Glenn Beck: \"Glenn Beck: Most

¶ … Glenn Beck: "Glenn Beck: Most 'controversial' Super Bowl ad." Glenn Beck.com. Feb 8, 2010. Accessed Feb 8, 2010 from http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/199/36078/

In a recent transcript posted to your Web site, you write about the controversial pro-life advertisement that ran during the Super Bowl. The transcript is entitled, "Glenn Beck: Most 'controversial' Super Bowl ad." The ad features Tim Tebow and his mom, and is a lighthearted if not "cheesy" depiction. You are absolutely correct in calling the ad "cheesy." You are also correct in the general observation that the ad at face value is harmless. it's just Tim Tebow's mom talking about how glad she is to have her son, and Tim hugging his mom in a light and fluffy commercial paid for by a Pro-Life organization. It is in fact the cheesiness of the ad that makes it so effective. Tugging at the heartstrings of consumers is exactly what advertising is designed to do, whether selling a product or a point-of-view. Free speech continues to guide the airwaves, although I will admit I would not want to see an ad for a neo-Nazi group or anything that implies hatred or harm towards other human beings. The Tebow ad, however, is well within the range of acceptable freedoms of speech.

Understandably, you and Pat criticize the "left" for loudly deeming the advertisement offensive. You lash out especially against Planned Parenthood and NARAL. As you well know, it is the express duty of Planned Parenthood to oppose any anti-abortion point-of-view. With all due respect, Planned Parenthood cannot be called a leftist extreme" group. They are just an organization that helps women educate themselves about their options for birth control and family planning. Planned Parenthood does not force people to have abortions, but they do wish for the right of all Americans to opt into or out of childbirth. As unpalatable as that idea sounds to you, it's still a part of the freedoms and liberties that you must support as an American.

Simply put, the opposition to the advertisement is as political as the advertisement itself. So it is only fair that groups like Planned Parenthood should voice their opinion as freely as the "Focus on the Family" campaign that sponsored the Tim Tebow advertisement. Either way, organizations are expressing their opinions using the mainstream media. We should all just be respectful of one another's views. I believe in choice but respect the views of those who do not believe an abortion is an ethical thing to do.

When taken at face value, the Tim Tebow ad is indeed completely inoffensive. You are correct. I like the idea that some viewers might think twice about having an abortion -- perhaps that decision is not right for them. it's not an easy decision, and all the options should be carefully weighed. The advertisement might benefit a person who is sitting on the fence. That's fine.

Furthermore, at no point in the advertisement are the terms "abortion" or "pro-life" even mentioned. You understand this. As you state, "It's a mom talking about how special her child is." This makes the ad totally harmless on some level. Viewers from all political points-of-view can relate to the bond between mother and child. I personally believe that abortions do not negate that bond; a woman who has an abortion can still love her mother.

Because of the soft and fluffy tone of the ad, it seems only to support strong family values, or perhaps support spending more time with our mothers. Yet we all know that isn't the goal of the advertisement. The goal of the advertisement is to discourage abortion. And that might not be the best thing for all viewers. I know many women who are incapable of raising a child, who would be torn apart by either having the give up the child for adoption or by being forced to raise one unprepared. This is, to me, a more egregious crime than the act of aborting.

Therefore, you and Pat make many valid points in supporting the right for the advertisement to be run on television -- and in supporting the content of the ad as well. There is nothing inherently harmful in the Tim Tebow ad.

or is there? Weighing both sides, I have evaluated the controversy of the advertisement and came up with several reasons why some Americans might find it to be offensive. I won't generalize and call the opposition "the left," because I believe political beliefs are far too complex to be categorized easily. There are several issues at stake with the ad, which make the ad controversial.

First, the advertisement's greatest strength is its greatest weakness. In being subtle about its true purpose, the advertisement is sneaky. Sure, the ad is not controversial on the surface. That's why it's so effective, and why you and Pat don't believe it is a problem. I can see why some feel that the ad is a problem. Many viewers will see the ad, and not really get the connection between Tim Tebow's mom and abortion. It is not clear what the ad is about until we see the name of the sponsor. If the ad delivered a more in-your-face message about abortion, it would have been far more controversial and probably less effective. The advertisement is like an ad for a car or anything else: in this case a means to manipulate consumers into "buying" a point-of-view.

Second, the message of the advertisement is inherently flawed. That message is, "Don't have an abortion because you might miss out on this wonderful relationship that Tim Tebow shares with his mom. The whole ad is based on emotions. There is nothing wrong with that of course. Most ads have a strong emotional content that compels consumers to take action. Without emotion, no ad would be effective. However, abortion is a more important decision than what car or laundry detergent to buy. Viewers should be aware of the ways their emotions are being manipulated in this case. In truth, a woman can have an abortion and then later choose to bear children. I know that you are against the principle of abortion but many Americans are not. To me, there is nothing wrong with a woman who decides that having a child is not right for her now. This leads me to a third reason why I feel the Tim Tebow ad is controversial.