Last week, CBS Sports caused an outrage when it refused to air a commercial by a local real estate company. The commercial featured the company owner’s 4-year-old granddaughter reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a screen shot with the company’s information.
That was the entirety of the clip, which Windermere Real Estate created to air near the anniversary of Sept. 11 this year during the Wrangler Champions Challenge rodeo.
CBS claimed the ad was “too political” and it was never shown.
Now, CBS has backtracked on its original remarks, saying the ad’s rejection had nothing to do with politics and occurred only because it was too local to air. A spokesperson said false information was passed along initially.
But judging by the paranoia the media have about offending certain groups of people, it’s possible this is just CBS’s attempt to save face in the middle of a PR crisis.
Ultimately, whatever the real story is, CBS should have run the ad and these conflicting responses don’t help its cause.
The ad mentioned no political parties, candidates or issues. It was as simple and straightforward as they come.
Additionally, other ads have demonstrated just how popular the simple, patriotic approach is with American audiences – and those weren’t deemed “too political.”
This Budweiser commercial from the 2014 Super Bowl was one of the most popular of the game. No matter what one thinks about war, it’s tough not to tear up watching a soldier welcomed home from one.
>>> A Super Bowl Commercial Guaranteed to Bring You Chills
The culture of political correctness has begun to erode our nation’s respect for the flag and caused media to fear backlash from those leading the charge.
The Pledge of Allegiance used to be commonplace in public schools and venues, but many children aren’t even required to memorize it anymore. Just this month, the American Humanist Association, a group of atheists, challenged the use of “under God” in the Pledge and others have rallied to have the recitation removed from schools altogether.
What many don’t know is that the Pledge didn’t originally include “under God.” It was added in 1954 during the Cold War, when Congress reportedly wanted to distinguish the United States from the godless Soviet Union.
Nevertheless, the flag stands for the freedom of atheists, Christians, Muslims and others–even those Americans who dislike our country.
If CBS did reject this commercial for reasons of political correctness, it’s good that Windermere Real Estate isn’t letting the network get away with it.
