So God Made A Farmer: Super Bowl Commercial History And Controversy
So God Made A Farmer has struck a chord with the American public. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Dodge Ram commercial begins with a bleak photograph of a single cow in front of a snowy field along with the name of Paul Harvey. Paul Harvey’s voice then says, “And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, I need a caretaker. So God made a farmer.”
Paul Harvey started his broadcast radio career as a child by building a homemade radio out of a cigar box. Paul Harvey, who was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was often referred to as ” the voice of middle America.” Over the years, Paul Harvey turned down multiple offers to radio broadcast on the East Coast so he could “stay in touch with his listeners and the American people” located in the heartland of the United States.
According to CNN, Carrie Enyart of Black Willow Pond Farm had this insightful take on So God Made A Farmer:
“Today’s farming family realizes they will never be rich – but they recognize their ‘riches’ every day – working side by side with younger generations, sharing family values, demonstrating strong work ethic and emphasizing the importance of community. While no monetary value could never be put on many areas of the farm family lifestyle, it is those unmeasurable riches that keep us going for generations!”
According to the Huffington Post, “there’s been some controversy over the So God Made a Farmer Ram ad, however, after some claimed that the ad took the idea from a video made by Farms.com in June. The Farms.com video used Harvey’s speech along with photos of farmers, much like the Dodge Ram commercial did.” The So God Made A Farmer video is not necessarily a campaign for the Dodge Ram line of trucks, although obviously that is how it ends, but rather it’s a campaign to support the Future Farmers of America (FFA) Foundation and their hunger initiative Feeding the World – Starting at Home.
According to FFA Foundation CEO Dwight Armstrong, Dodge will donate up to $1 million to the FFA Foundation based on the views of the video and activity on the website. According to CNN, Facebook and Twitter mentions will be taken into account, as well:
“Supporting this positive messaging about the American Farmer will raise awareness of the National FFA Organization within the general public while providing significant support to a major FFA initiative.”
But not everyone is happy with the So God Made A Farmer ad. Some atheists have reportedly bashed it for referencing God. Others found it to be “boring” while others only saw an inspiration for jokes involving marijuana. Some dislike the fact that it appeals to their emotions in order to sell a product. According to the blog of Ray Bowman, these arguments are hypocritical:
“Many liberal voices are rising to decry the spot as commercial pandering and emotional manipulation. Just keep in mind that many of those same voices have never shied away from using images of abused puppies and kittens to solicit money to build their war chest and line their own pockets without committing any real resources to the plight of those creatures they exploit.”
What do you think about the So God Made A Farmer ad?
http://twitter.com/soltoseedfarm/statuses/298277173880578048
And then he needed to chill. So God made a pot farmer
— marily (@Moore247) February 4, 2013
http://youtu.be/sillEgUHGC4
