What would Super Bowl ads be without a good dose of homophobia? I'm no referee, but I call foul, penalty and WTF! on the ad in which two men munch down on a Snickers bar from opposite ends, culminating in a kiss (gasp!) which they feel compelled to counter by doing something "manly," like tearing off a bit of one's chest hair, aka manscaping for Neanderthals.
But that ad is nothing -- NOTHING -- compared to the anti-gay "alternate endings" (Note: see update below) that the Mars company who owns Snickers has posted on their Web site. They are asking people to vote on which of the endings people want to see broadcast on FOX during the Daytona 500. Which of these do you like:
1) Men kiss, then, horrified, poison themselves by drinking motor oil and windshield cleaner:
2) Men kiss, YUCK!, so one guy sucker-punches the other using a huge wrench, then second guy slams his kissing buddy's head under the hood of a car they are working on:
Messages:
1) It's OK to beat the crap out of gay guys;
2) If you do something gay-ish, consider countering said act with self-mutilation or a hate crime;
3) Using gays as the butt of jokes is funny -- and profitable!
Snickers knows kids are hitting their site; are these videos really the lessons we want to teach them?
Snickers/Mars offers this link in case you "have a question or a problem related to the product or site." I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.
UPDATE: 6:00 PM
Snickers removed the ads from their Web site late this afternoon, including the video of NFL players watching the ads and saying "yuck" because two guys kiss, then laughing when they have to act "manly," e.g., become violent. Perhaps Snickers is feeling the heat of the many people who have expressed their dismay today that a major corporation would encourage bullying and hate crimes by running ads that make gays the target of homophobic behavior. Removing the ads is a good beginning; now about that apology ...
123 comments:
Thanks for alerting us to this - didn't know about the alternative endings. Made my disgust clear to Snickers on their website and we won't be buying anymore of their products.
All of us in the room where I was watching agreed that the concept was funny, until they decided that they had to do something "manly." I had just thought it was stupid, but now I see it was also a bit of homophobia.
~ Chris, www.savedbytheblog.com
Yeah, I thought that ad was _particularly_ lame. I was kinda embarrassed for the actors, actually.
I totally agree with you on this...I was shocked and then dismayed by this hateful commercial and only saw the alternate endings when I found this site. Even more homophobic! My test has always been if you can substitute another minority group and not be offended then you have to let it ride and even laugh along. Try it and see for yourself.
-AndrewHM
What's even worst is the "extra" of the players watching each ad, and their disgust at the scenes.....it send such a bad, negative message to people, especially kids. I can't believe this is happening in 2007!
re: Gumby's comment: Good point. I meant to say that too. As if the ads aren't horrid enough, players (aka the people kids worship) are shown being grossed out by men kissing (yes, those are on Snickers' site, too).
What's next? I guess Snickers could hire Isaiah Washington as their celebrity spokesperson.
Thanks, Kenneth. I just sent a letter on the Snickers site.
I am glad I am not the only one that was disturbed by the homophobic message. Anyone know how to go about starting a national campagne to boycott Mars products until they issue an appology to the gay community and the population at large?????
oh puh-lease. Some people need to dial back their "offend-me" button. The ad depicted two HETEROsexual men who accidentally engaged in a HOMOsexual kiss. It is realistic to expect that they would be mortified and a bit disgusted.
Get over yourselves. It's a freakin' commercial. Everybody knows that commercials go over the top with punchlines and humor in general. Well, almost everybody knows that. Some people apparently didn't get the memo.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head over to the Dalmations AOL page, and read how offended members of that breed are that a mutt got to snuggle a beauty queen, and otherwise enjoy legit fireman's dog glory, just because he got muddy. They're justifiably incensed. And then I'll click on to the obese women's page, and read the complaints about fat chicks being exploited by Doritos.
OMG, you guys are missing the whole point/message. I wouldn't be surprised if a homosexual wrote this commercial. It is supposed to show how absurd and ridiculous homophobia really is! That's how myself and everybody else I've talked to viewed the commercial.
This just shows that if a person is intent on being offended, they can find a conflagation anywhere. Don't you think if Snickers was trying to spread homophobia, they would have picked more appealing protaganists to foist that message upon us?
It was humor, albeit, poorly executed slapstick.
