You’ve Got to be Kidding! Commercials

Has anyone noticed the new Americentralism?  How American corporations seem to think that there products are so awesome that the world should sit at their feet and consume them.  The arrogance to think that a whopper brings enlightenment to the uncivilized.  Or that a cup of Folger’s coffee will light up the face of the poor.  These commercials highlight the colonial attitude American corporations have towards those who don’t share American values; in particular consume American products.  This is about spreading American idealism, that consumption brings fulfillment. 

I’m not against good and creative commercials with the intent of selling a product.  However, there needs to be a recognition that commercials are not neutral visuals and stories but an influential form of art designed to motivate and manipulate a person into accepting a particular idea that is connected to the product being sold.  For example, the whopper idepict what Americans perceive to be distant and remote locations in the world, places where there are no Burger Kings, where there are virgin whopper eaters.  These places are then introduced the whopper with the result that people enthusiastically endorse the product.  The message is that even people who’ve never been “tainted” by fast food will choose the whopper over their own food.  It’s an ideal of fast, cheap food being promoted as tasting better than even the poor food of “far away” people so that it must taste better than the food of those of us who are watching the commercial. 

Folgers is not much better showing a Romanian family where a humanitarian volunteer is giving his time receiving a care package that contains a jug of Folger’s coffee.  The message is that the packaged, mass produced coffee is better than the lifestyle and culture of the poor family who find themselves overjoyed by the coffee in spite of the fact that their economic situation has not changed. 

In a global economy the culture of the powerful, the dominant overthrows the culture of the weaker.  This happened in the Roman Empire two thousand years ago when the expansion of the empire meant the Romanization of others whose cultures suddenly became irrelevant.  What’s ironic about the current “romanization” is that it’s being done by a nation who believes in freedom and choice.  While we don’t use military force (or do we) to impose our ideals thru our products we use advertising and economic dominance to manipulate and cajole. 

A true global world is one where each and every culture and language is legitimate because all of humanity is significant.  Thru the Virgin Mary God took on flesh and dwelt among us giving significance to humanity regardless of culture and language.  In other words, in Christ one culture or society is not better than another but all of humanity and it’s diversity is recognized as being good and part of the world God has created (something the church has not always recognized). 

This isn’t to say that people’s lifestyles and cultures are always just or good.  Obviously the current American culture needs to be challenged with it’s dominance but there are good aspects of American culture; I’m happy to be an American and live in a free nation.  But, respecting and cherishing this freedom should not cause us to turn a blind eye to our sins. 

It’s time for corporations to be held responsible for the messages they send and to promote a global diversity that respects all of humanity and provides holistic opportunities for all of humanity without forcing them to become like us.