The Christian conservative group One Million Moms (OMM) is outraged that Ragu pasta sauce would release a commercial where firefighters use the word “mother.”
Seriously.
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The ad shows firefighters talking about who is cooking, and one of them says, “Rodriguez.”
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“Oh, Rodriguez?” another firefighter responds. “You know he’s in there cooking like a mother.”
“Reach for the sauce that started in an Italian mother’s kitchen,” the voiceover says. “Ragu sauce, cook like a mother.”
“Through this new ad campaign, Ragu, owned by Mizkan, is promoting their products in a manner that parents find shocking,” OMM breathlessly told its followers. “Why is this ‘family’ oriented company running an ad for their sauce with the phrase ‘cook like a mother?’ In today’s jargon, viewers know full well that this tasteless phrase is a euphemism for ‘cook Like a mother f*#ker!'”
Of course, the ad never says “motherfucker” and makes it clear that they mean “mother” literally. While there is perhaps a double entendre, no one is forcing OMM to dwell on it.
OMM says that the ad is “not only offensive but also irresponsible” and that “impressionable children” will see it.
“Perhaps Ragu thought this was a humorous commercial, but it is not cute for children to recite this tagline,” OMM says, even though the tagline is literally “cook like a mother.”
OMM is promoting a petition that they claim has over 8100 signatures so far.
“I am highly offended by Ragu’s ‘Cook Like a Mother’ marketing campaign,” the petition reads. “It is irresponsible to use a euphemism for profanity in an advertisement. Everyone knows children repeat what they hear. I urge Ragu to cancel these commercials immediately. Until you clean up your ads, I will not be able to purchase your products in good conscience.”
