Beer maker Heineken released a new ad promoting social awareness last week and it has gone viral.
“It is absolutely critical that trans people have their own voice.”
The new ad titled “Worlds Apart” is an experiment that pairs two strangers together who hold opposing views on social issues including transgender rights, feminism, and climate change. It pairs two individuals on either side of the hot-button issue without any preconceived knowledge of each other’s views.
The pairs are made to go through a bonding activity and are later exposed to the other’s viewpoint by watching a video of them. They are then given the option to discuss their differences over a beer or leave the room.
“It is absolutely critical that trans people have their own voice,” says the transgender person in the ad. “You’re a man be man or you’re a female be a female,” says the person with the opposing view.
The ad arrives after a similar attempt to raise awareness was made by Pepsi. The spot featured Kendall Jenner who seemed to solve the world’s problems by giving a soda to a police officer at a protest as the protesting crowd began to cheer. The Pepsi spot was met with outrage as many felt it attempted to make protests appear fun and trendy when people’s lives are actually at stake. While the spot has mostly received a positive response, the Heineken ad also has its share of critics. There are those who will argue that denying the existence and rights of another human being is not an “opposing view” but an act of violence, and that the Heineken is just as bad as Pepsi’s.
To date the spot has over 10 million views on YouTube.