The world would be better if the vast majority of americans could grow a skin thicker than a ziplock bag, relax and not experience an intoxicated joy in the opportunity to feel moral outrage in every thing they see.
Now your next blog can be about the racial conspiracy that left "dream girls" out of the Best Picture Oscar Category.
thank you eyelikebier
Dude I'm not gonna lie.
This commercial is funny as crap.
Anyone who's getting upset over this seriously needs to get a reality check.
Look how many tv shows and movies depict junk like this.
It's funny and you know it.
Regardless of your sexuality, if you kiss someone you would never be attracted to... well... it would be weird.
So stop trying to find excuses to boycott Mars and start crap.
The world does not revolve around making fun of homosexuals or shoving homophobia down people's throats.
Regardless of whether or not people agree with homosexuality or homophobia, I think we have more important things to worry about.
So once again, get over this commercial.
Go buy a Snickers or something :P
I laughed. It's known as a sense of humor. When you take things with stride and if it really REALLY bugs you, you shut your mouth and let it roll off your back. The point of the ad was 'snickers is so good, you can't resist it even in extremes.' The rest was for humor's sake. If you think there is some alternate messege here, your looking too hard and should seek a comedy club and perhaps a stiff drink to loosen up.
Are gays the only minorities that people care about offending? What about African Americans, women, religious people and others? Or doesn't it matter what offends all the rest of the people in this country? People laugh at and make all kinds of fun of white males all the time, and nobody raises complaints about that. I'm offended at the content of this commercial, and I wouldn't want my kids watching it, because of the overtly sexual/homosexual content it displays. And anyway, everyone gets made fun of, other demographics just don't raise so much crap about commonplace things like this.
Oh! And proof this is great advertizing...you will remember IT and snickers forever, won't you? Isn't that the point of ads?
to xxwolfscythexx : Yes, you are right. I *will* remember Snickers. I will remember not to buy their product.
yea, really. get the hell over it. are you people that up tight and prudish? get over yourselves, it was funny. thats it. deal with it.
to breakerofcows:
I will reiterate AndrewHM's comment from earlier: subsitute "African American" for "gay" in the commercial, and see if it's still funny to you and not offensive. Picture it: Guy chews on candy bar, at the other end is a black woman, and he's so freaked out when they kiss that he gut-punches her with a wrench to, you know, show that interracial dating is disgusting. Still funny?
yea yea, gotcha.
It has NOTHING to do with GAY PEOPLE. I'm bisexual and I'm not at all offended by this. The idea is two STRAIGHT men kissing, and they just arent attracted to each other and so they are embarrassed that they kissed. It's about embarrassment, not homophobia. Don't go overboard with your homo-paranoia. Let's just all be people and laugh at simple humor (not that this was all that funny)
If one man was gay and the other wasnt, and the one who wasnt gay attacked the other, then that would be hateful, but that's not what happened.
seriously... get out of here... i hate people like this who turn a simple funny ad by saying it has hidden messages and other bullcrap... stop thinking too much about it... idiot
I dont see what the big deal is. It just so happens that these two guys WEREN'T GAY... and thats what the story was about!
Guys who happen to NOT be gay... are not interested in doing things that could be taken as being gay. Hence the commercial's storyline. I dont understand how you guys could take offense to that.
There's nothing wrong with gay/lesbian TV shows depicting the lives of these individuals, and you dont hear anyone complaining about it either because it would offend the gay/lesbian community. Therefore, here is a story that depicts the lives of these two straight guys, however idiotic they are (and most of them are but, hey, thats a different topic altogether) and therefore it doesn't make sense that people are upset by it.
It shows the stupidity of homophobic straight guys moreso than it should offend a person who is gay.
gayestever... you're obviously the kind of person who relishes being the victim, and is just lost without it. Enjoy your sad little boycott.
johnbob51: there are no "hidden" messages in this commercial. two men kiss, and because of it, they find it necessary to either die or inflict bodily harm on themselves. if snickers was trying to make a joke, it escaped me.
breakerofcows: people "get away with" poking fun at white males because they are afforded all of the benefits life has to offer. gays, minorities and women are not.
stepherino29: i'm sure the majority of people watching the super bowl did not get the 'stupidity' of these men for being homophobic. i will wager you a bet that that was not snickers' intention in making this commercial.
eyelikebier: you're a straight, white male, correct?
just as it's ok for gay men to like kissing gay men, it's also ok for straight me to be absolutely disgusted with the action.
jrsharkie: would it be ok, then, for gay men to chastise straight people because a male-female kiss disgusts them so much?
