Religion, politics, and money: the ultimate trifecta of taboo subjects in many social settings. Because these are such controversial issues, ads concerning these topics often run the risk of offending or alienating groups of viewers. A March 2012 ad by a nontheistic group called Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) tackled the topic of religion and struck a blow against Catholics. Appearing in The New York Times, this ad called for “liberal” and “nominal” Catholics to “quit the Roman Catholic Church” due to its position on birth control and related issues such as abortion, marriage equality, and stem-cell research. The New York Times added to this offense by refusing to run a similar anti-Islamic ad later that month. As a member of the Catholic Church, I was offended by this ad. The copy of the ad includes offensive wording that not only attacks the practices of the Church but also insults those the ad is trying to reach. It accuses viewers of “deluding” themselves by having confidence in their abilities to create change, and it criticizes viewers for mindlessly following the Church’s policies. This ad’s attack on religion presents an ethical issue because it concerns morals and values. It also threatens to cross the line of being a legal issue as well, however. The Bill of Rights ensures freedom of religion to American citizens. Many Catholics view this as an attack on this freedom. One can’t help but wonder why the FFRF would create an ad that offends its target audience. Sometimes, companies create ads that unintentionally offend groups of people they had not considered. However, this ad presents the case of a company directly attacking those to which it speaks. Personally, I have to question this strategy as I see little chance of the ad becoming successful with this tactic. I think there are a variety of opportunities to remedy this offense. The New York Times could have refused to run the ad like they refused to run the anti-Islamic ad. Because they did not make this choice, however, they could respond to it by printing a retraction or including a disclaimer that the newspaper does not support the content of the ad. As for the FFRF, I doubt the members have much remorse for their offense. I would not suggest they try to reconcile with the offended Catholics, as that is not really their goal. However, I would suggest the organization employ better consideration for its target audience of future ads if it wishes to achieve success and generate support.
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Kristin KreherMy happiness comes from meaningful interactions, the outdoors, thrift shops, and saying "thank you." Archives
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