With the caption, "Are you afraid of flying," the airlines' powerful new ad addresses discrimination in a surprisingly thoughtful way. The ad, a little over a minute long, has already been viewed over 1.8 million times on Facebook, and received an overwhelmingly positive response.
“I’m not afraid of flying,” the voiceover in the video begins. “I’m not afraid of the risk of it. I’m afraid I end up somewhere I don’t want to go. Afraid of being stuck in a place with people who look at me differently. I’m afraid of the what-ifs. What if something wrong happens and they don’t believe me…?”
Amid this troubled narrative, the camera pans over passengers in an airplane, catching the studied gazes that linger. These are looks you’ll remember if you’ve ever felt different or out of place, or if you’ve ever swum with sharks—the sense that, with one false move (or even without), a deceptively calm situation could become a feeding frenzy.
“I’m not afraid of flying. But the people around me are afraid of me,” Royal Jordanian’s narrator continues. The camera settles on a clearly uncomfortable Arab man, squirming under the unabashed stare of an older woman. “People who are afraid discriminate. Those discriminated against—they’re even more afraid.”
As the tension builds, the source of the passengers' concern is finally revealed.
Watch the video below to find out what happens:
"I'm not afraid of flying. But the people around me are afraid of me," the bearded passenger concludes. "People who are afraid, discriminate. Those discriminated against - they’re even more afraid."
The ad leaves viewers with a powerful final message: "Don't be afraid to say no to discrimination."
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