Controversial Radio add in my small town.

[lizcam]

<pfst> That\'s the sound of the can of worms I just opened with this thread but I figure you all would like to discuss it so here goes.......

\"Car dealer regrets ads urging non-Christians to \'sit down and shut up\'
By JOHN COX, Californian staff writer
e-mail: jcox@bakersfield.com | Wednesday, May 28 2008 11:21 AM
Last Updated: Thursday, May 29 2008 7:19 AMA radio ad that tells non-Christians to “sit down and shut up” has prompted a flood of phone calls to the Kern County car dealer who paid for the ads and now regrets airing them.
Text of the radio advertisement

“Did you know that there are people in this country who want prayer out of schools, “Under God” out of the Pledge, and “In God We Trust” to be taken off our money?

“But did you know that 86 percent of Americans say they believe in God? Now, since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians who believe in God, we at Kieffe and Sons Ford wonder why we don’t just tell the other 14 percent to sit down and shut up.

\"I guess maybe I just offended 14 percent of the people who are listening to this message. Well, if that is the case, then I say that’s tough; this is America, folks — it’s called free speech. And none of us at Kieffe and Sons Ford are afraid to speak up. Kieffe and Sons Ford on Sierra Highway in Mojave and Rosamond: if we don’t see you today, by the grace of God, we’ll be here tomorrow.”


Rick Kieffe, owner of Kieffe and Sons Ford in Mojave and Rosamond, insisted Wednesday that he does not remember approving the ad, .....Kieffe and Sons has contracted the same Oklahoma ad producer for 12 to 15 years, Kieffe said. Most of the ads are humorous but a minority are patriotic, “flag-waving” messages that don’t necessarily push car sales, he said.....And while that ad is no longer being broadcast, having run its full 90 days earlier this year, it has had an effect on the dealership’s future ads. Kieffe said he decided not to air an ad that humorously defends the Ten Commandments, making reference to Mel Brooks’ 1981 movie, “History of the World: Part I”.Kieffe said the ad was going to conclude on a funny note: “And actually, there would be 15 (commandments) if Mel Brooks hadn’t dropped one of the tablets.”

Ok, I was stunned by this add the first time I heard it and wondered what you all thought. Then there was this article about it so I figured I\'d ask. What are your feelings on it?

Edit: It was very long so I cut out parts. Sorry.

 

[sg2009]

so much writing :yawn:

 

[Zora]

I normally do not discuss religion or politics. Primarily because I don\'t understand EITHER.???

But just because 86% of Americans \"allegedly\" believe in God does not make them Christians...

I get tired of the overly PC crap out there in the world today. EVERYthing is offensive to someone out there.

When the workplace says you can\'t have anything in your cubicle with witches, etc. on it for the possibility of it offending someone, it just makes me want to go around to the people with crosses in their cubes and ask them to take them down...as it offends me and my DARK MASTER...

 

[ErunnerXI]

Objectively, 86 percent sounds like a skewed statistic in light of various religions that we enjoy in the United States according to our first amendment rights (That is probably unless you take away distinctions between Yahwei, God, and Allah). Now, as far as ads are concerned, the radio reserves the right to broadcast whatever they please so long as they pay the FCC their dues for frequency use and do not cross censorship standards; keep in mind it is money that comes from ads such as this. The car dealer paid his money for air time and it is the individual\'s choice whether or not to listen to the free service rendered to us as consumers. He could talk about clubbing baby seals or spreading hate speech (Which is what the broadcast seems like to me, honestly) but it is ultimately up to the individual listener to stay educated and make their own decisions.

However, a better reply to individuals championing staunch separation of church and state would be to worry not about God being on the dollar bill but the interest accrued by the Federal Trade Reserve, to move onto more important issues, or rather, we\'ll listen to you but you\'ll still be voted down.

Personally, if someone needs God, Shiva, Allah, or whatever to be fulfilled, then go ahead so long as it does not interfere with my right to believe in the scientific method. God, to me, etymollogically speaking, lives in everyone and everything but doesn\'t really live at all (A good reference would be Heinlein\'s Stranger in a Strange Land... without the Martians of course).

 

[evil tendencies]

As a Christian, this bugs me. The \"Sit down and shut up\" approach isn\'t really the loving, care-based ministry that I read Jesus doing in the bible. Such statements only serve to make my personal relationships harder than they need to be, as I am inevitably painted with the same brush.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

People are way to thin skinned and ready to take offense.....................that said, if you word something in a rude way, you will probably have only yourself to blame for the blowback.

