Passion of Sony and Gaming

The Sony corporation recently launched an advertising campaign which depicted a young man wearing a crown of thorns above the caption "Ten years of passion." It's an obvious reference to the Passion of Jesus and Sony was forced to withdraw the campaign because Christians were offended. But was this justified?

Globe and Mail reports:

“This time they’ve gone too far,” said Antonio Sciortino, editor of Famiglia Cristiana (Christian Family), a mass-circulation Catholic weekly. “If this had concerned Islam there would have been a really strong reaction,” Mr. Sciortino was quoted as saying in the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

There is an image of the ad here. Should every ad that is offensive to Christians, Muslims, Jews, or any other religious group be withdrawn or not even created in the first place? Humorous references to various aspects of shared culture are common in advertising and there is no particular reason why humorous references, including parody, of religion should not be allowed unless religion is supposed to be “different” from everything else.

That, however, is not a supportable premise in this context. Ads which demean people of a particular religion or somehow encourage the perception that some groups are inferior shouldn’t be created. This ad, though, is nothing of the sort. Christians may justifiably not like the use of an important image from their religion in such an irreverent manner, but there is nothing which requires that everyone treat every aspect of Christianity with the same reverence and deference as the most devout Christians.

I don’t think that there is anything wrong with Christians not liking and objecting to the ad, but at the same time it’s not legitimate for them to expect to be treated as “special” in a pluralistic culture. If Sony had created an ad which treated an important figure or icon for communists in an irreverent manner, would they have responded to complaints from communists? Of course not. Would they have withdrawn an ad which treated an important philosopher or scientist in an irreverent manner? No.

Why should advertising agencies and corporation only be worried about offending religious ideologies but not other ideologies, belief systems, world views, etc?

 

Quick Poll: Was Sony right to withdraw the Passion ad?

1. No, it was funny
2. Yes, it was offensive
3. I don't know / don't care

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Read More:

• Critical Thinking
• Religion 101
• Theism 101
• Does God Exist?