By John Pierce
Actors in commercials talk differently than those of us in real life.
We would more likely say, “Man, I sure do itch!” rather than, “I’m tired of my moderate to severe psoriasis.”
Commercial talk requires giving abundantly more information than one normally shares in casual conversation.
I’ve never mentioned to a friend that I was considering more insurance and had them say: “You should do like I did, and call 1-800… between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Pacific Time, or visit anytime at www… and ask about…”
As a youngster, however, I do recall making fun of one of my brothers for including the marketing language printed in a menu when placing his order: “I’ll have the two fresh eggs cooked to order with crisp, smoky bacon and delicious golden hash browns.”
But we didn’t talk to one another in that way. Our dialogue more closely resembled the interaction between the Robertson brothers on Duck Dynasty.
Hopefully, politeness and honesty eventually become the marks of how we communicate with everyone. And neither TV commercials nor reality shows provide the best places to develop such practices.
Some ancient texts can be helpful, however, such as:
“We think even a foolish person is wise if he keeps silent. We think he understands what is right if he controls his tongue.” Proverbs 17:28 (NIRV)
“Scripture says, ‘Do you want to love life and see good days? Then keep your tongues from speaking evil. Keep your lips from telling lies.’” 1 Peter 3:10 (NIRV)
Director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and former executive editor and publisher at Good Faith Media.
