Friday, February 9, 2007

Not so GLAAD

Ok, there comes a point in my life...and it comes more and more frequently as I grow older, that I just want to take someone by the giggly bits and scream in their ear to grow the hell up already. The most recent moment occurred as I read a story about a Snickers ad from the Superbowl.

For any that missed the ad, it involves 2 mechanics involved in an accidental kiss. They then feel that they must do something manly to counteract the smooch, so they elect to rip out a handful of chest hair.

The ad made several Top 10 lists, including one published by another gay organization. GLAAD, however didn't find it funny and raised their collective voice at the company who manufactures Snickers accusing them of defamation of the gay lifestyle and promoting homophobia.

Give me a frelling break. It was a commercial, and a funny one at that.

I would like to give a nod and a thumbs up to Masterfoods, Inc. the maker of Snickers. They pulled the ad from their website and the airwaves, but that was it. No apology.

[Masterfoods spokeswoman Alice Nathanson issued a statement in which she said the company would stop running the ad on television and the Web site.

"Feedback from our target consumers has been positive. In addition, many media and Web site commentators of this year's Super Bowl commercial line-up ranked the commercial among this year's top ten best. USA Today ranked it 9 of its top ten picks," she said.]

When they were asked to apologize for putting the ad out in the first place, they responded with, "we have done all that we can do."

Frankly, if I were in charge I would have checked our demographics and told the pompous, self-absorbed gits that GLAAD's membership were not our target consumer and to take the proverbial long walk off of a short pier.

This morning, I was watching TV with my kids and an ad for strawberry frosted mini-wheats came on. In this ad, a regular f.m.w. accidentally hits on a male strawberry one because he is pink. The regular one gets really nervous and can't look the strawberry in the face and the strawberry one begins to question his pinkness. How long will it be before this falls in the cross-hairs for teaching homophobia to the kids.

For the love of all that is holy. If people could just back up and calm down and maybe, oh I don't know, lighten the hell up, our society would be a much happier place in which to live. Learn to laugh and you'll live longer. Oh wait, stay grumpy so I don't have to put up with your narcissistic ass.

Ok, time to go drink something potent and calm down all over again.

3 comments:

HollyB said...

Tole, I think maybe we are related, or something, but whatever GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!! I wrote a very similar blog at around the same time and I swear I did not come over and sneak a peak at your's!

Janean said...

I didn't see the Snickers ad, but did see the miniwheats one. Also the circus scene in the movie Bug's Life comes to mind when they call "Francis" a girl, just because he's a ladybug.
People are just too darn P.C. anymore!! I totally agree.
Been checking in every once in awhile. Glad to see you're back to writing...some. :D

Gay_Cynic said...

What can I say? I first read about it over on the Yahoo Lonestar Activists list and followed the debate...about 50/50 pro/con..

Perhaps I'm a bit less than objective, and a wild-eyed idealist for seeking out middle ground...

But after having friends bashed, I'd suggest the ad(s) was/were tasteless...but that "screaming hissy fit" might be a bit of an over reaction...*shrug*

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