Misleading advertising?

"Grandpa, why shouldn't I trust Dad?" This is the question my grandson asked me on the street. I looked at him curiously, and the 7-year-old repeated, "Look what's written on that poster: Don't trust anyone over 30. My dad is over 30!" I read it carefully and explained that the true meaning was the opposite of those words. I assured him that both Dad and Grandpa, both 75, were trustworthy.

But I was still left wondering whether it was appropriate to use misleading advertising to promote an "under 18+" film festival. The organizations that guaranteed both their support and collaboration are absolutely authoritative, so perhaps my culture is a bit outdated. A few days later, for an initiative related to Disfestival, I still happen to read, "He's disabled but he's nice," and again, "Oh well, but disabled people don't do that." Even if it's in very small print, it's clear: prejudices speak loudly. Reality speaks better. Come to Disfetival. Be part of the change. The festival aims to expose and overcome prejudices related to disability. I understand that provocation is a regular occurrence. My naiveté may be surprising, as if I didn't know the basics of advertising. But playing with words that risk fostering discrimination for events that likely have the opposite purpose leaves me somewhat perplexed.

I certainly don't want to question the legitimacy of the advertising campaign, but I wonder if it was appropriate. I am part of that group of 365 authors—representatives of civil and ecclesiastical institutions, believers and atheists, Nobel Prize winners, artists, prominent writers, business and professional representatives, and young digital missionaries—who were involved in writing the Grammar of the Human, edited by Francesco Ochetta. Occhetta writes, "The experience of this vocabulary demonstrates that it's not enough to say you know a word; we must use it and demonstrate it to recognize ourselves as human within a thinking and fraternal community." A word a day to accompany a year of reflection and rediscover the value of being part of a community and the need to be human today. Together. A real struggle. But we know that a falling tree makes more noise than a growing forest. And perhaps the market needs to make some noise.

Gianfranco Cattai
NP December 2025