Fightin' Tree Huggers

***Warning! Angry Rant Ahead!***


Remember this past season's halftime commercial for Notre Dame?

"We are Fighting for... a boat load of BS?"

It was so bad, that when I watched the Purdue game with Fr. Hesburgh in his office, he - that's right, FATHER HESBURGH - got up when it came on and WALKED OUT grumbling and went to find another cigar. I cannot possibly begin to express level of respect he gained from me in that instant.

The commercial was SO LAME I cannot even find it on YouTube.

Interestingly, the first hit that comes up when you google "notre dame commercial" is a link to the classic yet controversial "Candle" commercial of 2005.

For those of you who missed the spectacular show of stupidity, let me recap:

*dramatic music*
*flashy screenshots*

Voice over: We are fighting.....disease

*more dramatic music*
*more flashy & heartbreakingly sad screen shots*

Voice over: We are fighting.....for immigration reform

*even more dramatic music*
*even more moving screen shots*

Voice over: We are fighting for....just solutions

*dramatic music builds*
*screen shots of landscapes and an iceberg breaking*

Voice over (paired with shot of the Basilica: We are fighting....global warming. We are the Fighting Irish!



Ugh. It was so anticlimactic and disappointing that for a couple moments we were embarrassed for our school.


Now, some people got upset with the whole social justice focus to begin with. But social justice is a hallmark of Notre Dame. It's great, it really is. However, let's put things in perspective: Disease, immigration, reform, and then above all global warming? Seriously?

I'm a tree hugger. Seriously. I am. I will confess to having literally hugged trees. BUT no matter how much of a tree hugger you may be, human beings are more important. Why is our climax global warming? Why isn't it those just solutions? Why aren't we fighting for the right to life? Or equality? Or and of a host of natural and civil rights?

I think the listing of priorities in that commercial were severely disordered.


People noticed too. People thought it was weird at best, disgraceful at worst. I don't think people have forgotten either.


So when I saw yesterday's clips from the Colbert Show, I can't help but notice that Colbert is directly poking fun at the Fighting Irish.




Take it all as you will...

...and remember, the Class of 2008 wanted Colbert to be our commencement speaker. Either Colbert or Bono and we got Theodore "Bono" Cardinal McCarrick. (Ok, another confession, I really enjoyed when the Cardinal slid on those shades and shared a message from Bono with us - because yes, as has been established in posts long ago, I am a U2 fan.)

(photo from ND Magazine, probably taken by Matt Cashore. Go read the article. John Nagy did a wonderful job as always)