QE2 Billboard Preachers
The Queen Elizabeth II Highway, or the QE2 in Alberta, is the most-traveled highway in our province. Over 80,000 vehicles use it every day of the year, and most of us who live here know it well.
The heavy traffic is well known to anyone looking to advertise, which means there are plenty of signs along the highway. Billboards advertising businesses, places to stay and eat, but also signs promoting cultural points of view. Over the years, we've all become accustomed to road signs promoting pro-life stances or other conservative political or religious points of view. In recent days, counter signs have begun to pop up. Now, a drive down QE2 will have billboards promoting abortion or other left-leaning talking points. Now Progressives want to contribute to the visual noise pollution! Everyone wants in on the heavy traffic!
I've now worked in hospitality and community for over twenty years, and what I learned from hotels is that signage is a poor substitute for good communication. Sometimes signage is required and makes sense for basic information, such as directions to the pool or to help guests know which floor they are on, or even signs to help parents find the nearest washroom in a restaurant. Communication takes effort, and it doesn't take long for hotel staff to find a way to print signage off a computer and tape it around the buffet line, explaining the process and rules to diners. A good manager will swoop down on this and find ways to help the staff with the operation. We want our guests to feel welcomed, and the best way to do this is with human interaction, not posted rules on unofficial signs. It sends the wrong message, looks tacky, and degrades the experience in a hotel or restaurant. A posted printed sign with scotch tape means I've lost the plot as a leader, and I need to regroup the team to support and improve the process. I’ve had to do this many times over the years. We need to engage the people around us with eye contact, name use, and conversation. To use someone’s name as they offered it is a meaningful validation of their journey; a billboard has never done this for me.
I don't mind driving the QE2, but I don't like being preached at. These billboards don’t start a dialogue with me; they talk at me. I prefer to enjoy the ride, take in the beautiful prairie landscapes with all the sunrises and sunsets that come with it. A few hours on a bright sunny day roaming our highways is good for the soul. It's its own therapy. I am all for critical conversations around life and death, but I'd prefer having those conversations over coffee or around the table with people I actually know. A clever billboard is not going to convert me to anything. I have been tempted to stop and buy some Hutterite furniture, but I’ve never felt compelled to fund anti abortion lobby groups. Billboard preaching has surrendered to the idea that louder is better. False prophets love commotion, light shows, and gimmicks. Louder works for creating brand awareness, but it does little to change the human heart. Teaching with time, care, and relationship can only do that. A billboard is not a miracle pill that we can pull out of our advertising arsenal to change a culture.
Everyone has a complex journey where we're all joined by different people who we encounter along the way and who share their stories with us. It's rare for any of us to change our path in a healthy way outside of personal human interactions. Show me someone in a downward spiral, and I'll show you someone in isolation with an algorithm carving out a path for their mind to follow on their phones or computer.
If we genuinely care about our causes and want to reduce harm in our society, we can't leave it to chance and invest thousands of dollars in billboard ads when a couple of trips to a local coffee shop will be far more effective. This is easier said than done, but good causes win out a handshake at a time. Hospitality is always better than billboards.
Yes, care about your causes.
Be honest in your convictions,
but care enough about them…and me to communicate well.
Thanks for reading, friend. Enjoy the road trip!