I am interested in the Super Bowl this year for the same reasons I have always been interested in the Super Bowl; women.
I imagine that a lot of men will miss the Tebow commercial all together as they will be peeing out a Coors or hitting their wife for not getting the next one fast enough. You could read that sentence and think I am a man-hater and you would be so very wrong. I am a hater of jacked-up violence, gang mentality, testosterone overdoses and entitlement.
If you have been following the story about the Tebow ad you know it is brought to you by Focus on the Family, a right-wing extremist christian fundamentalist evangelical group of people who really want you to think like them – ok behave as they say (not as they do). Can we stop for a special 30 seconds and wonder where this 2.4 million came from? Is it from seniors sending in 20% of their social security? Someone paid for this ad – and I don’t think it is the rich men who live at the C Street House.
Theoretically this ad celebrates the choice Mrs Tebow made. Take a look at this. Since 1930 abortion has been illegal in the Philippines. The Catholic Church has made sure of that. There is no exception, not the life of the mother, not the cause of the pregnancy, nothing. In 2008, 1,000 women died from illegal abortions and ten times that suffered complications from attempting an abortion.
Had Mrs Tebow been in the United States in 1987, when she was pregnant, she would have had all of her options explained to her – as is the law. The United States Supreme Court had already ruled that a woman can inquire about all her options and can make an informed choice. The choice is hers and, in fact, she can decide if she wants any input from a doctor, minister, family member. In other words – SHE IS TRUSTED.
If Pam Tebow had all of the options in front of her and chose to risk her life to see if the fetus would develop into a well baby surviving birth, that would be her choice and, being her choice, we could all celebrate that her gamble worked out. However she had no options, she had no choices, she is the living example of what would happen if Roe was lost. Her survival and that of her baby was not a choice.
But even all of that being debated on every TV channel, blogs and op-pages does not touch what is the most dangerous component at play here. CBS turned down ads from ManCrunch, PETA and GoDaddy but are standing strong on this one from Focus on the Family. This is another injection of evangelical values into everyday American culture. The sign of the cross at the batter’s box, a kneeling vision to heaven as the ball crosses the finish line, kissing a St Christopher medal before the free-shot, a thank you at the award podium are the new hip prayer that says to everyone, I am a Christian and my god really likes me.
I hear another prayer; Please don’t hit me, please don’t rape me, please don’t hurt me. Dear god, don’t let me bleed out, protect my children, don’t kill me because I am queer. How do I feed my kids, find a job, pay the rent. Today CNN covered the National Prayer Breakfast and instead of focusing on Clinton and Obama speaking strongly against the Ugandan Bill #18, calling for the execution of homosexuals and three years imprisonment for not turning anyone for being a homosexual, CNN played footage of Tim Tebow signing autographs and offering the final prayer.
Dear God, send us a miracle that shows us that you don’t care who wins at sports, that you want humans to love one another and that one’s conscience is a private matter.
I imagine that a lot of men will miss the Tebow commercial all together as they will be peeing out a Coors or hitting their wife for not getting the next one fast enough. You could read that sentence and think I am a man-hater and you would be so very wrong. I am a hater of jacked-up violence, gang mentality, testosterone overdoses and entitlement.
If you have been following the story about the Tebow ad you know it is brought to you by Focus on the Family, a right-wing extremist christian fundamentalist evangelical group of people who really want you to think like them – ok behave as they say (not as they do). Can we stop for a special 30 seconds and wonder where this 2.4 million came from? Is it from seniors sending in 20% of their social security? Someone paid for this ad – and I don’t think it is the rich men who live at the C Street House.
Theoretically this ad celebrates the choice Mrs Tebow made. Take a look at this. Since 1930 abortion has been illegal in the Philippines. The Catholic Church has made sure of that. There is no exception, not the life of the mother, not the cause of the pregnancy, nothing. In 2008, 1,000 women died from illegal abortions and ten times that suffered complications from attempting an abortion.
While in the Philippines, doing missionary work, Mrs Tebow developed amoebic dysentery, went into a coma and took large doses of antibiotics. Her doctors advised her to end her pregnancy. She did not, had a boy and named him Tim. The Super Bowl ad celebrates her fifth child, Heisman trophy winner Tim. And of course we know what a fine young man he is because he puts bible verses on his face.
Had Mrs Tebow been in the United States in 1987, when she was pregnant, she would have had all of her options explained to her – as is the law. The United States Supreme Court had already ruled that a woman can inquire about all her options and can make an informed choice. The choice is hers and, in fact, she can decide if she wants any input from a doctor, minister, family member. In other words – SHE IS TRUSTED.
If Pam Tebow had all of the options in front of her and chose to risk her life to see if the fetus would develop into a well baby surviving birth, that would be her choice and, being her choice, we could all celebrate that her gamble worked out. However she had no options, she had no choices, she is the living example of what would happen if Roe was lost. Her survival and that of her baby was not a choice.
But even all of that being debated on every TV channel, blogs and op-pages does not touch what is the most dangerous component at play here. CBS turned down ads from ManCrunch, PETA and GoDaddy but are standing strong on this one from Focus on the Family. This is another injection of evangelical values into everyday American culture. The sign of the cross at the batter’s box, a kneeling vision to heaven as the ball crosses the finish line, kissing a St Christopher medal before the free-shot, a thank you at the award podium are the new hip prayer that says to everyone, I am a Christian and my god really likes me.
I hear another prayer; Please don’t hit me, please don’t rape me, please don’t hurt me. Dear god, don’t let me bleed out, protect my children, don’t kill me because I am queer. How do I feed my kids, find a job, pay the rent. Today CNN covered the National Prayer Breakfast and instead of focusing on Clinton and Obama speaking strongly against the Ugandan Bill #18, calling for the execution of homosexuals and three years imprisonment for not turning anyone for being a homosexual, CNN played footage of Tim Tebow signing autographs and offering the final prayer.
Dear God, send us a miracle that shows us that you don’t care who wins at sports, that you want humans to love one another and that one’s conscience is a private matter.
I'm an atheist, but that won't stop me from giving you a big AMEN, sister.
Posted by: Shannon Drury | February 05, 2010 at 08:51 AM
Brava once more, Zoe! Thank you for all your write and do.
warmly,
Riane
Posted by: riane eisler | February 05, 2010 at 01:03 PM
Thank you for this.
Posted by: Allison | February 06, 2010 at 11:13 PM