The Art of Subtlety in Today’s Culture
Watching the Super Bowl ads last night left me feeling disappointed. Like most people, I look forward to being surprised and entertained by the greatest creative minds in the advertising business. Oh, wait. There’s one false expectation. The ads reflect the deepest pockets, not necessarily the most creative minds.
Beyond that, I got to wondering why I was mostly bored with what I saw. What occurred to me this morning is that I didn’t have to do any mental work or really be very engaged at all with most of the ads. The art of subtlety is dead.
I miss the days when a certain look, a well-turned phrase, a few bars of music, even a specific color could intrigue and entertain. Nothing needed to blow up, no one needed to be maimed or killed, and the audience could be trusted to put two and two together after thinking about things for a while.
Maybe I’m naively idealistic, but I’d sure like to see things that appeal a little more to our capacity for thinking, and for optimism and growth. Enough already of stuff that shows how stupid people are or how quickly and impressively we can destroy things.
Categories: CultureAbout Susan Marshall
