chagrin, if not misfortune, that it's what I have reasonable grounds to call U*U BS. Please forgive me for saying TIME will tell. . . ;-)
I am 56 and came across your blog as I was searching the subject of goals after age 50.
My degree is in fine art, and I have worked in the environmental/alternative energy field for non-profits, I have worked as a graphic artist in publishing and manufacturing, given my time to helping people needing to escape religious cults, and many other varied activities.
You caught my attention with the word advertising. You see, I currently work for a yellow pages publisher, a very reputable company, and have for the first time in many years, health insurance and a retirement plan.
I was surprised that you would make such a generalization as saying advertising is evil.
Devious and manipulative people can use advertising, but advertising in itself is is a tool, neither good nor evil. It can be misused, as any tool can be, but it is neutral in itself.
Next time you have an emergency plumbing leak or need to call the vet for your pet or have an ear ache and need to make a doctor's appointment, you will be glad that your local service people advertise their name, number, office hours, etc. Advertising helps people find what they need. I have also seen the manipulative use of advertising, as we all have, by political campaigns, cults, con artists and quacks.
But please, be reasonable. It is not advertising in itself, which is basically communication, that is the problem. Any tool can be used for good or evil.
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