Picking apart the commercials

If you're anything like me, you like the superbowl commercials almost as much as the game.  Some of them are just stupid and some are fantastic.  Here are some questions (from our friends at the Center for Parent and Youth Understanding) you can use with your son or daughter to help them think critically about the adds they see.

The Simple Seven

• What product is this ad selling?
• What, besides the product, does this ad sell? (ideas, lifestyle, worldview, behaviors, etc.)
• What’s the bait, hook, and promise?
• Complete this sentence: “This ad tells me, use_________ (the name of the product) and ____________ (the result the ad promises).
• Does the ad tell the truth? What? How?
• Does the ad tell a lie(s)? What? How?
• How does this ad and its messages agree or disagree with God’s truth and what does that mean for me?

Additional Questions

• Who made this ad?
• Why was this ad made?
• Who is this ad targeting?
• What do the makers of this ad want me to do?
• What’s the plot?
• What are the ad’s themes and assumptions?
• What techniques are being used to sell the product?
• What does the camera say is most important? How are lighting, angles, focus, close-ups, etc. used?
• How is the camera used to manipulate my emotions and create moods?
• How is music used to manipulate my emotions and create moods?
• How are the camera and music used to manipulate and distort reality?
• What longing/need does this product promise to fulfill?
• How are people treated and portrayed? Men? Women? Children? Parents? Authority figures? Etc.
• If you use this product, what does the ad explicitly or implicitly say your life will be like?
• If you don’t use this product, what does the ad explicitly or implicitly say your life will be like?
• What inadequacies, anxieties, and aspirations does the ad exploit?
• Who/what is the redeemer/messiah in this ad?
• Is this ad exploitive or manipulative? How?
• What role do you think this ad plays in shaping the lives of your peers?
• Is this product necessary? Why? Why not?
• How does this ad try to make me need the product?

The fight for purity

I'm sure they didn't mean to coordinate with our purity series, but VH1 (a mostly music related TV channel) just released a "news piece" about the virginity stand that some of the upcoming pop stars have taken.  This article at newsbusters.org gives a critical analysis of the VH1 piece.  I see two redeeming qualities to this piece from VH1.  First, the enemy is slightly tipping his hand and showing us some of his tactics in trying to lure our students away from purity.  Second, it reinforces the need for you as parents and us a ministry to be speaking the call to purity into the students lives over and over.  The enemy never gives up his call away from impurity and we are fooling ourselves if we think that we can rest easy.

Purity topic

As we begin our small group series on purity, we want to make the materials available for you to preview.  If you click on the links on the right hand side of this page, you will be able to see the materials for week one of the two week series.  If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to email me at davei@cccomaha.org or call me at 938-1537. 

Sunday, November 22

Hopefully you already know this, but the Jr. High small groups will be meeting off-campus this weekend.  That means that nothing is planned to happen at CCC Old Mill on Sunday evening.  The groups will be out doing a number of activities to help them experience parts of our profile of a healthy disciple.  The times may also vary from group to group and what they have planned.  If you have questions, feel free to call my office (938-1537) and I can help you find the info you need.

Dave

New age of literacy?

It is not uncommon to hear someone forcasting a future of quasi-literate America who only know how to use txting shorthand.  I have heard of at least one study that indicates the forcast may be quite different and I came across this article that references another recent study on the subject.  Maybe all the txting and twitting isn't as bad for our kids as some would have us believe...

Parenting Success

Every parent asks, "am I doing a good job?"  While I can say a resounding "yes" to many of the parents I personally know, I thought it might be helpful to point you to a more qualified voice to give you another perspective on successful parenting.  You may not agree with everything he says, but I think you'll find it worth your time to read and process.  Enjoy the article!

Dave

This blog has moved!

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Christ Community Church has a new website. Hopefully you will find www.cccomaha.org to be useful for all things up and coming at CCC. One of the necessary changes was to move this blog. To continue to receive updates, please subscribe using the following link:

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Greg Nunamaker
Web Manager
Christ Community Church