 

[mattrock]

It\'s no secret that I\'m a Christian...I\'ve had several civil conversations with folks on this site about the subject. While I don\'t advocate the approach, I\'m fine with the ad.

As it said, \"this is America folks, it\'s called free speech.\"

Let the dealer profit or lose from the ad as they will. And btw, I\'d say the same thing for an antagonistically anti-Christian ad, of which there are indeed a few from time to time.

My two cents. :beer:

Edit: oooh...three Christians in a row. Two more and we\'re a full house! ....or something like that. lol

 

[gohkm]

Amen to that. And I\'m not even Christian.

Long and short: I may disagree with what you say, sir, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Peace out.

 

[BarstoolProphet]

Originally posted by ErunnerXI
Objectively, 86 percent sounds like a skewed statistic in light of various religions that we enjoy in the United States

95% of all statistics are made up, anyway. :beer:

 

[lizcam]

I haven\'t got an issue with the right to say it and would also defende that right (and have in the past......grew up in the 70\'s after all). I was just stunned at the TONE of it. The WAY it was said. On air it was very offensive. Very \"F*** you deal with it!\" That\'s no way to win friends and influence people but it is an attitude that runs rampant here.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Surely here there is a contradiction in that his/their statement to \"Shut up and Sit down\" is within his/their First Amendment rights, yet also violates the First Amendment rights of people who do not \"Believe\".

The erronious statistical (86%) and arrogant assumption that those people who believe in god are automatically christian also irritates me.

If anything, had I heard that advert, it would have generated a negative reaction and made me deliberatley avoid the company.

 

[freakinacage]

as they say, \'free speech\'. i\'ma non christian. i have noproblem with religious saying on money etc. it\'s part of the institution and anyone who wants it removed needs to get a life imo.

however prayers in schools is another thing. if it\'s a catholics etc school thats fair enough but i would say that otherwise it has no place in schools. if you want to worship god, thats fine but do it on your own time and dont force it on me. we had this problem at my school whre we had to go to chapel every other day. what a waste of time. as half of the kids were borders, they were often foreign and non christians. basically a few hours every week that could be spent doing something productive

 

[paintingploddy]

Let your money do the talking. You are free to discourgae people buying cars at the car yard.

True there is such a thing as free speech, but you have to put up with the results of what you have said.

 

[darthfoley]

Guy\'s a douchebag, but he has every right to be one.

I wouldn\'t buy a car from him, though.

 

[airhead]

If this had aired when the atheist in CA was trying to get \"under God\" pulled from the Pledge of Allegiance, I would understand the knee-jerk reaction.

However, as Evil Tendencies has reminded me, it did not come across as a very forgiving Christian attitude and does nothing to foster discussions; instead it only serves to further divide.

***

Now, the other ad he pulled with the Mel Brooks reference - that could have been funny - but we\'ll never know.

 

[supervike]

A car dealer who makes a living RIPPING people off preaching piousness?


Ah, irony is especially tasty in the morning.

 

[evil tendencies]

Originally posted by supervike
Ah, irony is especially tasty in the morning.

Does it smell like victory? lol

 

[mattrock]

Originally posted by supervike
A car dealer who makes a living RIPPING people off preaching piousness?


Ah, irony is especially tasty in the morning.

I can one-up that: Here in Houston, there is a firm of trial attorneys (ambulance chasers) that advertise their \"we\'ll make the insurance companies PAY\" services but always wrap it in how Christian they are. They\'ll quote the ten commandments, try to appeal to your \"we\'re not the suing kind\" side, etc.

Makes me sick.

Their firm tagline is, \"Simmons and Fletcher: Christian trial lawyers\"

I don\'t like anyone who uses Christianity as a tool in their repetoirre of money-making schemes.

...I know there\'s a money changer reference in there somewhere.

 

[DaN]

What does God have to do with selling cars anyway?

Does God drive a Buick? lol

Seems ridiculous that the ad was even approved for airing, but then oh well

 

[mattrock]

Buick?!!!

Buick!?!!

Blasphemy!! :flame:

Did you even READ the ad copy?!

I think it\'s obvious that Jesus drives a FORD!!!

....Heathen...:moon: