What was it about the Dodge commercial, “God Made a Farmer,” that stirred the souls of so many Americans during the Super Bowl? Maybe it was the imagery of the dirt and grit of real America, not the white-washed concrete meccas many of us call home. Maybe for just a moment, we were unplugged from our instant and superficial world and taken back to a time when we were captivated by God’s creation, not what our friends were doing on Facebook. Or maybe it was just the quintessential sound of the late American icon Paul Harvey, whose voice wraps around you like a warm blanket on a cold day. His message was one you could expect for a happy ending, even at a time when happy endings weren’t en vogue.
Or maybe it was the unvarnished idea of the farmer, which is so often identified with America. It is the image of a tough life, one marked by hard work and honest living. A time when men were men, and that was okay. A time when workdays didn’t end until the work was done.
When was the last time anyone gave a second thought as to where their groceries came from? Or, even cared? I haven’t in a long time, at least not until this commercial aired. When I need food, I drive to the nearest grocery store and buy some and become irritated when the date on the milk isn’t as new as I’d like it to be. I’ve never had to provide milk for myself; and I’ll bet farmers feel a certain sense of pride when the shelves are full, and dates are fresh.
But why should we care? Because besides feeding us, American farms feed the world. According to the American Farm Bureau in 2010, one third of the farms in the U.S. exported upwards of “$115 billion worth of American agricultural products.” All this from more than two million farms across the country. Not too shabby, until you consider that in 1935, there were nearly seven million farms. And it’s getting worse.
Farming, like manufacturing, has begun a slow death in this country, sped along by a lazy younger workforce, many of which would rather stare at (as my niece so describes) “glowing rectangular objects” (smart phones) than produce something with soiled hands. According to the EPA, around 40 percent of farmers are 55 years old or older. And according to the 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture, farmers under the age of 45 dropped 21 percent in five years.
The EPA report stated, “The graying of the farm population has led to concerns about the long-term health of family farms as an American institution”; therefore, the direct attack on family farms in 2012 by the Progressive-leaning Obama administration should have come as no surprise to anyone. After massive outcry, the DOL dropped its oppressive imperative banning children from working on their parents’ farms.
In their quest to upend all that makes this country great, Progressives have hijacked the word “progressive” in hopes to paint buttercream icing over the cow dung they call ideology. And many of us have theoretically ingested it, without thought, and have no idea why our stomachs hurt and souls feel empty. It came as no surprise liberals attacked the Paul Harvey Super Bowl commercial. The Atlantic called it “racist,” The LA Times called it “retro,” and some bloggers deemed it “religious.”
All is not lost though because a real and present war still wages for the heart and soul of America. On one side, there are those who would have us wholeheartedly embrace hedonism, self-worship, and bowing down to the god of government. And on the other side, there are those who provide for the needs of the others and still find time to quietly celebrate God, family, country, sacrifice, and the virtues of hard work and self-reliance.
Photo credit: iluvcocacola (Creative Commons)
Please share this post with your friends and comment below. If you haven’t already, take a moment to sign up for our free newsletter above and friend us on Twitter and Facebook to get real time updates.
Follow @WestJournalism
Loading ...
What a very beautiful and moving post! It’s so sad to know our lives will never be as it was when most people were decent,honest and had respect for their fellow man. We knew we had to work to have anything and were thankful for what we had and wanted to share what we had. Today we are forced to give what we earn to people that do not even try to help themselves,by a government that fights us all the way and does nothing but take from the few of us that do work and do the right thing.
I don’t care if people make fun of me because I believe in God. I don’t care if people say I am crazy to try and fight the evil that has taken control of our government. I don’t care if people make fun of me and call me names because I am tired of having gay people shoved down my throat every time I turn around and I don’t care what they think it is WRONG to decent people! I don’t care if they get offended it will never change my mind. I also do not care if people say it is wrong to call illegal immigrants illegal because they are!. I think they should be calkled legal criminals and leeches!
I don’t care if people call me names and racist because I say ovomit is the worst thing that has EVER happened to my country because he is! I don’t give a DAMN what color he is he is totally EVIL!
I just want this to be over and done with,but I know it will only get worse as time goes on because the people that can stop it will never step up and do the right thing.
I totally agree with you JoAnn. I have experienced some of that same ridicule…DON’T CARE. I love my country and the people that work hard to make it what it is. I am so sick of everyone being ‘politically correct’. We need to clean our DC from the top to the bottom. They are employees of We, The People! They have all become a bunch of elitist, santimonious millionaires (at the expense of the American people). They think WE work for them and WE need to change that mindset for them and I will work until my dying day to see that happen.
Amen JoAnn.
The SOUL of America is FED UP with the way things are going. Progressives think that because WE do not stand up and SCREAM like they do, that we are OK with going along with their destruction of this Country. What they don’t understand, is that WE have been busy WORKING and living our lives as we THANK GOD for what we have. HOWEVER, we are AWAKE, ALERT and READY for them now. I, among millions of others are ready for them to BRING IT ON. I am sure they will get a big surprise when their food sources are suddenly gone.
I want to say “Thank You, Dodge” for doing a commercial that shows some values for what OUR country was and should be. Thank you for having the fortitude to stand up and be counted. Great commercial – don’t let anyone knock you down for standing up.
Gods made a mockery of mans intelligence. God religious want to pick and choose what they think there God created or made. There is NOTHING God made or created that man did not invent with his imagination or hands. NOTHING SHOULD BE WORSHIPED. But everything can be reverenced. God is not the answer…people are. We already have thousands of Gods and they have not done a thing except cause separation supremacy and war.
Yip, God made the Farmer, Rancher, Logger, Miner (Coal, Gold/Silver), Oilman or a Military person. These people are not afraid to get their hands dirty or stand up and fight for what is right and when they do I’ll be right there with them.
US COMBAT VETERAN: Vietnam ’68 – ’69; Door-gunner, 1st Cavalry Division (AM) and now a Retired USAF TSgt.
Fist of all – THANK YOU FOR SERVING. My son was a Marine. We would be in bad shape without people like you who are willing to put their life on the line for us. We need all people that are willing to work and press for our freedom. I was just so pleased that Dodge was brave enough to mention God. So many want to take God out of everything. The previous comment before yours mocks God. He gave us intelligence and made everything that was made. He gave us the ability to think and grow. THANK YOU AGAIN for your service. and your reply..
jekane1, give that Jarhead a hug and tell him “Welcome Home!” for a old and banged up Army Scout. When I took that oath in 1963 it was for the rest of my life, so jekiane1, I’ll go to my grave defending Jimmie the idiots right to say what he wants. However, i wonder who he thinks gave him the voice, hands and the brains(?) that he thinks he has to come up with that nonsense and then type it into his computer.
“GOD BLESS THE US OF A and MAY SHE REIGN FOREVER!”