Hell is (Un)Real

Read this cultural text. What does it say? Literally it says "hell is real", but what else?

I found this billboard along the Interstate in Ohio, and I was struck by the implicit message of the sign. I thought, if something is real, really flesh-and-blood smack-you-upside-the-head real, there is no need to proclaim its realness. Realness is obvious. For example, if this billboard read "Ohio is Real" wouldn't that be silly? Does any sane person doubt the existence of Ohio?

On the other hand, Hell is not real, and that is the implicit message of this billboard. If it were real, there would be no need for billboards proclaiming its realness. It would be obvious to everyone, a given. I wonder if the people who paid for this billboard ever considered the irony. By proclaiming "Hell is real" they actually underscored the fact that Hell is not real, but rather a fictitious, mythological place designed to scare people. Hell is so unreal that it depends on billboards to bolster its existence.