Unhate

So there's a new campaign out there from United Colors of Benetton that aims to combat the "culture of hate". It features world leaders in doctored photos to  make it look like they are kissing other leaders who are the opposite of their ideologies. They have pulled my favorite one, but not before the world got to see it and I got to take it. So while it may be down, it's not gone. It's of the Pope kissing a prominent Muslim, Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb. I love the campaign. I don't know that it's actually going to make a difference or even get people to do anything other than giggle at the absurdity of it all, but it's glorious in it's inanity. It's a fashion apparel company for God's sake. There's no need to take it too much to heart or take an extreme offense to it. 


I like the idea behind the campaign. I like that Benetton wanted to make people talk and think. It's a damn shame that the Vatican is threatening to take legal action against the company even though they have already removed the image of the Pope. They say it's in poor taste and ok, sure it is. But the message? The message to reconcile the separation of different politics and religions and cultures, that's the opposite of poor taste. 



I will say, out of the 4 men in these 2 pictures, the Pope is the most into it.