On Wednesday, the clothing brand United Colors of Benetton released a series of images of foreign leaders kissing each other. The images, which are photoshopped, are part of a recent campaign by the company called “UNHATE.”
The campaign strives “to contribute to the creation of a new culture of tolerance” and “combat hatred,” their website says. Images include President Barack Obama kissing Chinese President Hu Jintao and the Pope kissing a prominent Islamic imam.
The thought-provoking images definitely draw viewers.
When I first saw the campaign, I was completely startled and even a bit repulsed. On second glance, though, there is nothing repulsing about the images.
They’re just different. Weird. Provocative. Unconventional. Thought-provoking.
But there’s nothing wrong with being provocative or unconventional. After all, our society is well acquainted with risqué ads of men and women scantily dressed or couples embracing provocatively.
The only real unsettling aspect of the campaign is that it may have been created simply to shock viewers and attract customers — not to combat hatred.
Washington Post blogger Jena McGregor made a similar argument.
“In an effort to reinvigorate its flagging brand, the fashion company’s leaders appear to be making a desperate effort to grab the spotlight,” McGregor wrote.
McGregor pointed out that Benetton is well known for similar tactics in the past. Other controversial ads included a photo of a priest kissing a nun and photos of global AIDS victims.
So what’s worst — dressing up shallow self-promotion in the form of global awareness and bringing light to an issue or ignoring the issue all together?
Despite my distaste of Benetton’s insincere tactics, I have to contend that global awareness in a sheep’s clothing is better than none at all.
After all, these issues need to be addressed. In 2010, the FBI reported that hate crimes within the U.S. increased, especially those directed towards Latinos and Muslims.
On an international front, racism, hatred and bigotry still exist. The Scottish Daily Record reported that 693 people were with charged with religious hate crimes in Scotland this year. This statistic is up 10 percent from the year before.
As long as these crimes keep increasing, there is a need to shock customers and encourage them to think about combating hatred.
This issue might seem foreign and irrelevant, but what if your brother or sister was killed by one of these hatred-fueled crimes? You’d probably think of it very differently.
What would it be like if relations between Palestine and Israel were actually benevolent? Benetton pictured leaders from the two conflicting countries kissing. Things would it be completely different if all world’s religions coexisted.
If Benetton’s “UNHATE” campaign encourages people to answer these questions, then I will gladly look the other way when the fox emerges from the sheep’s clothing.
Reach the columnist at eeeaton@asu.edu
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