While I'll agree that the violent versions are of questionable taste, the "Love Boat" ending adds humor and a "gay friendly" ending. In an age when teens commit suicide because they feel different, and violence is perpetrated on those who do not fit in, I'll vote for the more accepting version.
The men in the commercial are obviously straight, and coworkers, or something similar. It's not condoning violence towards gays, it's a humorous spin-off of the fact that if two straight males who know each other were to kiss, then they'd be disgusted.
You're welcome to not enjoy the humor, but get over it, it's not anti-gay propaganda.
OK, lets make an ad that shows two black men, one of them does something "white" and the other one says "quick, do something black, rob a convience store!". You tell me that doesnt down the black population. Same idea with the snickers commercial.
whoabecca: sure it'd be ok, although you'd have to limit your prospective audience to channels such as bravo. face it, this is a hetero world... it's how we're all still here.
"seriously... get out of here... i hate people like this who turn a simple funny ad by saying it has hidden messages and other bullcrap... stop thinking too much about it... idiot
Comment from johnbob51 - 2/5/07 3:57 PM"
This is just one of the comments that really, really got to me. If I were to sit here and quote all of them that did, I might just end up getting carpal tunnel as well as boring you all to death; so I’ll try to keep my rants concise.
Is it really the fault of the gay community—or even, anti-homophobic people in general—that they are forced to succumb to what you may see as over the edge paranoia? I mean, think about all of the hate crimes in this world, not only against gays but against any sort of minority at all. Those are enough to make anyone under oppression feel as if they need to be constantly on guard. Our nation is definitely an uptight one, I must say, and even if it wasn’t the company’s intention to spread homophobia, they should have thought things out more before they aired the commercial. After all, maybe it’s just me, but if I were to have a job at an advertising company, and I were to air a commercial or put up an ad that offended even the slightest amount of people? I would definitely look into it and think again before distributing something that could be taken offensively.
Gayesteditorever, I really did enjoy this blog. I actually spent SuperBowl Sunday watching old films with my gay best friend, and we did catch a part of that commercial while switching movies. He was quite flabbergasted by it, and it’s definitely good to see that others noticed that it wasn’t exactly the most tactful of ways to advertise their product.
i loved it! it was hilarious
There is enough of this on TV, just tell them to stop running it.
I realize this is a hetero world, and I am a heterosexual female who enjoys all of the privileges that come with being that. To then pin any sort of negative connotation on a homosexual kiss is detrimental to the cause of these underdogs, just as implying that interracial kisses were cause for alarm.
I think that everyone needs to get over it! This was a funny ad. I have several gay friends and my mom is gay as well. We all found the ad funny. It shows just how stupid people can be in their own thoughts abouts gays. The real question is why are you wasting your time whining about this ad? It seems to me that in todays world we can not say or do anything in fear of upsetting someone!
I don't think anyone's really whining, but as I said before: this wasn't the most tactful of ways for the company to go about promoting their product. People take things in different strides, different waves. If they are offended, they have every right to be. If they're not, they also have every right NOT to be. However, we shouldn't wage war over things that we can't control... I don't believe in telling someone not to take something "so seriously", or in telling them the opposite—to be offended by something that obviously doesn't bother them. Because each person's mind is different, and each person's emotions are fluctuant in their own selves, not to mention with one another. We shouldn't be telling each other how not to feel, because that's turning a worthy debate into a battle of beliefs; which frankly will never be solved. People in general are quite stubborn.
Sign the petition!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/457885009
....What's wrong with this ad again? People aren't gunna be happy no matter what they see. If they kissed and they were like,"hey...Snicker's is better than I thought!" people are going to be horrified. People make fun of people. I don't really see it as anti-gay so personally I don't have a problem with it and I dunno why other people would either.
