“Pop the hood for a pledge of true love, commitment”
Ann Doss Helms
As appeared in The Charlotte Observer | February 13, 2001

Where can you find security, emotional fulfillment and that special someone you can trust to make a commitment?

From a Chevy Cavalier, a PT Cruiser and Avis car rentals, respectively, according to a fascinating look at how advertisers use the language of love and family to promote products. David Blankenhorn of the Institute for American Values turns a skeptical eye on such rhetoric in the - winter issue of the institute's newsletter, Propositions.

"Commercial advertisers, who supply what may be today's most influential cultural grammar, are increasingly suggesting that corporations are more reliable than lovers and families," he writes. For instance, there's the magazine ad suggesting the Honda Civic Sedan will "probably be the healthiest relationship of your adult life." Or the TV commercial featuring a frustrated mom whose ex-husband is abandoning their son to move off with his new girlfriend. Thank goodness she has John Hancock Financial Services to bring stability to life!

"Not to sound too naive or overly literal-minded," Blankenhorn writes, "but does anyone, including the people who make these ads, actually believe that the suffering and anxieties stemming from the collapse of marriage can be reduced, or addressed at all in any meaningful way, by car, insurance and financial services companies?"

You don't have to agree with all Blankenhorn's views to find intriguing insights and references in his newsletter. Subscriptions are $18 a year: for information call (212) 246-3942 or visit www.americanvalues.org.