Volkswagen Makes Its Case Against Marriage
As the majority of politically-inclined Americans find themselves arguing over the latest radical comments of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashid Talib, or Ilhan Omar, left-leaning corporations are making effective cultural strides that aren’t receiving the attention they deserve.
Recently, the well-known car manufacturer Volkswagen released a commercial entitled “Moving,” which showcased their newest SUV. In contrast to other car commercials, Volkswagen’s advertisement included more than just cinematic clips of the SUV in picturesque settings, rather, they decided to go with a more intimate narrative to sell the car. More specifically, a narrative that depicted a woman moving out of her boyfriend’s apartment. The clip can be seen here:
“Moving in together. It’s a big step. Getting used to each other’s idiosyncrasies, it’s an adventure, a test, a test that Jeff failed miserably.”
From the outset, the commercial appears harmless. A nice girl leaves an irresponsible guy and is fortunate enough to fit all of her belongings into her new SUV. Easy enough, right? But is that all we should take from the ad? For a car commercial to develop a storyline with 30 seconds of narration describing the couple's relationship, it would be strange to think that the only thing being sold is a car.
A deeper study of the commercial would show that, apart from the car, a lifestyle is being sold. It is a lifestyle predicated on the sexual liberation of today which minimizes the act of “living together”--an act once only relegated to married couples.
The commercial makes a strong moral stand on the topic of marriage (in so few words), and that is that marriage is no longer a necessary prerequisite for intimate living. One would not expect Volkswagen to come out and explicitly say this, but it is certainly implied through the portrayal of two individuals previously cohabiting.
The commercial, whether intentionally or not, degrades the institution of marriage by flippantly downplaying the act of cohabitation to a mere “next step” in dating. This, in turn, decreases society’s value of marriage to a mere formality. A formality meant for those couples that have had their fun and are truly ready to “settle down.”
And why not? If all the perks of marriage can be had outside of the institution, why deal with all the paperwork and financial investment? If you find yourself unhappy with the current relationship and living arrangement, you could do exactly as the woman in the commercial; pack up and leave.
But this move to diminish the importance of marriage is nothing new. Television has been doing it as far back as Chandler and Monica hooking up and moving in together more than 20 years ago. In the time since then, the T.V. and movie industry have been working overtime to replace the affectionate phrase, “will you marry me?” with “will you move in with me?”
For those Christians who have been paying attention to the ever-changing cultural norms these past few years, the imagery displayed in the commercial is not what is most surprising. What is surprising, rather, is the verbiage used towards the end of the commercial. Here again is the statement: “Getting used to each other’s idiosyncrasies, it’s an adventure, a test, a test that Jeff failed miserably.” The word that should stick out to everyone is the word, “test.” This is because most of society’s understanding of cohabitation springs from this word, and Volkswagen wasn’t concerned to hide it.
In its context, the word “test” renders cohabitation simply as an experiment to see if the other person is worth spending a considerable amount of time with. If this is not the lowest view of relational intimacy, I am not sure what is. Moreover, it would be irrational to think that idiosyncrasies exist everywhere except in the bedroom. Certainly, a person's mannerisms follow them into that realm as well, and maybe even more so.
From the Christian worldview, marriage and sex are sacred gifts given by God. In the beginning, God designed marriage to be the union of a man and a woman into one flesh. By instituting the act of marriage before sex, God necessarily made sexual intimacy a privilege. A privilege that reflects the committed love that Christ has for his church. As Pastor Garrett Kell of Del Ray Baptist Church writes, “Lovemaking is more than just erotic pleasure; it is a soul-knitting intimacy that deepens with time. God designed this soul-level intimacy to reflect the deep, intimate, committed, faithful, servant-hearted commitment between Jesus and his bride, the church.
As the sexual revolution rages on, Christians should expect more commercials like this; “reasonable” advertisements that gradually influence our moral values. This is because the culture is not won by those wanting to take a mile, but by those who first take an inch. If our focus is solely on the latest political comments or proposals, we slowly give away the culture. And when the culture is lost, so too is the country.