Children are a blessing, so why does modern America treat them with disdain? by SusanCiancio and AmericanLifeLeague for Life Site News
Let us replace the seeds of the culture of death with seeds that plant respect for the beauty and splendor of families.
The title of a new cell phone commercial is “Single for the Win,” and that tells us what we need to know even before the dialog begins. The commercial opens showing two exhausted and harried-looking parents surrounded by nine children of various ages engaged in all sorts of activities — from playing the trombone to play fighting to one painting her face blue with cake frosting.
The husband speaks first, saying: “After talking and texting for years, we got married. For the family plan.” The wife adds that they expanded their family for the savings, but then she laments that her unmarried sister just informed her that she has gotten those savings too. The commercial cuts to the sister—relaxing in a pristine family room—who holds up her phone and says happily “no family needed.”
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The voice-over then adds, “Family plan savings without the family.”
The commercial ends with a child pouring juice on the dad and the parents looking regretful.
It’s a sad portrayal of families. And the disdain for families—especially large ones—is profound. It seems obvious that the viewer is supposed to side with the single woman and unite with her sentiment that no family is needed. But that line could not be more wrong. Our society needs families—and children—to survive.
Some may say that I’m being a bit too sensitive about what’s supposed to be a “funny” commercial, but I see nothing funny about it. In fact, I think the message is not only insidious but indicative of a larger problem.
This not-so-subtle denigration of families says a lot about today’s society and its feelings toward children. According to this commercial, they are messy, annoying, exhausting, and apparently only a tool to use—in this case to save money. Clearly the way to go, it says, is to remain single and childless.
While there is nothing wrong with remaining single, there is something wrong with disparaging families. We are all called to a vocation in life, and whether that is single or married or a clergy or layperson, each vocation has value.
