Should be offended more frequently!
That’s my plug on Mae West’s “Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.” Not that I have any intentions to one-up on her or any of the other great people who’ve said a version of that but it’s just something I think we should do often.
Even if it’s just for kicks!
I was bored to tears this morning after bumping into a gender diversity article on LinkedIn, which lead me to another one, and then another one that basically opened a can of worms. The main discussion was about this controversial Gillette ad that did rounds early this year.
You won’t believe the ungodly amount of time people have spent just trashing this ad! The women folks felt this was condescending, the men folks thought this wasn’t a smart move, the marketers and advertising professionals had a bunch of opinions on their own. It didn’t make any sense to me because:
- I’m ignorant
- It’s just an advertisement with a point of view that men can be so much better than they have been
What the hell could be wrong with that? Apparently, a lot more than you and I will ever realize. Listen, all that Gillette wanted to do was to sell a bunch of its razors while making a sensible point.
If you think that was anathema, well probably the ad isn’t the issue but you. To quote Mark Rippetoe, “you-are-not-a-special-snowflake.” Keep that in mind and you will read between the lines a lot less while appreciating life so much more.
And that’s the best each of us can (and should) get.