John Lennon Imagines a Better World

John Lennon Imagines One Laptop per Child in Ad for Nonprofit - Advertising Age

Imagine every child, no matter where in the world they were, could access a universe of knowledge. They would have a chance to learn, to dream, to achieve anything they want. I tried to do it through my music, but now you can do it in a very different way. You can give a child a laptop, and more than imagine, you can change the world (PSA voiceover with John Lennon).

People do not know what to think about John Lennon's voice and face in the PSA for One Laptop per Child. According to the article cited above, writers on Boing Boing said, "Resurrecting the dead to shill modern products is not going to catch on," adding, "Digitally, it's creepy." Please, shut up. You were in diapers when John Lennon died. His magical music is still meaningful to generations. The PSA was done pro bono by Taxi, New York and permission was given to use the voice and picture of Mr. Lennon by his wife, Yoko Ono.

The mission of One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. I believe John Lennon would support OLPC. Lennon could imagine a better world in the midst of an illegal war, religious intolerance, racial tension and Watergate. He had the talent of writing songs that allowed us to imagine right along with him.

John Lennon loved to be in the news and to make people think. I can imagine that he is quite happy with the contretemps he has caused -- again.

Tags: psa, one laptop per child, john lennon, contretremps