Sounds like the title of a Seinfeld episode, doesn’t it? Sorry, moving on…
Let the games begin!
There is always a flurry of discussion over Super Bowl commercials, but most of it comes after the game. This year, there is a flap before we even see them.
Focus on the Family has enlisted Tim Tebow and his mother to do an allegedly “pro-life” ad. To put the story in a nutshell: Tim was his mother’s fifth child, and the doctor recommended that she abort him as a fetus because of health concerns. She refused, and the result was the birth of a future Heisman Trophy winner.
There is no question that this ad is pro-life, which is the reason for the uproar. It certainly tries to take advantage of Tebow’s celebrity. But please explain to me, what is so wrong with that?
A caravan of women’s groups have come forward to protest the ad, using some of the most flawed and foolish logic that I have ever heard. One statement even pointed out that the Super Bowl is a sporting event that, like other sporting events, is designed to bring this country together!
Uh, excuse me…have you been to a game in Philly? Or watched the fans at a Steelers/Ravens game? Or talked to anyone involved with Clemson or Carolina?
Sports are about competition. In the best of circumstances, it is civil competition between players and fans. The reality is that sports often fail to unite people who cheer for the same team, much less those who are in opposition to one another.
This sophomoric argument was cooked up by groups like the National Organization for Women (NOW) for one reason: To fight the pro-choice fight.
If these groups really want to battle for women’s rights by opposing offensive/divisive commercials, they could pick much better targets. Are they protesting the beer ads that depict half-naked women who are apparently dying to have sex with a bunch of hard-drinking beer bellies?
Those ads seem a lot more insulting than a thoughtful ad that encourages women to think before they act.
CBS absolutely did the right thing by allowing this ad to be a part of the Super Bowl panorama. After watching some clips, it does not seem to be overly political. It does not come across as overtly pro-life or even overtly religious. It is just what the sponsors say it is: A pro-life (NOT anti-abortion), pro-family commercial that intends to make people think.
When women’s advocacy groups are opposed to women THINKING about their choices, then it’s time to take a long, hard look at the movement.
I am an advocate for women’s rights. But if you have to trample on the rights of others to be an advocate for your cause, then you need to rethink your priorities.
View from the Heights 