Dear Posters of Politics and Religion on Facebook

Dear Posters of Politics and Religion on Facebook,

This is why I hate/love you.

Alright you silly Facebookers, listen. We get it. You have opinions, great. And you want to share those opinions, cool. But look, here’s the deal. If you’re going to post about how much you love/hate Barack Obama or why God is great/doesn’t exist, well, expect to get some shit for it. If you’re going to share YOUR opinions, others can share THEIR opinions. That’s the way it works. If you don’t like it, don’t do it. Believe it or not you actually get to make that choice all by yourself. But please keep on doing it, it gives a lot of us some great entertainment.

Honestly, I love when people post about their stances and argue for them. If they have a good argument, even if I don’t personally agree, I still respect them more, if not, well… at least they consciously have chosen to take a stance. My agreement or disagreement doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean we can’t be friends anymore. This brings me to my first point: don’t unfriend people because of their statuses.

Posting on someone’s wall that you’re unfriending them for something they posted just makes you, the unfriender, look like an ass. Okay okay, if they posted some crazy shit about nazis or puppy killing, you definitely should feel free to unfriend them and maybe spread the word to the police, but otherwise, pipe down and get over yourself. If you really disagree with their opinions so much, how did you become friends in the first place? And if you’re really such a piece of dick that you can’t just say, well we don’t share the same opinions politically/religiously, so I hate them forever end of story, then well you’re never going to have any friends. People are who they are. No one will ever possibly share the exact same beliefs as you. It’s time you got used to it and accepted it.

Look, sharing our political and religious beliefs is a great way to learn and grow. Sure, some people take it too far. There are plenty of people out there who say Obama is the messiah, while just as many say he’s the antichrist. They’re both bat-shit-crazy. But the majority of people either agree with his policies or disagree with them. If you see a post that you disagree with, don’t immediately hold it against the person who posted it and engage in a battle of the dimwits. This brings me to my second point: Do some fucking research.

First, know where to get correct information. If you’re just looking at Huffington Post or FoxNews, you’re not going to get real information. Look at sources from both biases. Read newspapers from Europe and Canada. Dig a little. If you’re sitting there thinking, wow, that’s a lot of work, but you feel strongly enough to make a comment in opposition to the post, you’re an idiot. And lazy. Don’t be THAT GUY who argues against a post with a comment that the next twenty commenters lay down arguments refuting. Do your research, know what you’re talking about, and draft an intelligent, informed counterargument. If that sounds like too much work,then just post a silly picture of a cat eating a cheeseburger and be on your way.

What you have to realize is that when someone makes a post about something they feel strongly about, it’s not going to change their mind when you comment that they’re a dumbass. A reasoned response might actually make the original poster think for a second and maybe look at it from your angle, but for the most part, it’s like telling someone that green is actually not as good a color as blue and they’re small-minded for thinking that it could ever even compare. I think we can all agree puppies are cute and a cat can do no wrong on the internet. So if you’re looking to share opinions and don’t want to get people’s blood pressures rising, post a pic of an adorable Pomsky (husky/Pomeranian) puppy (like the one down there) and get on with your life. That’s my plan anyway.

Because dogs are better than cats. =D

Fabulous creatives support fabulous people fabulously

There’s this pressing matter to be inclusive in all forms, even advertising. With tons of anti-gay news arising and President Obama’s recent affirmation of fighting for the LGBT community in his second term, companies are creating stands on the issue as well. Clients are demanding that their ad and PR agencies create tactful campaigns to show their support for this community. But how is the working out for the industry? Let’s take a look at what I believe was a good way of doing this and a not so good way.

Oreo did some work with Draftfcb last year and it was pretty simple. They took Oreos and made them into marks for special times of the year and/or history. What really got people worked up though was this ad:

Even though this ad got a lot of press, it was an ad that was a part of a good, not great, campaign. The reactions that Oreo got were mixed from consumers. Some loved that the company expressed support for the LGBT community. On the other hand, some groups refused to eat Oreos ever again.  What are your thoughts on what Oreo did? Personally, I thought the piece received more positive responses than negative therefore leading to an increase in consumers. Some may so there was more of a loss with this campaign piece, but the support for the LGBT community is apparent, which is now above fifty percent.

This bold move to support the LGBT community is hard to pull off when the topic is so hot.  R&R Partners attempted this as well with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, most famously known for their Only Vegas campaign. A recent campaign depicted Vegas as a gay-borhood, but they didn’t really score with the critics.

Most people reacted to this ad in a negative way. Not because it was supporting the LGBT community but because it was belittling the heterosexual community. It depicts “straight” people as unattractive, old, unfashionable, among other negative, not as fabulous personas. Maybe this was a little too far fetch. Call me stupid, but I don’t like this visual hyperbole. What do you think?

What I learned from these two ads is if you’re going to do something that could possibly be controversial, be tactful. It’s okay to take risks, but do it in good taste.