Cheating. Everyone knows what it is. Although, not everyone's view on cheating is the same. For the majority of us, I'd say we can agree that cheating is immoral and unacceptable in a serious relationship. But there are some cultures in the world who actually believe that cheating is a-ok and shouldn't be looked down upon. Mormons believe that it's acceptable to have more than one wife, and in Islam it is acceptable to have up to four wives at a time. To them though, this technically wouldn't be considered cheating, as it is considered acceptable to have more than one wife at a time, but to other's who do not believe in polygamy –this would seem completely disrespectful and wrong.
"When people are in a committed relationship, the definition of cheating is based on both parties' opinions, and both parties may redefine their understanding to match the party at an either lower or higher extreme of this definition."
Cheating sucks. I think we can all say we have experienced or known someone who's experienced being cheated on by their partner. Unfortunately, I have been cheated on once in my life, and I can definitely say that it is one of the most horrid feelings in the world, especially when you've put so much faith in a person! But is all cheating considered bad?
In my opinion, I think there are different levels of cheating. There's cheating on your math test in elementary school, cheating on a diet by sneaking a candy bar after a work out, cheating on your favourite brand by switching to a newer one, cheating at a poker game by peeking at someone else's hand, and then there's cheating on your partner...
What I'm trying to say is that I don't believe that all cheating should be considered completely immoral. Innocent cheating such as sneaking a treat while on a diet, isn't the greatest decision in the world, but it's certainly no where near as harmful as cheating on your partner.
It seems in todays society that cheating has become somewhat more acceptable in a sense. We turn on a TV show and we are exposed to adultery all the time, we listen to the radio and hear a rapper claiming how many "b****es" he's got, we open a people's magazine and read about how so and so is cheating on so and so, we drive down the street and see an advertisement like this...
So, why are we exposed to infidelity & adultery so often? Is the media trying to convey that cheating should be considered acceptable? Or are we taking this whole infidelity thing too seriously?
I honestly believe that in advertising, they use the subject of cheating to catch the viewers attention as it can relate to most people's lives. The advertisement will most likely not fail to be recognizable and memorable since it is connecting to such a taboo and soft subject, and this will make people pay attention. That is their main goal.
Now. There is one last point I would like to make and that is that I think that there are ways of using the cheating subject in an ad, without upsetting people. For example, I think that using an example of a more innocent form of cheating would be ideal. Such as cheating on a brand by changing to a different one, or cheating on your diet, etc. These forms of cheating are less offensive, and avoid relating cheating to relationships with our partners.
This is an example of an advertisement in which I feel conveys the cheating subject in
a more innocent and suitable manner, without being offensive to other's. Its still funny, and actually
pretty cute, and manages to get it's message across without using relationship infidelity.
In conclusion, I feel that using infidelity in advertising can be suitable, it just needs to be less harsh, and contain a more innocent perspective. Adultery is such a soft subject for some people, especially those who have delt with it throughout their life, and I don't think it's a good idea for a brand or company to give off the impression that they support it.
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