The Super Bowl was Sunday, and social media users were blasting one of the commercials featured during the broadcast. Though the game didn’t offer much in the way of drama until late, the commercials were surprisingly better than in years past. After shifting to a more political, woke theme over the past several years and eschewing humor, a number of ads were lighthearted and funny, reminding viewers of why the commercials used to be as much fun as the game.
One ad, however, has incensed critics on both sides, calling the content “propaganda” and “blasphemy.” The ad in question is by “He Gets Us” which promotes Jesus Christ and faith and acceptance. While the ad may have been well-intentioned, the messaging and perceived woke theme in the ad haven’t set well with social media users.
The ad appeared to have AI-generated images in it, sparking some to say: “Is this ‘he gets us’ ad made from AI images?” and “Did HeGetsUs just use AI-generated images in a Super Bowl ad?” The company that produced the strange-looking ad, Ad Age, took to X and claimed that there was no AI use in the spot. However, the controversy didn’t stop there.
The ad featured images of regular people washing feet as Jesus did, except that the depiction of the feet washing was clearly woke and meant to virtue signal. The images featured a cop washing a black man’s feet, as if to apologize for perceived injustice, an anti-abortion protester washing the feet of a woman outside a clinic, presumably there for services, an oil rig worker washing the feet of an environmentalist, a woman wearing a hijab and yet another white person, and a gay man and a priest.
It isn’t the sentiment that sparked outrage, but rather the race and religious aspects, which almost universally implied that conservatives need to be more accepting. One angry user wrote: “Reminder that the group behind He Gets Us ads actively fund and promote anti-women, anti-immigrant, and anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation,” while another added, “Serious question for the Hobby Lobby family behind the billion dollar ‘He Gets Us’ ad campaign, including prime time SuperBowl spots today: If Jesus ALREADY gets us, why spend a billion dollars advertising it instead of on food and housing to help hungry and homeless people?
Many pointed out that the homeless could have been fed and housed with the enormous amount of money spent on the spot. One said: “Yea, so a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl costs 7 million dollars. The Jesus ‘He Gets Us ad’ could have fed a lot of people. Obviously, they don’t get Jesus,” while another suggested taxing the church, “7 million dollars for that Jesus ‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl ad. Tax the churches.”
Cost aside, the messaging seemed to be the most obvious issue for many people. Sports fans tend to be largely conservative, and it didn’t sit well to once again see straight, white people on their knees after the division of the last several years. One commenter wrote: “The ‘He Gets Us’ ad hits every woke point. It is nauseating. They’re making up who Jesus was, and is. Don’t be fooled by their deception.”
It was a well-intentioned ad, and more people do need to follow Jesus’ lead in terms of service to others and faith. However, making white people once again look like the bad guy isn’t going to be an effective strategy when the majority of your audience is probably white and conservative.
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