Pride month begins tomorrow but in the United States, it’s been going on for at least a week. My local ShopRite began displaying rainbow shopping bags last week.
No matter where you look, pride flags are everywhere. I can’t really think of a company that isn’t doing something for Pride month, even the pet food store.
It’s worth thinking about this for a moment:
No matter where you look, pride flags are everywhere. I can’t really think of a company that isn’t doing something for Pride month, even the pet food store.
It’s worth thinking about this for a moment:
- Apple has six pride watch faces but only three for racial unity.
- Brands spend more time and money on Pride Month apparel than they do for breast cancer awareness, autism awareness or any other kind of awareness.
- Seven pages of pride merchandise are available on the Koh’s website.
Here’s the key- Pride Month is no longer about awareness. It’s now something more forceful. When drag queens are elevated as the pinnacle of representation, our radar should go up.
My family and I took last night to discuss Pride Month and to reflect on the aggressive marketing behind it. We also watched this video which offers some helpful ways to respond (or not) to Pride Month.
Long before Pride Month began, June was considered the month of the Sacred Heart, an often misunderstood Church feast in its own right. Let’s be honest- the imagery is unusual. A bleeding heart outside of Jesus’ body, etc.
The core idea behind the Sacred Heart: Jesus lived in a real body and had real emotions and feelings, just like we do. His love for us is so great and the heart is a beautiful symbol of his passionate love for each of us.
If you have kids at home, you should talk about Pride Month and how, as people of faith, we navigate its aggressive marketing. If you don’t, the culture will.
Even your pet store.
-Mike