Special to WorldTribune.com

By Myrna Sokoloff

The new “Poolside” commercial by Cadillac, starring Neal McDonough, is great if you believe in capitalism and hard work. It is stunning in that it is not anti-business. The man in the ad has pride in working 60 hours per week. He is very proud he made money, can buy whatever he wants and has a good life.

The fact that this one ad by Cadillac has generated so much controversy speaks volumes about our culture wars.

The left and Hollywood has worked hard to make the image of business negative. The evil enemy in the Lego Movie (2014) is a cute little toy named Lord Business. The Muppet Movie (2011) was about the Muppets trying to save their theater from a greedy oil tycoon.

If our children’s education was left to Hollywood there is no pride in business achievement. But the Cadillac ad is one bright, brave advertising spot on TV that is against this trend.

The left-leaning Huffington Post went ballistic. “Cadillac has made an ad about the American Dream-and it’s a Nightmare…the luxury car company is selling a vision of the American Dream at its worst,” wrote Features Editor Carolyn Gregoire.

But Fox Business News regular contributor Jonathan Hoenig said the ad is “ tremendous.” This hedge fund founder says it praises profit seeking, productivity and wealth.

In the ad, the actor, as the successful man, walks around his pool, says the point of working hard is not to buy “stuff.” He states that Americans love to work hard. It is what sets them apart and makes them great. We used to admire that concept. The “stuff” like a luxury car is just the reward for the hard work. And “that’s not bad,” he says with satisfaction.

The ad also points out that Americans are not like people in other countries, because we don’t take one month off in August to vacation. The actor smirks at that idea. Americans only take two weeks off every year.

Most people on the left believe people in foreign countries are more enlightened. They complain that Americans are not enough like Europeans. We should work less, take more time off and pay more taxes so the government can take care of us.

Families left Europe by the millions in the 19th and 20th century; they wanted the freedom to make a new life in the United States. An aristocracy, a rigid class structure or religious intolerance did not confine the new immigrants. Anyone with a great idea and who worked hard could make a fortune and live a great life.

But Hollywood seems bent on indoctrinating our little ones with the ‘business is always bad’ ethic through innocent-looking films. There is never a ‘good businessman’ who helps the community by building a plant or opening a store to employ people.

There is a Junior Achievement volunteer program in schools across the nation that promotes entrepreneurship. According to its website, JA has “impacted over 4.4 million students.” But in a country of over 320 million that is not far-reaching enough. The program’s aim is for “JA students to develop the skills they need to experience the realities and opportunities of work and entrepreneurship in the 21st-century global marketplace.”

Business skills are a worthwhile subject to teach in school. Yet, today our schools are teaching other subjects like ecology, animal rights and understanding other cultures. It is important to learn about the rest of the world. But it is also important to teach our children how to make a successful life in the world they live in.

There is good news in a recent Pew Research poll. It says the millennials, 18-33 year olds, are “as likely as their elders to have a favorable view of business.” Thus, the intended indoctrination of the anti-business movies did not work. That’s why the Cadillac ad is so great. Despite the pushback from the Left, according to Cadillac’s own research, the young consumer audience on YouTube approve of the ad by 3-1.

The Pew Research poll also shows that millennials are “more upbeat than older adults about America’s future.” It means that young people still believe in the American Dream. They also realize it that it will take a lot of hard work to achieve it. But that’s okay with them. Hopefully, one of these millennials is interested in film and will make a movie with a cute cartoon character that is a good businessman and helps people.

In America, anything is possible.

Myrna Sokoloff is a writer in Los Angeles. She is the author of “Hand of Fatima” (2014), a political thriller about terrorism. She is also the co-writer and executive producer of the film “An American Carol” (2008).

  American Dream, Hollywood liberals, Junior Achievement, Neal McDonough, The Cadillac Ad: Celebrating the American Dream that will survive the Left’s big lie