This is the new commercial put out by the Samuel Adams beer folks. It shows a bartender trying to be all patriotic, explaining that the beer is named after Sam Adams because he signed the Declaration of Independence:

… Samuel Adams signed the Declaration of Independence. He believed there was a better way to live. All men are created equal. They are endowed with certain unalienable rights. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Smooth. Flavorful. We bow to no kings. Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Declare your independence.

The proper reaction should be: That’s a pretty lame way to link beer and patriotism. I mean, c’mon, “Smooth. Flavorful. We bow to no kings”? That’s the best writing they could come up with?!

But that’s not what people are talking about. They’re upset that the commercial makers took liberties of their own, modifying the language from the actual Declaration. I’ve reprinted those words below, bold-facing the ones that were left out of the commercial:

… all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Guess which omission people are flipping out about?

For some reason, none of these people seem very concerned that “that” and “that among these are” were left out, too… but to leave out “by their Creator”? That’s anti-Christian!

I guess they’ve never heard of “paraphrasing.”

Either way, it’s an overreaction to something that was probably done just to save time in a 30-second spot.

It reminds me of the time NBC aired a promo for the 2011 U.S. Open golf championship and left out the phrase “under God” from a shot of kids reciting the Pledge of Allegiance:

They also left out the word “indivisible” but no one cared about that. NBC was forced to apologize to viewers — and Congress! — for what they later called an “editing mistake.”



