What is truth? After extensive introspection, Advertising Standards Canada has found it and is–yes, you guessed it–advertising it. Wonderful. Nothing hypocritical there. I am personally grateful when others do thinking for me. (And thanks to the reader who sent this photo in, asking “I wonder who one complains to about deceptive ads sponsored by Ad Standards Canada?”)
I missed this on Sunday–references those “deceptive” ads from LifeCanada.
In other words, the LifeCanada ad was “deceptive” because it was outrageously true. Pace George Orwell: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
Declaring the ads to be deceptive is a ruling so unambiguously slanted in favour of an ideology–to reference “access” in these ads would have made them pro-choice, since access is their battle cry. And of course the truth there is that a woman in Canada can have an abortion anytime, any place, unlike seeing a specialist, for example.
Folks. This is going to be a busy weekend. Why? Because at ProWomanProLife we are not all about idle banter. This weekend, I am going to attempt to do something useful. I will direct my idle banter at specific individuals in the form of letters. Three letters.
1. A letter to York University Vice-president Robert J. Tiffin, who disagrees with the attempt of the student union to ban pro-life clubs. This letter will be one of support, encouragement. A little “thank you for the common sense,” if you will
(Update: This letter indicates less support, more questions for a letter to Mr. Tiffin.)
2. A letter to the York University Federation of students. This one will not be a letter of support and encouragement. But I promise not to swear and since they claim abortion is an issue of women’s rights, I must, of course, challenge that idea
3. A letter to the Advertising Standards Council. To say hello–and add that I did not find Life Canada’s ad campaign offensive, and it was above all, truthful
Now I tell you this because:
a. you may like to “join me” this weekend in this letter writing bonanza, putting your pens to paper to “express yourself” like Madonna. (Many of you may prefer to just express yourself, no Madonna. That’s fine too.)
b. having told you this I will actually do it.
Does one letter change the world? No. Do three? Probably…not. But fighting for life is a fight for freedom, which is worth much more than a couple of hours on a weekend. “For our freedom and yours!” –that’s the Polish side of me talking. Sometimes I quote Madonna, sometimes Thaddeus Kosciuszko–pay attention and bear with me.
So here’s to a good weekend, a small turnout for what I have heard is a union-funded Bill C-484 protest in Montreal on Saturday, and a return to sunshine on Sunday.
Well, well, well. The Advertising Standards Council has declared that Life Canada’s ads, which we’ve posted about on this site, are “deceptive.” Now that they aren’t isn’t even worth saying here. But since the ASC has decided to weigh in on this issue, I have a couple of other beefs to raise.
When I wear Calvin Klein, I don’t look like like Kate Moss, not even close. When I purchase J Crew, no preppy man and golden retriever appear. And even when I buy Martha Stewart’s magazine, my apartment does not magically begin to look well-decorated… I’m only warming up here. I could keep going.
If the Advertising Standards Council wants to weigh in on deceptive ads, they better get busy. And get the ideologues who only see deception when it comes to abortion off their board.
Fact: There is no abortion law in Canada. What more do they need to know?
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Brigitte wonders: How long do you think it will take me to make that delicious-looking cake on the cover of this month’s Martha Stewart Living (to which I’ve subscribed faithfully for years)? Should I ask the Council? What if they tell me it’ll take me twice as long as the magazine claims, because only Martha Stewart can produce baking wonders in the alloted time? Should I feel offended? Should we all be offended by a Council that tells us we can’t understand as simple a message as “it is technically legal in Canada for a pregnant woman to abort her unborn child throughout the nine months of her pregnancy”?
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Andrea wonders: Whether or not the Advertising Standards Council’s web site itself is a bit “deceptive”. Because I just clicked over to their site, and all the people pictured look friendly. Check it out for yourself. (And yes, I’ve just linked you to the “How to submit a complaint” page, and yes, I will be sending them a friendly letter, myself. Feel free to do likewise, if the spirit moves you. Trust me, I can think of better things to do with my spare time, but this cro-magnon man “ruling” is just too much.)
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Update: You can read more about this story, here, from today’s National Post in British Columbia.