Oh, my.
Sometimes, I know I should look the other way, not say anything, and go on with my life. However, other times I feel like I just have to say something. This is probably one of those times that several readers will fall on either side of the fence and think that I should have done one or the other. My guess is that we will all have opinions.
And that is the truth, isn’t it? We all have opinions.
To be clear: the SuperBowl is one of my favorite holidays. I prefer it over Valentine’s Day and Halloween because at Super Bowl parties I get to eat good stuff (like chocolate fondue) and I don’t have to dress up like a clown. I love how it can pull different groups of people together in a competitive spirit. And I like watching people watch the game. I learn so much.
Of course, the commercials rarely disappoint.
I love what Doritos has done for the past several years with the “Crash the SuperBowl” contest. All of the Doritos’ commercials shown during Super Bowl spots were originally part of a contest for amateurs to earn their way into a professional commercial spot. Viewers vote on their favorites, and the prizes are amazing.
Last year’s winner was super funny. Click here to watch it again.
When I saw one of this year’s ads – the one where the dad ate Doritos during an ultrasound – I laughed out loud. Seriously. Super cute. Did you read that? I said, “Super cute.”
All day yesterday, though, I read tweet after tweet and more tweets responding to those first tweets about how the commercial was controversial.
Excuse me? Is this the same commercial I saw? I am completely baffled by all sides of the controversy. This was an advertisement, people – a well-developed, entertaining advertisement. The fact that the wife/mom was annoyed at the crunching sound of Doritos during an ultrasound was hysterical – and almost any woman I know would love for the baby to have that kind of motivation to prompt a quick delivery.
Tomorrow is my son’s 19th birthday (I can’t believe he is that old!). I found out that I was pregnant with him well into my pregnancy and had to have an ultrasound to determine when he was due. A year before, I had an ultrasound to check on his sweet older sister.
When I have an ultrasound of an organ, the tech is looking at that organ, right?
When I have an ultrasound of what is growing inside of my uterus, the tech is looking at a baby…albeit one that is not ready to live outside of me at 20 weeks gestation. This does not have to be a loaded term, and I am so confused as to why it became a #tweetstorm.
I drove for several hours yesterday and watched this play out on Twitter at my various stops along the way. The only thing that makes any sense to me at all is that agreeing that “the thing on the ultrasound screen” is a baby gives name to “the thing” that some want to be able end its growth – abortion.
Here is the thing: we get upset when we are pushed into a corner. Right now, all sides of all debates in the political, social, religious, intellectual, etc., arenas are pushing each other into corners because no one is listening to each other. So – we get upset, we get used to being upset, and then we just start conversations already upset.
And we are not listening…
You say “cells” – I say “baby” – “cells” – “baby” – “cells” – “baby”!
“We’ve got spirit, yes, we do – we’ve got spirit, how about you?”
…we are at a pep rally, and we don’t even like the sport!
Seriously, none of us want to be wrong. None of us want to drop the ball or be the quarterback who gets sacked. And we certainly don’t want to lose the game and then have to sit through a press conference just to have the world pick that apart later. Come on – give the guy a break…he lost a Super Bowl game, and you want him to do a press conference?
I digressed…sorry – that is another post. The truth is that often our rhetoric comes from a position of being cornered.
None of us wants to be faced with the decision of a pregnancy that puts us in an impossible situation.
None of us wants to be the parents of the girl who has an abortion because she thought we would be angry – or the parents of the boy whose girlfriend has an abortion because he thought we would be angry.
We don’t want these things, yet we play the game as if it were our game to play. We go out on the field, we line up on the line of scrimmage, and we hope that the other team fumbles so that we can grab the ball, make the play, and dance the victory dance.
All the while, there are real people living real life, making real decisions, and struggling through it all.
We vote for the politician who claims to support our stance on the issue, and then we realize that the Supreme Court holds the cards anyway. We protest, picket, and plead – each “team” chanting their cheers, slogans, and angles.
Rarely do we listen to each other. Rarely do we listen to the people who have made decisions in the past about issues or who are faced with them today.
I live in America where opinions are allowed, tolerated, and encouraged. I get to stand on my side of the field, and you get to stand on your side of the field – regardless of whether that side is the same side as mine or not. Tolerance means that I let you think your way even when I strongly disagree.
Sometimes, our freedom gets away from us, and we get a little carried away. If only there were a flag on the freedom field for taunting…
It is time to start listening.
Several years ago, I taught a high school speech class. When it came time for students to present persuasion speeches, abortion came up very often. As I listened to the speeches, I was stunned at the anger with which high school students could already have toward someone who disagreed with them. I asked them all to take some deep breaths and to reconsider their rhetoric. Consider what it might be like to have an abortion. Consider what it might be like to believe that abortion is murder.
For high school students, the answers seemed easy until they had to consider the other side – not the argument but rather the shoes which the person on the other side of the argument wore. I’m not saying that abortion is a grey issue – what I’m saying is that we become less angry about difficult issues when we start to listen to people who disagree with us.
When we listen to those who disagree with us, we win the game. We can have firm convictions, attempt to influence legislation, and help to alleviate the suffering of those around us while listening to those who disagree with us. We might even be able to work together.
Consider what seems to be an odd pairing of pro-life Catholics with Atheists for Life. They have some fundamental differences; however, they both want to end abortion. Rather than focusing on that which divides them, they work together on what they hold in common. My guess is that this required some listening to each other.
As I wrote this post, I watched the “controversial” commercial again a couple of times. I still do not see it – neither of the possible “its” that the #tweetstorms suggested.
What I did see was that ultrasounds have gotten a whole lot better than they were 19 years ago when I looked at my son for the first time and found out that he would arrive only six months later.
It kind of makes me want to have another baby just to see that cuteness on the screen in this new way.
Hold on. Strike that.
I’ll wait – some day, maybe I will get to see a grandchild’s ultrasound in color.
slowingtheracingmind 