What Would Jesus Drive?
You've probably seen the provocative TV
commercials that came out after 9/11 connecting the
purchase of drugs to financial support for
terrorists. It was a powerful message, and a
controversial one. Now, a grass
roots group led by commentator Arianna
Huffington is twisting the logic in those public
service announcements into a campaign against sport
utility vehicles. Here's a transcript of one of
their commercials (which may soon appear on a TV
network near you):
- "This is George. This is the gas that
George bought for his SUV. This is the oil
company executive that sold the gas that George
bought for his SUV. These are the countries
where the executive bought the oil that made the
gas that George bought for his SUV. And these
are the terrorists who get money from those
countries every time George fills up his
SUV."
OIL MONEY SUPPORTS SOME TERRIBLE THINGS. WHAT
KIND OF MILEAGE DOES YOUR SUV GET?
Huffington claims the connection between driving
[legal] SUVs and supporting terrorism is a
"much more credible link" than that between buying
[illegal] drugs and financing terrorists.
The absurdity of this argument astounds. One can
connect virtually any activity to terrorism with
enough creativity.
For instance: by going to work tomorrow, you
will earn income, which will be taxed; a portion of
your taxes will finance the ongoing U.S. military
buildup in the Persian Gulf region; this buildup
(whether or not it leads to outright war with Iraq)
will likely add to the resentment that many in the
Middle East already feel toward the U.S.;
terrorists will feed on this resentment and use it
to gain further support. So don't go to work
tomorrow, or you'll be supporting terrorists!
I don't deny Huffington's basic point, that by
consuming gas/oil, we are giving money to some
countries that directly or indirectly support
terrorists. My point of contention arises, however,
with her flawed logic that leads to the conclusion
that SUVs are to blame. Using Huffington's
reasoning, aren't ALL Americans who drive
automobiles guilty of supporting terrorists? Isn't
the SUV question merely a matter of degree? Perhaps
I, as an SUV owner, provide a slightly greater
amount of support to terrorists than Huffington
(assuming, arguendo, that she drives a
Prius). So what? The difference is negligible in
the big picture. As consumers of gasoline, we
both (apparently) fund terrorists.
In principle, I agree wholeheartedly with
Huffington's motives. SUVs do indeed serve as
symbols of our society's gross commercialism. We
absolutely need to become less dependent on oil.
But this ad campaign is ludicrous, and will only
garner attention for that reason. And the
suggestion that legally owning and driving an SUV
is a greater threat to our national security than
buying illicit drugs is simply irresponsible.
Perhaps Huffington's crusade would be more
effective with a less inflammatory tone. Maybe she
should ask herself, "What would Jesus drive?" Oh,
wait, someone
else has already posed that question.
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
|
|
What is "The Daily Strick"?
I have long called
myself a writer, but too often I don't do
what a writer must do daily: write. So
you, dear reader, are the beneficiary of
my resolution to make a positive change in
at least one area of my life. Every single
day of this new year, I will write
something, anything, and post it here. It
is my intention to use this daily exercise
to jump-start my too-long-dormant creative
energies, and perhaps generate some
worthwhile material this year. Hopefully
you will find at least an occasional
amusement or insight in my daily
musings.
Today's
Column
Send
a Comment
Previously...
1/8:
Southwestern
Sojourn
1/7: Wheel
of Fortune
1/6: Class
Warfare
1/5:
Very
Large Dream
1/4: The
New Nuclear
Age
1/3: Going
Solo
1/2: New
Year, Old Cave
1/1:
All
Things End
Like what you've
read?
Find more good reading on
(and help me pay for law school)
|
|
