Fathers For Good

Boston Priest Gives New Media Challenge

The Catholic New Media Celebration in Boston last weekend was such a rich and informative event that it will take many blogs to cover it all. A few days ago I gave an overview, and now I will get a little deeper into the opening keynote by Father Robert Reed, president of CatholicTV.com, based in Boston. He did a good job of explaining the unique character and mission of Catholic media while underscoring the ongoing need for high professional standards.

Just because it’s "for the Church" or "for Jesus" does not mean that you can let the message speak for itself without attention to presentation and context, Father Reed said. In fact, the Gospel message should be presented in most appealing manner possible – just as the precious blood of Jesus is carried in a gold chalice at Mass to signify the dignity of the divine Person.

Since the Gospel is timeless and true, it is relevant to every age and to each person, Father Reed noted. It is the challenge of media evangelists to find the best way to communicate that timeless truth to the people of today. New media technology can help immensely in spreading the message, but simply using TV, or the internet or Twitter does not guarantee an audience. You have to attract people’s interest and attention, just as with any medium.

The main goal of Catholic media should be to enhance people’s spiritual lives and lead them to the truth, he said.

"With all our technology, how are we doing in the mission?" he asked.

"What we communicate is sacred and deep. Handle with care," Father Reed explained. "We have in our hands the mysteries of the faith."

His final message to the new media gathering was: "We need to be fed if we would try to feed others." Those who are appointed or who take it upon themselves to represent the Church and her teachings in the media must make sure that they have a firm foundation in the faith and take the time to reflect upon the Word of God and receive the Eucharist with grace and reverence. Only then can they go forth to bring the Good News to others.

CatholicTV is the oldest Catholic station in America, and it is growing with the times under Father Reed, taking advantage of all the forms of new media. For more information, visit the website www.catholictv.com.

Super Bowl Ads End Feminism

Well, the New Orleans Saints have finally come marching into the Super Bowl winner's ring, and we can all be happy that the city which is synonymous with Katrina’s disaster now has some big celebrating to do.

The other annual Super Bowl competition for the best television advertisement was also intense, and the overall themes of the ads left some wondering – is feminism dead? Let me explain that somewhat provocative statement.

Consider first that the professional feminist organizations tripped up big time on the “controversial” life-affirming ad by Tim Tebow and his mom. When the ad was first announced by the evangelical group Focus on the Family, the National Organization for Women and other like-minded ones turned up the volume to screech level, and made a huge issue about abortion and choice. I am sure Focus on the Family and all pro-lifers are now saying “Thanks for all the attention!”

The 30-second Tebow ad was so soft and warm that the pre-game hype by the feminists made them appear a little odd – yet another off-key clamor by groups that apparently had their last original thought 20 years ago. Do we need to wonder why young women of today are quick to say they are not feminists, if the public leaders of the movement are so out of touch as to criticize decent people like Tim Tebow and his mom?

But the Tebow ad was not the only one playing off the feminist intrigue. Did you notice the Snickers ad with Betty White, the “Golden Girls” icon? She epitomized the hip feminist movement of the 80s, getting what she wanted from men and the world with tough Southern charm, even into her golden years? In the ad, Betty is smacked down in the mud by some weekend footballers, who urge their teammate to eat a Snickers bar and stop playing like Betty White. By magic, the old Betty figure turns into a powerful young guy ready to block and tackle. So now Betty White is a figure of macho derision. Another chip in the feminist mantle.

Then there was Dockers, which months ago premiered the “Wear the Pants” campaign, challenging guys to step up, be real men and reclaim the order of the universe. In the Super Bowl ad, a dumb mob marches through the fields in their boxers or briefs, chanting “I wear no pants.” Not sure what that means, but the ad ends by telling guys to be a "real man" and wear the pants - Dockers, of course.

Wait, there’s more!

The Dodge Charger ad didn’t have beautiful women draped over the hood. It presented a more real-life tension and resolved it in favor of the man. After men are shown promising their beloved to be good and dutiful companions (including putting down the toilet seat in the shared bathroom), they are said to draw the line at their car. No matter what his significant other says, a guy will drive his expensive, impractical super-stocked Charger, because he's a man.

And don't miss the wussy guy being dragged by his girl through the mall, quietly carrying bags through all the feminine stores, helpless even to remove the red bra draped over his shoulder. This ad is for FloTV, which apparently would help this guy raise his testosterone level, by allowing him to watch football and other masculine shows on a handheld gizmo.

The message throughout these ads is this: the feminized guy, whose wife keeps him from masculine cars or whose girlfriend is his shopping buddy – is a big loser. Real men wear pants, play tackle, drive fast cars, and defend moms who birthed them despite dangerous odds.

Maybe it's not the end of feminism. But certain cultural icons are being recast, and men are ascendant again in mass media. Yet there's a deeper story. With the advertising business being all about public perception and money, you have to believe that the Madison Avenue execs would not have signed off on this theme if the majority of mainstream American women would be offended.

Maybe the ads are catching on to the "New Feminism" that Helen Alvare talks about in this exclusive Fathers for Good five-minute video, posted on You Tube.

(NB: Thanks to Yahoo News for providing clips of the ads for easy viewing and analysis.)

Tebow Scores One for Life

We heard similar objections 20 years ago after Super Bowl champions from the New York Giants, backed by team owner and faithful Catholic Wellington Mara, took part in a pro-life video called “Champions for Life.”

Among the critics was columnist Anna Quindlen, then working for the New York Times, who used the term “out of bounds” to describe the 10-minute video that related football stardom to abortion opposition.

