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*What or who is negated? In some ways, 9/11 is negated in order to create room for awareness of the tsunami that hit Brazil. According to the tagline of the ad, 100 times more people were lost in the tsunami than in 9/11, but because it was not an act of terrorism, it received subpar media coverage and little support from organizations across the world.
*What standards are created by the image or advertisement?
This advertisement is powerful and slightly controversial in that it takes an American national tragedy and levels the playing field with tragedies that have occurred overseas. By doing so, the WWF campaign creates a double standard. To be clear from the outset, I wholeheartedly stand behind the efforts of Americans to remember and honor the people who died that day. For the sake of this assignment, one must come from a place of objectivity and that is where I stand. The events that happened on 9/11 are some of the most publicized and covered of the last century. There are documentaries, memorials, monuments, and moments of silence dedicated to the lives lost on the planes and on the ground. It is wonderful yet painful to take a minute and remember those people. Somehow though, the tragedies in other countries have gone completely unnoticed by the United States and many other countries. This campaign, run by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is dedicated to informing people of the catastrophes in other places. Mostly, the campaign brings awareness to foreign countries regarding natural disasters in lesser known territories.
*Are these standards fair? Is the advertisement or image ethical?
The desired standard of the WWF is for fairness across the world for help and monetary support whenever disaster strikes. Regardless of origin, be it terrorism or an earthquake, lives are impacted and people get injured. No one people group is worthy of help more than another.
As for the ethics of the picture, it is difficult to look at but it does not cross the boundaries of ethics. Because the attack on 9/11 is a scar on the soil of America, citizens of that country may find this advertisement offensive.
As for the ethics of the picture, it is difficult to look at but it does not cross the boundaries of ethics. Because the attack on 9/11 is a scar on the soil of America, citizens of that country may find this advertisement offensive.
To start off I find this to be a very interesting photo, but I also find it offensive. As you mentioned in your blog citizens from the United States are going to take offensive to this photo because of the 9/11 tragedy, but on the other hand it does help us relate to the effects of the tsunami in Brazil. Had the WWF taken another example and used it as the advertisement the effect would not have been the same. This advertisement affects citizens from different countries different because if you were to show this advertisement to a citizen not from the United States they would of course be able to relate because everyone knows of the tragedy, but they would not be able to feel some of the same emotions an American citizen would.
ReplyDeleteWhat or who is negated? I'll have to say that I agree with you when you say that the advertisement negates 9/11. I can't really find anything else that the advertisement tries to negate.
What standards are created by the image or advertisement? Are these standards fair? In a way the advertisement tries to create a standard for tragedies and how much media attention they should get. In my opinion a tragedy to one person may not be a tragedy to another person. It seems like the WWF is trying to say that all tragedies are the same and should be treated the same way when in reality that is not true. To answer the next question I do not feel like these standards are fair. First, please don't get me wrong the tsunami is a horrible weather event and destroys the lives of the people involved and I do feel for the citizens of Brazil, but unfortunately it is not going to get the same kind of attention as a terrorist attack. A terrorist attack is going to be a much bigger tragedy than a tsunami because the tsunami occurs naturally whereas the terrorist attacks are not. Therefore I feel like an unnatural tragedy is always going to get more media attention no matter what country you’re in, verse a natural weather event that has been known to occur before in that country.
Is the advertisement or image ethical? As you mentioned in your blog the advertisement is going to bother American citizens more than citizens from another country because we have had to deal with the effects of 9/11 firsthand, but I do not believe it is unethical because the WWF is just trying to bring attention to the tsunami.
The WWF definitely made an impact with this advertisement! I agree that they are trying to negate 9/11 and maybe even what Americans see as important in the way of tragedies. They want to show Americans that other things have happened and will happen and that their problems aren't the only ones.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I would categorize this ad as unethical. As you said, it is definitely hard to look at and it is upsetting that WWF would try to make their point with an image guaranteed to upset a lot of Americans, but I wouldn't call it unethical.