Billboard (in Los Angeles) Of U.S. Soldier And Muslim Woman Commands Attention

[pampango]

?6

Seizing peoples' attention on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles is no easy feat. But a billboard depicting a U.S. soldier and a Muslim woman has managed to do just that.

The ad for SnoreStop sleep aids is meant to emphasize how the product can save couples. Between the hashtag #betogether and the slogan "Keeping you together" is a soldier embracing the woman, who's wearing a wedding ring.

Early reactions on trade publication AdWeek were positive, with some calling the ad "excellent" and "cool." The Council on American-Islamic Relations also gave the advertisement a thumbs-up. "If you have Muslims in an ad for a product that's not about religion or not a PSA, it's a sign that we're accepted as a cultural norm," a spokeswoman for the organization told The Huffington Post.

More of the billboards are going up in San Diego, Houston, Salt Lake City, New York City and elsewhere.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/soldier-muslim-billboard-ad-snorestop_n_4192238.html

Critics state that this ad is “a slap in the face to our military,” but my question is why? In this day and age are people still sensitive to diversity? Is the “slap in the face” the critic refers to simply a Muslim woman’s relationship with a U.S. soldier?

The company did their research and in fact, veteran Jamie Sutton, and his Muslim wife, Aleah were the inspiration for the billboard. The models for the advertisement are also a real couple. Built to specifically promote tolerance and acceptance, the SnoreStop Company does so in a shocking, well researched and effective fashion, pushing the country forward.

Criticism is not just stemming from Americans. Social media is buzzing with Muslim activists claiming the billboard is offensive and inappropriate as well. First, I think this is absurd. Most believe the billboard to be not genuine because a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man according to the Quran. However, who is to say that this soldier isn’t Muslim? You or I do not know who he is, where he comes from and just because he is white does not prove that he is not a Muslim. That being said, it is also 100 percent plausible that this man is not Muslim and my response to these people is that they should mind their own business and fix their own issues before worrying about others.

I commend SnoreStop for taking a stance against prejudice and false assumptions and moving toward tolerance and acceptance of diversity in the United States. For those who claim this is neocolonialist propaganda and to those that believe the advertisement is disrespectful, you are the people who are holding this country back as it attempts to push social bounds to define the new diversified America.

http://www.theknoxstudent.com/news/2013/11/06/billboard-sized-xenophobia-discrimination-in-america/

Most of the "critics" seem to be on Facebook from the article.

The company that is using this billboard could have made its diversity point using a white-Muslim couple without using a soldier. The fact that they chose to use a soldier - which apparently has drawn more ire from conservatives - is interesting.

[The Straight Story]

1. K&R(nt)

[Ian David]

2. I thought we were supposed to be "greeted as liberators," so why shouldn't an American soldier...

... be allowed to fall in love with a Muslim woman?

Are the critics saying all our soldiers are supposed to hate ALL Muslims?

Even the ones that are pretty?

[Tikki]

3. Billboard is in California. We see this as a public service announcement with a product attached.

Tikki

[randome]

4. Everyone thinks they're a pundit. Especially on Facebook.

Why delve so deeply into the 'meaning' of the billboard? It makes a statement. It doesn't need to be a perfect statement and no one needs to take a stand one way or another.

It's just a statement. Kudos to the company for making it.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[sarge43]

5. These idiots never heard the term war brides?

A gathering of military spouses often resembling the United Nations.

Love, laughter and a long life together for the adorable couple.

[leftyohiolib]

6. does it work? i snore so badly sometimes i have to sleep in another room

[randome]

8. Have you tried a CPAP machine? It may change your life.

I'm not overweight and I have no cardiovascular problems. But the shape of the back of my throat creates that 'wind tunnel' effect that results in loud snoring.

A week after using a CPAP machine, I was on the biggest high of my life. It turns out I had basically been sleepwalking my way through life for 20 years or so.

I've been 'awake' now for about six years and it feels good.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[leftyohiolib]

11. no i havent but thanks for the tip i'll check into it. thanks.

[Scuba]

10. How does that help?

Oh, the SO. I get it.

[leftyohiolib]

12. yea my wife said "get out " like the spirit in the original amityville horror movie

[IronLionZion]

7. I like it

who could possible know if the soldier is muslim or not, or if the woman is American or not? There are all sorts of relationships.

[ck4829]

9. I think the problem is conservatives have some sort of warrior mythos when it comes to soldiers

Look at their obsession with military tribunals or the way they refer to them in their chain emails for some examples, they treat the members of the armed forces like they have preternatural abilities.

The members of the armed forces are regular human beings; they're not all seven foot tall, blond, clear-skinned, muscle-ripped superhumans that can ignore their emotions and basic needs. And something like that ultimately dehumanizes them, just look at how our country treats them when they come back maimed, physically or with PTSD, or they become homeless. There are a lot of people who pretend they don't exist.

The idea, and actual relationships, that this billboard shows doesn't hurt soldiers, it hurts the right's perception of soldiers. They are human, and yes, that means a soldier can fall in love with another human that conservatives dehumanize, such as a Muslim.

[lolly]

17. ^^^^Yes--this explains a lot:^^^^^

"It hurts the right's perception of soldiers."

Ditto for the hysteria surrounding repeal of DADT; ditto for any soldier who returns and runs for office as a Democrat (purple band-aids, anyone?)

The right wing has a special hatred for anything that intrudes on their fantasies, and soldiers who don't fit their prescribed image are at the top of their enemies list.

[Gore1FL]

13. I am more concerned about the use of a military uniform in a commercial advertisement.

This is especially true for a commercial advertisement that has zero to do with the military.

[Blue_Tires]

14. I'm disappointed in the ad agency

If they really, really, REALLY wanted to do something provocative and get everyone talking, they would have made the soldier a woman...A black woman...


What a missed opportunity....

[ReRe]

15. K&R

There has never been a war that men did not fall in love with a woman. I think it's beautiful. Life goes on.

Fuck the critics! You critics are the ones that rooted and tooted for those God-forsaken wars. This is one of the consequences of those wars. Eat it and keep your prejudices to yourselves. We've had it up to here with all of you.

[MrScorpio]

16. There are plenty of US Servicemen married to devout Muslim women

The only people shocked or disturbed by the billboard are people who are woefully ignorant of that fact.

Not to mention the bigots amongst as well.

[BrotherIvan]

18. I guess no one noticed the woman in the picture

She's not wearing a headscarf, she is wearing a burqa, which means she probably comes from an orthodox family. At what fear of punishment or death did she fall in love with her soldier? And why are not more people offended at this whitewashing which paints the picture that our military is loved by the people of countries we have invaded illegally and have killed hundreds of thousands?

Way to go! Cynical advertising, and everyone here just fell for it.