Wiping the Smile from Dad's Eyes
Public confidence in America’s institutions continues to fall. Business and industry. The church. Public schools. The military. Journalism. Medical professionals. The Supreme Court. All less trusted than before, some less trusted than ever.
Farming is among a precious few exceptions. Farmers remain widely admired and the public actually viewed farming more favorably this past year than the year before, bucking the trend.
Faith in farmers growing at a time when confidence in pretty much everything else craters is noteworthy but not terribly surprising, as Americans have always had a soft spot in their hearts for those who work the land. A decade ago, Dodge took advantage of that fact to promote its Ram pickup in an unusually long but superbly crafted Super Bowl commercial.
The advertisement, seen by an estimated 108 million viewers, made use of a speech the renowned radio broadcaster Paul Harvey gave 35 years earlier to a Future Farmers of America convention in Kansas City. The oratory wa…
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