Hot Spots

Because they don’t want to offend religious television viewers, all of the major broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox — have refused to run an ad that they find troublesome for THIS:

A. Hershey’s new decidedly adult alcoholic beverage, Mr. C
B. Afliqua, a sexual enhancement supplement for post-menopausal women
C. Ikea, which prominently features a gay couple in its new ad
D. Hooters, the bar and grill that features busty girls in wet t-shirts in its ad
E. The United Church of Christ, which features a cross section of Americans to promote inclusion



ANSWER
E: The United Church of Christ. The UCC’s “God is still speaking” campaign touts the organization’s message of inclusiveness, but it’s a message that apparently is too hot to handle. The ad shows a variety of people — from a single African-American woman with a baby, a gay couple, an elderly woman and a Middle Eastern-looking man — being ejected from the pews during a church service. Viacom’s gay-targeted cable channel, LOGO, has also rejected the ad, which bears the tagline, “God doesn’t reject people. Neither do we.”

The reason usually given or implied when the ad has been rejected is that it is insulting to other churches — presumably those that reject African-Americans, single mothers, gay couples, Arabs and senior citizens. A statement issued by MTV Networks, the parent company of LOGO, explained: “Our guidelines state we will not accept religious advertisements that may be deemed as disparaging to another religion.”