Uhm... o-kay. Here's what is going on with this. Apparently, the people from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company had a sponsorship deal of some kind with Glenn Beck's radio show. You know the sort of deal: the host takes a moment to read some ad copy on the air about what a great product the Vermont Teddy Bear is, maybe get it for your mom on Mother's Day? That sort of thing. Beck's been in the radio biz for decades, so this should be no big deal, right?
Wrong! Beck, for reasons I suppose only he can understand, interrupted his monotone introduction of the ad copy by going off on an anti-Mother's Day screed, calling it a "big business scam" that was created by Woodrow Wilson -- whom Beck "hates." Then, apparently realizing that he had essentially trashed the hopes of his sponsor, he momentarily slagged Hallmark before pimping Vermont Teddy Bears and their delightful scents.
There are no chalkboards on the radio, so I think this is how it's supposed to work: Mother's Day was the idea of Anna Jarvis, who created it in 1908 and promoted it as a national holiday. Her home state of West Virginia made it a holiday in 1910. Congress passed a law on May 8, 1914, establishing it as a holiday, and, the next day, President Wilson enshrined it with a presidential proclamation. As it turns out, Jarvis eventually came to believe her holiday had become a "big business scam." She was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace whilst protesting the holiday in New York City, and was especially militant when it came to greeting cards, which she despised.
So, that's how you get Mothers Day--->scam---->Woodrow Wilson---->suck it, Hallmark. Still, I'm guessing that the Vermont Teddy Bear Company would have preferred that Beck just stuck to the copy.
LISTEN:
BECK: Our sponsor this half hour is the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Vermont Teddy Bear is getting ready for Mother's Day weekend.
Can you believe Mother's Day week -- by the way, Sarah and I were talking on Saturday and she didn't believe me, or it was on Friday, and she didn't believe me. And I said, Mother's Day, it's a scam. It's a big business scam. And I said, I bet it was started by Woodrow Wilson. Look it up, Sarah. And she didn't. I said, look it up. She's like, no, I'm not going to look it up. I said, look it up, I'll bet you, I'll bet you. Mother's Day? Started 1914. Woodrow Wilson. Hate that guy. Love my mom. Hate the holiday. Now, you could go to Hallmark because Hallmark and Woodrow Wilson would like you to do that.
But there's something new from Vermont Teddy Bear. Three handmade teddy bears in pink, green, and white. The bears are scented, each one with a different scent: strawberry, watermelon and cupcake. It's like a bouquet of flowers, only it's a bear bouquet for life. Call 1-800-829-BEAR or go to VermontTeddyBear.com, VermontTeddyBear.com. Something new for mom this year to let her that you love her and you're thinking about her. The bear bouquet. From Vermont Teddy Bear. Delivery before Mother's Day is guaranteed. Don't forget guys, it's Sunday. 1-800-829-BEAR or shop online at VermontTeddyBear.com.
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