Thursday, November 20, 2008

How to be a better human in 30 seconds

MBC has done it again. They are airing public awareness ads on how to be a better person. I LOVED their public service announcements during Ramadan about how to be more compassionate, and now these new ones.

The first one I saw was of a woman who mistreated her maid, and then it showed the maid crying. I assume the voiceover (in Arabic) was something about how you should be a nicer person to those people serving you in your home.

The second one I saw last night could easily apply to 2 men I know. It was a guy who first mistreats his maid, then his worker asks for his salary saying he hasn’t been paid in 2 months and mean dude says that he can stand it for 4; and then goes to the office and an old guy asks him to take his daughter to the hospital during work hours and mean dude says that he can do it after working hours; and then mean dude goes to pray, asking God for mercy when he shoulda been merciful to all those people who needed him to be. [I KNOW this guy and I’m pretty sure God is going to hit him in a major way with the Invisible Stick (he’s already been hit HARD by the Ugly Stick!)]

Neehoo (Amirah!), it is about time that a network decided to take on these issues in a reflection of their own corporate social responsibility, and turn them into something positive. You go, MBC!!!! It is one thing for smart people to create these ads, it is another to get top management approval to execute them.

Isn't it a shame that this form of guidance must be brought to us via television? I thought that was what religion was for.


Update: Mark posted about the Al-Rahma Campaign HERE. Check it out - he has video (waaaay more technologically advanced than I am!)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay, desert girl is back! I found Kuwaiti TV interesting during Ramadan because it was so religion focused. I've never lived in a society where the government and religion were intermingled and it was interesting. I prefer my the system of my native country, but nonetheless alternative systems have merit and are interesting.

The downside? They turned off FASHION TV the day Ramadan started!!!! How can a young man survive in Al Manshar Rotana without FASHION TV????

Schlumberger boy

Abdullah said...

Yeah, just saw them here:
http://somecontrast.com/2008/11/20/alrahma-campaign-on-mbc/

Me likes.

$iraj said...

What's the penetration rate for these 30-seconds-change-your-life ads? How many eye balls( and in case of the mean men, other kinda balls)does it hit? And what percentage of us really get affected? Having seen so many bunch of suckers around,especially on the roads here, these are the questions that strike ya.
And well we can all hold on hope as long as it's the last thing holding us.

Baroon said...

I saw this add on MBC today . it says " be merciful to who is in earth ".. " to receive mercy from who is in sky "