The
ad that drew rave reviews by most spectators was the Dodge Ram ad playing the
Paul Harvey speech delivered at the 1978 Future Farmers of America Convention
in 1978. I remember hearing it for the first time – “So God Made a Farmer,” – a
masterful tribute to the wonderful men and women who toiled from dusk to dawn
to nourish those urbanites who have no idea how much sweat, pride, pain, and
love is in every bowl of food they consume.
Covered
in dust, dirt, mud, fertilizer, manure, and perspiration, less than three
percent of hard-working Americans feed not just the rest of America but many
other nations.
It
was joyful to hear the word God mentioned with reverence and love. I am sure
atheists were severely annoyed and distressed but Christians felt renewed and many
shed tears. Lost in the emotional moment was the stark realization, would Paul
Harvey have directed people to believe that Dodge is an American company when
Chrysler is majority owned by Fiat and the 2500 series shown are built in Mexico?
The Case tractors used in the ad are also owned by a division of Fiat.
Paul
Harvey saluted the American farmer in 1978 but I am not so sure he would have
praised in 2013 a foreign-owned company pretending to be American. Yes,
Chrysler/Fiat made a great ad – it pulled and tugged at our collective heart strings
with personal nostalgia. It was symbolism over substance. Furthermore, how many
farmers are left today like the ones Paul Harvey extoled in 1978? We lost one
this week in our extended family - they are a dying group, literally and
figuratively.
Another
ad that struck a passionate chord with the audience was the Jeep commercial. Narrated
by Oprah’s iconic voice, the video shows photographs of soldiers serving our
country, their families, USO, and the notion that we are a whole and a united
nation. Are we? A beautiful narrative and a legendary voice selling the Jeep –
a vehicle no longer made in the U.S.A. and no longer as American as apple pie.
Divided more than ever as a nation, we desperately need healing.
The
Sunday’s game was publicized as the “greenest” in Super Bowl history. “The New
Orleans Host Committee has partnered with fans and the community to offset
energy use across the major Super Bowl venues. Eco-friendly fans and city
leaders in New Orleans competed to maximize sustainability practices.” For
those who do not recognize sustainability
– it is code word for the Green Agenda. The exterior of the Mercedes-Benz
Superdome was resplendent with 26,000 LED lights on 96 full-color graphic
display panels. (http://energy.gov/articles/super-bowl-city-leads-energy-efficient-forefront#.UQ-4slXD0_I.mailto)
Shortly
after the half-time show, most lights and A/C went out in the superdome. Twice
during Beyoncé’s rehearsal the lights went out as well and the officials were
baffled. I am not an electrician but I wondered. Energy efficiency and
renewable energy may be having a profound impact with environmentalist green
growth proponents and perhaps it will become the energy of the future; however,
for now, it appears that renewable energy is not all that is cracked up to be
in terms of keeping the lights on when needed. Renewable energy still needs the
solid backup of energy produced by the maligned coal. Re-inventing the wheel to
save the planet from faux global warming does come with a huge price-tag.
Super
Bowl XLVIII promises to be even more interesting in 2014, since the powers that
be are making overtures to ban injurious football that destroys so many
athletes who have no idea what they are doing to their bodies when they sign multi-million
dollar contracts and must be protected
by the nanny government. And the blood thirsty fans should be banned as well – shamelessly
cheering on their favorite players is unconscionable when they know players may
get hurt.
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