Here are two excerpts from Eileen F. Toplansky writing at American Thinker:
Cultural messages surround us in ways that would be hardly imaginable in the days of our grandparents. Recently, I received a discount offer to subscribe to the Family Circle magazine. Over twenty-five years ago, I would regularly purchase this magazine and would learn about recipes and, more importantly, health issues written in a down-to-earth manner. These articles proved helpful in a number of medical situations with friends and family.
But while some things remain the same, clearly other perspectives have taken center stage. Theodore Dalrymple has written Our Culture, or What’s Left of It. As an onlooker of the world around me, I make the following observations.
In the February 2017 issue of Family Circle, the advertisement right after opening the cover of the magazine shows two interracial men resting together on a couch. One sports a tattoo on his arm and they are in a home setting with the words “All homes are created equal.” The advertisement comes from IKEA and, clearly, the ad is about much more than the listed $399 price tag for the Hennes glass-door-cabinet. It involves the acceptance of tattoos, a wholehearted acceptance of gay relationships, the distinct possibility of a same-sex marital status, the importance of saving the environment through sustainability, making dreams come true in all arenas of life, and, ultimately, love and affection. At the bottom of the two-page ad is the following:
“You deserve a home that you love, where you can live comfortably with loved ones. A sustainable home that looks good, works well and is friendly to your wallet. Because no matter what you do, who you are, or how much you make, you deserve to make the dreams yours.”
Note her closing paragraph:
The times they are a-changing — sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. I have often wondered why conservatives don’t emulate the techniques of advertising that evidently work. Clearly, leftists have the upper hand on messaging. On the other hand, while so many conservative ideas are worthwhile, the packaging leaves a great deal to be desired — in fact, it is decidedly absent.
Read more: American Thinker
