The other day I heard someone express concern because her son used the term “that’s so gay” to convey disgust. A friend of mine recently was frustrated by the continued used of the word “retarded.”Because of the potential reach of our films, as storytellers we tend to be particularly sensitive to how words and images can be harmful even if the intention is not to hurt. We find that storytelling from a conscious position of non-violence is a more successful approach for our clients. In being mindful of the impact of words and images, our customers have a better chance of increasing the responsiveness and even the point of view of their extended audience with less automatic counter-productive polarization. The idea is not to shy away from controversy or delicate topics, but rather to employ a conscious restraint and extra gentleness that intends to connect on a more human level.
I like how this video makes this point clearly and with humor.
Separately, on the personal-connection front, notice how we connect with her even more as a human being when she exposes a point of vulnerability at 4:45 when she says, “I did this topic because I didn’t have an answer for the guy at the gym.” How many times have we all not had an answer for the guy at the gym?