Super Bowl ads are often a mixed bag for family friendly material. They can either inspire and affirm the beauty of life or create emotions of disgust and outrage. This year there were two commercials that gave us a little glimmer of hope that our world isn’t completely falling to pieces.
The first of these ads was a mix of comedy and a subtle confirmation that human life begins in the womb:
Not surprisingly, NARAL had this to say about it:
#NotBuyingIt – that @Doritos ad using #antichoice tactic of humanizing fetuses & sexist tropes of dads as clueless & moms as uptight. #SB50
— NARAL (@NARAL) February 8, 2016
The commercial (while trying to sell us Doritos), affirms that the baby inside the womb is exactly that: a baby! Isn’t that something! The ultrasound does not show us a “blob of tissue,” but a human being who apparently likes Doritos.
As a matter of fact, it turns out this “fetus” even has a name: Freddy!
The story behind this ad is at the Doritos website, which explains that the ultrasound images (with a little help from special effects) are real and feature a boy from Australia.
So when NARAL ridicules Doritos for “humanizing” a fetus, they are targeting a real boy who is now nine months old.
The second of these ads had many layers of beauty. It was an ad by the NFL about “Super Bowl babies”:
The beginning of the ad states: “Data suggests nine months after a Super Bowl victory, winning cities see a rise in births.” Then the remainder of the ad shows these “Super Bowl Babies” singing in a choir.
The NFL apparently sent out an e-mail to all season ticket holders to find these “Super Bowl Babies” and held auditions to get into the ad seen by millions.
What is fascinating about this ad is that it affirms the reality that life begins when mom and dad enter into a joyful embrace. It reminds the world that life is beautiful and the product of joy. These babies are not seen as something to be eliminated but something to be celebrated.
Additionally, it is wonderful to see “a rise in births” connected to something positive. Children are often seen in our culture as something to be avoided, especially when connected to reducing our “carbon footprint.” Instead, this Super Bowl ad sees “a rise in births” as something good for society (especially for NFL football).
This ad is about celebrating life and family (even if its central topic is a little awkward).
Personally, I take these two ads as signs of hope. We certainly have a long way to go, but this is a start. If as a culture we can start seeing children inside the womb as gifts, springing from and sources of joy, our world will begin to see a positive shift toward life.
Philip Kosloskiis a writer and blogger. His blog can be found at philipkosloski.com.
And today we celebrate...