In the culturally-conservative town of Grand Rapids pro-choice groups don't make the largest impression. West Michiganders aren't prone to buy the "no one knows when life begins" line or fall in love with the vague assertion "women have the right to choose." We're more likely to point to the scientific evidence regarding the beginning of human life and ask what exactly do woman have a right to "choose."
Much to my chagrin, I have been informed that Grand Rapids' patchwork pro-choice group has been reaching out to a new group of possible pro-choice advocates. They've been airing ads in the Grand Rapids television market for a couple of years - mostly on pro-choice friendly cable stations like Oxygen, E!, MTV, and VH1 - but now they've moved into marketing their message towards different viewers. Kids!! Friends of mine have seen their ads on Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network. I guess if you can't convince adults, start the mythmaking with the young.
Their ads feature a wall being broken down and a coathanger behind the wall. They also advertise their currently nonfunctioning web site, www.prochoiceadvocates.org.
But thanks to the magic of the Way Back Machine we can view portions of their web site here.
So if you live in Grand Rapids and your 5-year-old wants to know why she is shown a coathanger after watching SpongeBob you'll have some clue what she's referring to. Efforts are currently under way to encourage Comcast to remove the commercials from the networks aimed at children.
UPDATE:
This is a local advertisement buy by a local pro-choice organization. If you live outside of the Grand Rapids, Michigan area you won't see these commercials even if you watch Nickelodeon 24/7. Also, since it is a local ad, I sincerely doubt that the higher-ups at Nickelodeon have any idea that there are pro-choice ads on their station.
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I watch NICK with my dau. most of the nick channels, anyway. I have never seen this one, but will keep a closer watch on what is shown. Thanx for the tip.
ReplyDeleteI am a strong advocate of a woman's right to choose. I believe that, although you might consider the audience of these ads in appropriate, the Grand Rapids' group has more or less the right idea. If America is currently dominated by an adult generation of closed-minded conservatives, the best place to change America's future stance of abortion is to target a younger generation. These kids that watch Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network have the right to an opinion, too. Whether they will later decisively side with pro or anti abortion ideas is ultimately up to them. No matter how much you'll complain about how your children are being subjected to such "crude" images, remember that this is the sad truth in America. Would you rather smother your children in lies than expose them to reality? No wonder our country's socio-economic status has been slowly dwindling down the drain -- our children are being subjected to lies!
ReplyDeleteWhat is this "vague assertion" of the right to choose you speak of? If a woman who is raped and impregnated is forced to birth a memory of the pain and suffering of a traumatic experience, would she really be able to raise this child with the care necessary? Who knows what mental problems her assulter might have had! Rather than giving this woman a right to choose whether or not she wishes to live with a constant reminder of the worst day of her life, her brutal rape, America is forcing her into terrible mental and debilatative problems. Put yourself in her position. And as for your children: they have the right to form opinions, and in order to do this in an educated manner, they need to have all of the information about both sides. They're not in any danger other than severely overprotective mothers and fathers who object to a future generation's freedon of opinion and open-mindedness.