Editor’s note. My family and I will be on vacation through September 6. I will occasionally add new items but for the most part we will repost “the best of the best” — the stories our readers have told us they especially liked over the last five months. This first ran May 27.
Tip of the hat to LifeNews for a heads-up on a genuinely bizarre commercial, one that is, at the very best, in questionable taste.
The setting for the Direct TV commercial is a couple ensconced on their couch, realizing they’d forgotten to record a program they wished to see. Turns out Direct TV has some gizmo that gives them {viewers} a kind of second chance.
Put more accurately (to quote the company’s pitch), “72 Hour Rewind is a new HD DVR feature that lets you immediately watch shows that aired in the past 72 hours. Now you’ll never have to worry about missing a show again.”
In the ad, Jon Bon Jovi jumps in, acoustic guitar on full-throttle, to warble, “You see, we got the power to turn back time/That show you missed, let’s just go back and find.”
Okay, what does that have to do with us? After he advise the couple to consider replacing blasé salsa with the spicy, Bon Jovi eyeballs their young son writing on the wall and offers the thought, “And maybe reconsider having that second child.”
Maybe the ad hit me harder than most because we have a two-year-old grandson who is forever writing on places he shouldn’t. But that wouldn’t lead our son and daughter in law to “reconsider” Ethan. He is more precious to them–and to us–than the opportunity to watch some meaningless drivel on TV.
End of the world? Of course not,
Tacky and in poor taste and dehumanizing? Yes.
The requirement for doctors to refer patients for euthanasia procedures, even if it goes against their deeply held beliefs, can be perceived as insensitive to the moral convictions and autonomy of healthcare providers. It may also be seen as trivializing the gravity of end-of-life decisions and the sanctity of human life.
Furthermore, the policy’s imposition on physicians’ freedom of conscience and religion can be interpreted as dehumanizing, as it disregards their individual rights and professional integrity. By compelling healthcare providers to act against their conscience, the policy may contribute to feelings of moral distress and undermine the doctor-patient relationship.
Overall, while the policy may aim to ensure access to medical assistance in dying for patients, its implementation raises valid concerns about its ethical implications and the potential harm it may cause to both healthcare providers and patients alike. It’s essential to engage in respectful and nuanced discussions about these complex issues to find solutions that uphold the dignity and rights of all individuals involved.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
