I love keeping track of videos I enjoy, so I can share them with others. This is nothing new, but every now and then you see a commercial and you realize that while it has a direct message and meaning, it also has implications outside of that and perhaps across many areas. Similac’s Mother ‘Hood is that kind of video.
Over the last month I have seen heated – occasionally hostile – discussions about #DeflateGate, Mac vs. PC, XBOX vs. Playstation, iOS vs. Android vs. Windows Phone, Vax vs. NoVax, Beck vs. Beyoncé, and on and on and on. Especially online it is easy for these things to get out of hand, and the sort of absolutism that is never productive.
Yet ultimately what leads to all of the shouting and personal attacks on Facebook and web forums (and so on) is the exact same passion that attracts us to things in the first place. We love mobile technology, so we have strong opinions about what works and what doesn’t. Same for pretty much everything … and we occasionally need to remember that we all SHARE that passion and enthusiasm – and should be working to encourage and better things for all of us rather than putting each other down.
Oh – and that picture above, from the Mother ‘Hood video, promotes a site that supports appreciation of Dads. I loved the commercial up until the tagline was entirely female-centric; as a dad who has always worked hard to be there with and for my boys, I appreciate what they are saying, and I found the larger message of the ad important.