Let’s play a little game. I’ll give you some actual advertising copy from 1950s magazines, and you try to guess the products being advertised. Ready? Let’s go …
“This is the (thing) that makes eating at your house something to remember.”
Okay, guess what made eating memorable in 1957?
“Spam Cakes,” made with, you guessed it, that iconic mystery meat product—Spam—and Bisquick. “Something to remember,” indeed.
Let’s try another one from that same 1957 copy of Woman’s Day magazine: “Seems that modern, active people are always on the move, so it’s hardly surprising they’ve streamlined their eating habits, too. Lighter, less-filling food and drink keep their figures trim and their spirits flying.”
What keeps figures trim and spirits flying? Would you believe … Pepsi?
A third ad from the same magazine said, “Better for Nutrition! (This product) now gives you all the milk minerals, vitamins and food energy of the ‘high-priced’ (similar products) …”
What was so loaded with milk minerals, vitamins and food energy? Blue Bonnet margarine.
Surprising, since most of us in 2016 think more about damage control than excellent nutrition when we slather real or fake fat on our yeast rolls.
And speaking of fat, a 1957 Nabisco ad for Ritz Crackers claimed the cracker has “richer flavor that brings out the tangiest best in a cheese spread like Cheez Whiz” because “more pure shortening in Ritz Crackers is the secret.”
Like “more pure shortening” is a good thing?
An article from a 1952 edition of Collier’s magazine extolled the benefits of mud-bathing in Sobernheim, Germany. Mud enthusiasts claimed the “rich, smooth, cool red mud of Sobernheim will, when sat in, cure or alleviate rheumatism, palsy, jaundice, constipation, boils and tumors. It will soothe the nerves and rejuvenate the blood system. … The only element in the mud which they say has curative powers is a certain amount of radio-activity.”
Radio-activity? Whaaaat? Okay, technically speaking, death from radiation poisoning does, I suppose, alleviate a lot of ailments.
And now, ladies and gents, for the worst example of all. Take a gander at this headline from that same 1952 Collier’s magazine: “More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette.”
Here’s the copy that follows: “Tens of thousands of doctors, doctors in every branch of medicine – general practitioners, surgeons, throat specialists—doctors from coast to coast, were asked what cigarette they smoked. The brand named most—Camel! Repeated nationwide surveys show that more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette. Doctors want the same things you want in a cigarette—mildness and flavor!”
After seeing how much bogus health and nutrition information floated about in the 1950s, the decade of my birth, I’m quite surprised I survived childhood.
I’m also struck by how much “truth” eventually turns out to be untrue, and sometimes dangerously so.
When Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, He said He came “to testify to the truth.” Pilate’s cynical reply was, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38).
Pilate was in such a hurry to wash his hands of the Savior, he didn’t wait for an answer. What a tragic mistake, as it is for all who give up searching for truth.
Before that encounter with Pilate, Jesus had concisely defined truth to His disciples, saying, “I am the way, the truth and the life …” (John 14:6).
Look for truth and you’ll eventually find Jesus. You’ll find your way. And you’ll find life.
That’s certainly been true for me.
Sixty years from now, folks will surely poke fun at some of what’s purported to be “truth” today. Some, but not all, because there is truth that has and will stand any test of time.
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” – Isaiah 40:9.