Now the terrific Heisman Trophy quarterback Tim Tebow is at the center of controversy over an ad that is slated to run on CBS during the Super Bowl, Feb. 7. Leader of the two-time national champ Florida squad, Tebow has used his media platform throughout his stellar career to talk about the Bible and Jesus Christ.

Sponsored by the evangelical group headed by James Dobson, Focus on the Family, the 30-second Tebow ad is expected to carry a strong pro-life, pro-family message that is nonetheless personal and compelling. While she was an evangelical missionary in the Philippines some 23 years ago, Tebow’s mother became ill while carrying him, took antibiotics, and (the story goes) was advised by doctors to get an abortion. She refused, and now we have one of the greatest football talents God has given the world. And a fine young man as well.

When informed of this ad, pro-abortion feminist groups once again shouted “out of bounds.” The National Organization for Women (NOW) and other similar groups have lobbied CBS to drop the ad, which reportedly costs more than $2 million. They say that the Super Bowl, an event that draws the nation’s attention, should not be used as a forum for one side of a divisive political issue.

Writing on NOW’s website, the organization’s Vice President Erin Matson explains her opposition to the ad: “Standing alone, it sends the message that all women who give birth are heroes; it sends a message that abortion is always a mistake; and it is insulting to the one in three women in this country who have abortions”

From this statement, we can see why NOW is becoming increasingly ineffective in reaching the hearts and minds of today’s women. First of all, women who give birth ARE heroes, and who is NOW to suggest that they are not? Since when is it not heroic to carry a rapidly growing being within you for nine months, suffer all sorts of discomfort and perhaps long bouts of nausea and vomiting, and go through long hours of labor and a painful delivery? I saw my wife do just that as she went through two c-sections. She will always be a hero in my eyes, and I am sure the majority of men in America think the same way about their wives.

NOW is also off base about the “one in three women” being insulted by the pro-life ad. It’s my guess that most women who have had an abortion would wish Mrs. Tebow all the best for making a choice for life. After all, who can argue with the result?

From all statistics and anecdotal reports, the majority of those who have had abortions do not want their experience celebrated at half-time at the Super Bowl. Even if they would defend their choice, abortion does not rank as a favorite memory. After all, what woman would include a picture from the abortion in her photo album or on her refrigerator? Yet every woman who has given birth has ultrasound and delivery room photos, and some even cherish videos of the baby squeezing out of the birth canal.

At the March for Life, thousands of women carried the sign, “I Regret My Abortion.” They want their experience to serve as a cautionary tale to any woman who would, to erase the “mistake” of unwanted pregnancy, follow them in making an even bigger mistake that will stay with them all of their lives.

More power to Tim Tebow and his mom for speaking out and using his football fame to tell a deeply personal story that will change hearts and save lives. Score this as another Tebow TD.

Who Wears the Pants?

The new Dockers ad campaign, "Wear the Pants," is causing quite a stir, and rightly so. When was the last time you saw an ad for pants that didn't appeal to your private parts or your lower nature? Think of the jeans ads of the past 30 years which really have had one obvious, and at this point dreary, theme.

Enter the Dockers ad, appearing on billboards and print media across the country, which appeals to the mind. Rather than the image of the pants, or the curves of the body, the all-type ad stresses the image of the man, as part of its "Man-ifesto" campaign. It begins, in fairy tale fashion, "ONCE UPON A TIME MEN WORE THE PANTS AND WORE THEM WELL." Yes, that will get people's attention. The ad hits a nerve of the culture -- the role of the man and the relationship between men and women.

I won't over-analyze -- it is, after all, just an ad. But Madison Avenue has had a huge influence on our cultural images and thinking over the generations, and this ad may influence the cultural language in a positive way. At the very least, it has already begun a healthy dialogue about the role of men and the struggles and challenges they face in a highly sensitive, sometimes screedish, "post-feminist" society.

And by the way, I must admit that I have been a Dockers fan for years. After I put away the jeans from my early 20s, Dockers have fit quite well as casual pants for home and for the weekend. They are appropriate for all occasions that a man may face outside of the office. I hope Dockers does well with the ad campaign.

To read a Catholic female reaction to the ads and to see the ads in question, go to: http://loveandfidelity.org/blog/

Alabama Here We Come!

Readers familiar with the Fathers for Good website know that I am preparing for a big appearance on EWTN's "Life on the Rock" show on Thursday, Dec. 3, to talk about the Knights of Columbus program called Fathers for Good. Make sure to visit www.fathersforgood.org to see the jazzy pop-up notice our web designers have produced.

Joining me on the show will be Patrick Kelly, Vice President for Public Policy for the K of C, who is in charge of the Fathers for Good initiative. Patrick and his wife, by the way, are expecting to deliver their first child in January 2010, and I hear that Patrick may be showing a sonogram of his unborn baby on the air! So tune in just for that, if nothing else.

We look forward to meeting with hosts Father Mark Mary and Doug Barry, and to discuss with them the issues of fatherhood, family life and the challenges to both in the modern culture. I've never done an hour live show before, so please pray that I do well!

Patrick and I will be landing in Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday morning and will go live from the EWTN studio at 8 PM (Eastern).

This is the first time Fathers for Good will be going live on a worldwide broadcast, and it's exciting to think about our website drawing more and more readers in the days and weeks to come.

The Knights of Columbus has been a big supporter of Mother Angelica and her Eternal Word Television Network from the start, and we are proud to be able to spread the word of our new fatherhood initiative through her popular cable network.

In addition to appearing on the "Life on the Rock" show, we will get a tour of the EWTN headquarters, have an opportunity to meet with the staff, have dinner in the dining hall and sleep over Thursday night in one of the guest houses.

I will have a full report of the trip when I return over the weekend.

Meantime, go to www.fathersforgood.org after the show to watch a taped version, and refer it to your friends.