We all saw that Dodge Ram “God Made Farmers” commercial on Superbowl Sunday. Some of us may even have teared up a little, felt confused about why we teared up, and reasoned it’s because they were probably sitting eating mass produced junk food on a comfortable couch while those other schmos labored in fields. Then again, some of us figured it was probably because Dodge, using the voice of broadcasting legend Paul Harvey, was being a tab bit manipulative. So we asked, “When is God going to invent honest advertising?”
And at some point, God created comedian Nick Wiger, who, with Funny or Die, in turn created a commercial parody. And as parody tends to be, it is many times more honest than most other forms of art, and an unfathomable amount of times more honest than advertising.
Note: I don’t care that the Clydesdale ad was manipulative. Sometimes it just feels good to cry over a man and his horse. And that Bar Refaeli/Nerd ad? The less said, the better.
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Megan Sass is a natural redhead. She is also a writer, actor, and Hebrew School teacher. Turn-ons include: Boxer Dogs, Falafel, and and Fanboys (especially those residing in the capital of the DC Universe). You can follow her on twitter at @Megan_Sass.
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7 comments
Mike Shapiro
Feb 7, 2013
I just watched both the real and the parody.
I’m having trouble figuring out which is real and which is the parody. I think that Paul Harvey is on the parody, but I’m not exactly sure.
Don Thompson
Feb 7, 2013
The sad truth is both are real. The Superbowl ad refers to the family farm, some of which still remain, and from which we all would like to believe our food arrives. The parody ad with the factory farms and such is how things have turned out because nobody cares anymore.
We are all too busy “competing” with each other for more food than we can eat and jobs we don’t actually want to do. So we haven’t noticed that America and the American dream has been co-opted and stolen by mutant sociopaths in our midst.
justin deboer
Feb 7, 2013
This is very interesting…is it what you were saying would happen?
Clive
Feb 7, 2013
Clearly the person in the video doesn’t live in the part of America where there still are hard working farmers.
Steve
Feb 8, 2013
I’m sorry but whoever created this video is terminally pedantic. I have family members who are farmers/ranchers and let me tell you, the Paul Harvey tribute to farming is deeply accurate and appropriate. These useless parasites of humanity do not understand what it means to work hard and run a business. If these pedantic losers are the future, God help us all.
The Truth About Factory Farming « Sustainability Hub
Feb 8, 2013
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Scott
Feb 13, 2013
I disagree with you Steve, calling the parody here pedantic. In many respects, it is spot on – it’s not meant to say that farmers like the one’s who are appropriately commemorated in the original ad aren’t worthy of our admiration… but the ad is emotionally manipulative and pandering to a vision of good ol’ America that just isn’t reality in this day and age. Without a doubt, there are still family farmers out there, who still are the hardworking salt of the earth. That could be the one legitimate beef with this parody is the generalization about Mexicans taking on farm work. Don Thompson makes a good point, mentioning that both the factory farms and family farmers still produce food in this country.
However, there is more and more pressure to push family farms out of business and increasing benefits for larger and more corporate factory farms. Hardworking family farmers are attacked by high-powered Mansanto attorneys for misuse of the TRADEMARKED GENETIC STRUCTURE of their crops. The point is, the commercial makes Americans nostalgic when they should be up in arms over the treatment of the very people the commercial admires. And it’s a commercial for a company that would have failed without federal subsidies.