Photo by madworldnews.com

To many, this bumper sticker delivers a simple and succinct message: no matter your religion, humans should coexist and live in peace. And although the moral of this message is certainly one to subscribe to strive towards, it horribly discounts the international religious controversy that is taking place at this very minute all over the world.

The Middle East is being razed by ISIS; Scandinavia is bringing up radical Islamophobics; the Central African Republic is home to the center of a war between Muslims and Christians; Sri Lanka is being disheveled by Buddhists.

These conflicts are supposed to be washed away by thousands of hands-off Americans buying a $3.00 sticker and adhering it to their bumper to demonstrate just how accepting they are? Doubtful.

The majority of those who see or own these bumper stickers, of course, think nothing of it–the lives of Americans are too busy to stop and think about the true meaning behind something that may seem positive on a surface level. The pathos of the message of “coexisting” drives its success among unaware supporters, but ultimately, the logic behind it simply does not hold up when examined within the context of actual worldwide religious conflict.

Over and Out.

-Courtney

Poster created by James Montgomery Flagg; seen on Wikipedia

During World War I and World War II, there were many posters made with the goal of inspiring patriotism and support for America’s placement in each respective war and the war effort in general, but this “I Want You” poster, as it has come to be known, and the reproductions that have come after, are undoubtedly the most popular of them all. When Flagg’s poster first came about, it was published in the July 6, 1916, issue of Leslie’s Weekly magazine as a part of an article titled “What Are You Doing for Preparedness?”–urging all of the magazine readers to think actively about their relationship with the United States and America’s pending position within the war effort that would be cemented the following April when the US officially declared war on Germany. Flagg uses very direct visuals to call attention to the importance of joining the Army and doing it now. This is further implemented by the minimal amount of words on the poster–there isn’t even enough time to give you any details–just go to the Nearest Recruiting Station, and sign up to help your country. The lack of detail also alludes to the fact that everyone seeing this poster knows exactly why it is there and what its purpose is–it’s on the forefront of all Americans minds, and this poster plays on the effect that the global war has had thus far.

Over and Out.

-Courtney

The average American sees about 5,000 ads every day–some which persuade people to purchase a product or consider a service, and some which fall very, very short in their attempts to do so. Great ads utilize techniques that draw in viewers with captivating graphics, catchwords, valuable offers, and inclusive dilemmas–whereas less enticing ads try to incorporate these tactics into their messages, but ultimately fail.

Watch this ad to see what I mean when I talk about bad ads.

This ad, simply put, makes no sense. In it, Tina Fey makes up yoga poses that are a disgrace to the sport of yoga and all those who use yoga as a calming and meditative practice. Then a voice-over talks about American Express–confusing to the average viewer? Yes. Very much so. This ad is certainly not one that would stand out among the 5,000 that we see every day and discredits American Express as a company through its inarticulate and less-than-meaningful advertisement. If you were, however, intrigued by this ad, you might look it up–watch it again–and upon searching, you might find this other American Express ad:

“Ohhhhhhh,” you might think, “that first ad was supposed to be an offshoot of the longer video”–but who does that help? The first ad (which we’ll call Ad 1 from now on) only makes sense in the context of the second ad (which will now be referred to as Ad 2). By creating these two ads separately, American Express ostracizes the viewer of Ad 1 if they’ve never seen Ad 2. And honestly, who is going to take the time to look up a bad ad that they saw and do some research into its meaning? Not the average American; that’s for sure. Not only does Ad 1 cause immediate confusion, but Ad 2 is poorly scripted and paints a negative picture of women in the workout industry while promoting impulse buys as a healthy way of life to some of the most in-debt Americans ever.

Fey’s almost idiotic shopping spree in some unnamed fitness store makes women, in general, seem to be unknowledgeable when it comes to athletics and fitness, and simply discounts the merits of genuinely purchasing items to better a person’s health. Not only is exercise and fitness mocked by Fey and American Express, but the underlying tone of ‘buy, buy, buy’ speaks to a deeper and sadder truth of Americans today: we are obsessed with buying things without thinking through their usefulness. We want the newest, most popular, trendy thing that we have no genuine care for; we shop impulsively, and American Express is exploiting that trait, urging more Americans to shop until they literally drop.

Over and Out.

-Courtney