For a lot of the Christian audience a reminder that Jesus didn’t teach hate is something well needed that they aren’t getting in church. Maybe my expectations were too low but I was pleasantly surprised with the message considering how it could have gone regardless of any issues around who funded it.
Honestly, I thought the same thing. I got really apprehensive the moment that I saw the foot washing begin, but so many different types of people were depicted having their feet washed (girl in front of a Planned Parenthood, white dude washing the feet of a Native American activist, cop washing the foot of a black dude in an inner city alley, white family washing the feet of who I assume are meant to represent immigrants because its a bus full of Hispanic people, etc), that I felt like they were doing their best to remind everyone to love even those that “society” (Republicans) deems “unfit”. Now, were some of those depictions made with underlying racist undertones? Yes. But I honestly cannot determine if it was purposeful, or if this was one of those “they tried their best. More work to be done, but the effort was there” moments. Maybe I’m still just not jaded enough.
By being shown washing the feet of the “unfit” we are still being reminded that they are infact “unfit”. They are still other, lesser than and to be saved. The target audience, the Christian viewer, is the white person doing the washing, and is meant to feel empowered and that they are good like Jesus for showing compassion to these poor other people.
Noone will actually wash the feet of someone in need. They will translate their Christian compassion to help them by saving them from themselves, i.e. restrictive laws.
That’s a fair take on it for sure, and one I hadn’t considered. When I went to rewatch the commercial to make sure that I didn’t misremember it, there were a lot of “Controversial Superbowl Ad” type videos that I did not click on, because I don’t need hyper-Christian videos defending it or anything else in my YT reccs, so that clearly shows an intense difference of reception of this ad.
I’m just wary of immediately poking holes in anything/everything the right does, if I feel like they’re at least making an attempt, rather than being like, “Hey, you tried, and that’s good. Maybe next time showcase your message like this instead so more people find this palatable…”
Maybe it’s because I grew up in a Republican household, and even spewed some of that rhetoric, and I had my own journey into Progressive thinking, so I like to give people the benefit of the doubt/growth/seeing the error of their ways/etc.
Definitely give people the benefit of the doubt. But corporations spending superbowl-ad money I always assume the worst and maybe will one day be pleasantly surprised.
Overall there’s probably more misguided good intent than mal-intent. I’ve just become so jaded.
I’ve said this before, you cannot combat a lie with a lie.
Jesus and all the things said about him are made up stories. Pretending to discuss the “real” Jesus, who we want to be nice and accepting, is a losing battle.
It’s like arguing which Saiyan is the most powerful, when they are all not real.
Making better Christians means ridding them of nonsensical beliefs not trying to replace the lies in their head, with the nicer lies you would like them to believe.
Here “real” refers to “the character that’s really in the Bible”. It doesn’t matter if it’s fictional.
Same as criticizing a bad fan fiction with “real Harry Potter wouldn’t have done that”, with “real” meaning “in the actual source material”.
For a lot of the Christian audience a reminder that Jesus didn’t teach hate is something well needed that they aren’t getting in church. Maybe my expectations were too low but I was pleasantly surprised with the message considering how it could have gone regardless of any issues around who funded it.
Honestly, I thought the same thing. I got really apprehensive the moment that I saw the foot washing begin, but so many different types of people were depicted having their feet washed (girl in front of a Planned Parenthood, white dude washing the feet of a Native American activist, cop washing the foot of a black dude in an inner city alley, white family washing the feet of who I assume are meant to represent immigrants because its a bus full of Hispanic people, etc), that I felt like they were doing their best to remind everyone to love even those that “society” (Republicans) deems “unfit”. Now, were some of those depictions made with underlying racist undertones? Yes. But I honestly cannot determine if it was purposeful, or if this was one of those “they tried their best. More work to be done, but the effort was there” moments. Maybe I’m still just not jaded enough.
By being shown washing the feet of the “unfit” we are still being reminded that they are infact “unfit”. They are still other, lesser than and to be saved. The target audience, the Christian viewer, is the white person doing the washing, and is meant to feel empowered and that they are good like Jesus for showing compassion to these poor other people.
Noone will actually wash the feet of someone in need. They will translate their Christian compassion to help them by saving them from themselves, i.e. restrictive laws.
“look we care about all these disgusting sinners”
That’s a fair take on it for sure, and one I hadn’t considered. When I went to rewatch the commercial to make sure that I didn’t misremember it, there were a lot of “Controversial Superbowl Ad” type videos that I did not click on, because I don’t need hyper-Christian videos defending it or anything else in my YT reccs, so that clearly shows an intense difference of reception of this ad.
I’m just wary of immediately poking holes in anything/everything the right does, if I feel like they’re at least making an attempt, rather than being like, “Hey, you tried, and that’s good. Maybe next time showcase your message like this instead so more people find this palatable…”
Maybe it’s because I grew up in a Republican household, and even spewed some of that rhetoric, and I had my own journey into Progressive thinking, so I like to give people the benefit of the doubt/growth/seeing the error of their ways/etc.
Definitely give people the benefit of the doubt. But corporations spending superbowl-ad money I always assume the worst and maybe will one day be pleasantly surprised.
Overall there’s probably more misguided good intent than mal-intent. I’ve just become so jaded.
I’ve said this before, you cannot combat a lie with a lie.
Jesus and all the things said about him are made up stories. Pretending to discuss the “real” Jesus, who we want to be nice and accepting, is a losing battle.
It’s like arguing which Saiyan is the most powerful, when they are all not real.
Making better Christians means ridding them of nonsensical beliefs not trying to replace the lies in their head, with the nicer lies you would like them to believe.
Here “real” refers to “the character that’s really in the Bible”. It doesn’t matter if it’s fictional. Same as criticizing a bad fan fiction with “real Harry Potter wouldn’t have done that”, with “real” meaning “in the actual source material”.