For those of us who pay attention to sociopolitical goings-on, it’s no surprise that the AFA (American Family Association; www.afa.net) has been waging a vigorous campaign against the Ford Motor Company, alleging that they have been an outspoken supporter of the homosexual agenda via funding various pro-homosexual groups and causes.
This has involved nationwide emails, petition drives, and letters from its members to Chairman Bill Ford. According to the AFA, Ford Motors has repeatedly said that they will not stop supporting these groups, “despite a steady drop in sales and the price of their stock” (from an AFA report). Ford has also provided generous support for Lambda Legal, an organization that advocates for the homosexual agenda in courts.
Ford produces and/or distributes Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, and Aston Martin branded vehicles in the US. What even seasoned, traditionally-grounded American conservatives probably don’t know is that one organization taking on one company regarding this issue is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
And a tiny tip indeed, when one looks hard enough…
Few deny the influence of television on our society, and the debate over methods, the effects and ethics of television advertising has been going on almost since the advent of television. But while companies using questionable tactics to promote their products or services is one thing, an organized and concerted effort to influence American culture toward embracing minority opinion and deleterious behavior through the use of this medium is quite another.
“The Commercial Closet” (www.commercialcloset.org) is an organization that describes itself as one dedicated to “bringing GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] sensitivity to corporate advertising.” Needless to say, that’s a pretty big umbrella. Their website, however, while replete with pro-homosexual propaganda and truly disgusting imagery, has a very corporate feel and is a superb indicator of the degree to which this phenomenon has developed and insinuated itself into American marketing circles.
According to “Project Creator” Mike Wilke, TCC is not a pressure or watchdog group, but its “Leaders and Laggards” list describes the wonderful things the “Leaders” they’ve done for the GLBT community. Among them: Procter & Gamble, which recently gave $5,163 in P&G stock to help the homosexual community repeal a law in Cincinnati that prohibited giving special rights to homosexuals, and has been a major sponsor of TV shows like Will & Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy; Amstel Light beer, Cartier, John Hancock Financial Services, Miller Brewing, MTV (big surprise), Orbitz and T-Mobile. Conversely, their “Laggards” list includes companies that have refused to do likewise, and describes how horrible and homophobic they are.
Conspiracy? I’ve often referred to “conspiracies of mind,” in which like-minded (though misguided) people gravitate toward the same causes during the normal course of events. This is different. This is something that I would define as a concerted conspiracy, subsidized by immature, happy, rich fools who either genuinely sympathize or really think they’re “helping people.”
What they don’t seem to realize is that theirs remains a minority opinion, and that the reason for this is that the majority recognize these “alternative” lifestyles as harmful to individuals and societies. Nevertheless, if you contemplate the history of just how effective television marketing has been, the implications are pretty horrifying. That is, unless you’re one of those folks who don’t mind living in an America that jumps every time a gay activist group snaps its fingers.
Erik Rush is a columnist and award-winning author whose first novel, The Angels Fell, a mystery-thriller, was released in 2002. His newly-released book, It’s the Devil Stupid!: Our Real Enemy and Why We Don’t Talk About Him is available in major book outlets.
