make love not war...
I've never bought a single piece of clothing from the Italian clothes brand United Colors of Benetton, but right now they have my absolute admiration. Why? Because they published a new advertising campaign called UnHate. The models of this campaign are world-famous people, and they give us - albeit in photomanips - a very important, completely positive message: Love, don't hate.
Brilliant, no? :D The Catholic church, always so eager to tell people to love their neighbours like themselves, united with the Islamic church, the self-proclaimed "religion of peace"! Of course, Pope Benedikt XVI and the Imam of Cairo, Ahmed al-Tayyeb, are not exactly amongst the people I'd love to see kissing (I mean, eww), but the message is what's important, and I couldn't think of a more appropriate couple for this campaign!
Well, the Catholic church doesn't agree. Apparently, loving one's neighbour and giving him a kiss (which, let's admit it, could never be called deep or intense under any circumstances), is wrong and an affront to the Pope's dignity and that of the Catholic church and also to the feelings of the Catholics and therefore has to be taken to court and sued.
*headdesk*
What's probably the most disappointing about this is the fact that the campaign also features photomanips of Barack Obama and Hu Jintao, Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as Benjamin Netanjahu and Mahmud Abbas, in similar poses, and none of these people has complained about it so far. Way to go promoting love, Catholic church!
The president of the United States, Barack Obama, and the Chinese president Hu Jintao.
German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanjahu.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and the president of South Korea, Lee Myung Bak.
In other, slightly related news, German Arabist Thomas Bauer revealed that over a thousand years Islam has been tolerant towards homosexuals and can look back on a long history of rich homoerotic culture. The fervent prosecution of homosexuals in muslimic countries of today is not part of a religious and cultural tradition but was actually imported from Western countries in the 19th century. (source) Colour me impressed. :D
Brilliant, no? :D The Catholic church, always so eager to tell people to love their neighbours like themselves, united with the Islamic church, the self-proclaimed "religion of peace"! Of course, Pope Benedikt XVI and the Imam of Cairo, Ahmed al-Tayyeb, are not exactly amongst the people I'd love to see kissing (I mean, eww), but the message is what's important, and I couldn't think of a more appropriate couple for this campaign!
Well, the Catholic church doesn't agree. Apparently, loving one's neighbour and giving him a kiss (which, let's admit it, could never be called deep or intense under any circumstances), is wrong and an affront to the Pope's dignity and that of the Catholic church and also to the feelings of the Catholics and therefore has to be taken to court and sued.
*headdesk*
What's probably the most disappointing about this is the fact that the campaign also features photomanips of Barack Obama and Hu Jintao, Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as Benjamin Netanjahu and Mahmud Abbas, in similar poses, and none of these people has complained about it so far. Way to go promoting love, Catholic church!
The president of the United States, Barack Obama, and the Chinese president Hu Jintao.
German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanjahu.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and the president of South Korea, Lee Myung Bak.
In other, slightly related news, German Arabist Thomas Bauer revealed that over a thousand years Islam has been tolerant towards homosexuals and can look back on a long history of rich homoerotic culture. The fervent prosecution of homosexuals in muslimic countries of today is not part of a religious and cultural tradition but was actually imported from Western countries in the 19th century. (source) Colour me impressed. :D