However the poisoning ending goes a little far.
hmm.. why don't we all just complain some more? bitching about the commercial isn't going to make people like gays if they don't. these days everyone gets a kick out of making fun of people because people respond to it and thinks it's funny. EVERYONE gets cracked on- stop acting like "gays" are the only ones.
If you're not offended by this commercial, I'm not saying you're a bad person. But I, and gayesteditor ever, were. And our reasons are valid, and I've outlined mine for you, and for someone to say that gayesteditorever loves to play the victim is absurd.
manda0panda0 : and when homosexuals are afforded all of the rights that heterosexuals are and are treated as equals, then it will be appropriate to "crack on" them. until then, sorry.
I couldn't have said it any better than that, thanks, whoabecca. :D
People care wayyyyyy too much, who cares?, I don't. Whats the big deal?
Seriously, people find anything to get all uppity about nowadays.
The commercial is poking fun at homophobia, not gays. Allow me to 'break it down' for you:
Two men,(Let's assume they're straight) both in need of the snickers bar. They both want the thing so much, they go at it from different ends, ending in a kiss between the two.
When they realize what just happened, the homophobic core of their brain kicks in and they think to themselves, "Uh oh, that seemed gay, I'd better do something manly or straight to make sure no one thinks I'm gay." And in the process of them trying to prove their masculinity, they do stupid, harmful things to themselves. All in an effort to 'not seem gay'.
It's mocking the homophobic men because the two would do just about anything to prove that they aren't gay, 'they ain't no queers'.
If you'd looked at this with a neutral p.o.v. you would have seen that, instead of something just to get irked about.
let me provide you with a guarantee: the general american public is not "breaking it down." they're taking it at face value.
And so was I.
The two shared the kiss unintentionally, and then one of the guys actually says, 'Quick, do something manly.'
The average super bowl watch is going to get a belly laugh at it because, 'haw haw, them two men just did something gay like.' But if you watch it and actually pay attention to the thing, it's obvious that it's mocking homophobia, not homosexuals.
I will reiterate AndrewHM's comment from earlier: subsitute "African American" for "gay" in the commercial, and see if it's still funny to you and not offensive. Picture it: Guy chews on candy bar, at the other end is a black woman, and he's so freaked out when they kiss that he gut-punches her with a wrench to, you know, show that interracial dating is disgusting. Still funny?
Comment from gayesteditorever - 2/5/07 3:30 PM
Wow this response was completely over the top because you took the joke out of context. I didn't get from the ad that it was anti gay at all, and of course if you had it in this light it would be anti racist. The guys found it unmanly to kiss each other so they end up trying to do things considered "manly". i.e. tolerating pain and other ridiculous nonsense. There is no way a sane person could think this is endorsing violence against gays. Them hitting each other was to show how manly they were by being able to take pain. It's merely a satire on the extent guys will go through to prove their masculinity.
Editor, that's a moot point and doesn't even really apply.
I say either defend your position(well) or retract your statement.
It's not that serious. I thought the commercial was funny when I first saw it during the Super Bowl. There was a commercial that poked fun at the way people spoke. It stereotyped inhabitants of New York, Cali, and other states. The point of the commercials were to get a rise out of the viewer. Relax, it's not that serious.
personally i just thought it was stupid, no one is making a statement about racism or homophobia. Super bowl commercials are meant not to make sense, it is the general public that takes it out of context. There will always be someone somewhere who disagrees with something that was said or done, because its human nature. It cant be all in fun, it always has to make a statement and the majority of the time it makes NONE. People need to calm down, and just state the commercial was horrible, no undertones of homophobia or racial interjections. That is done by because again people dont take things at face value, they go above and beyond to prove a point when there was none there. Again, stupid and idiotic commercial, people going above and beyond to make sure there is always something going to be said about it. It is what it is, but people will blow it out of proportion no matter what......
franki
Has political correctness run amok to the limit yet. My answer is emphatically yes. Get a grip and move on with your life. Maybe if more people, gay, straight, black, white, skinny or fat etc., put more effort into more serious issues than looking for anything that can be construed as hate or ignorance when it really isnt there, we'd get more accomplished in this world. Move on.
Hey 2 guys kissing on national TV?, and during the Super Bowl?!!!? Boy things have come a long way.
okay, i definitely agree with everyone else. who cares if it's about 2 guys kissing? all i know is that it's hilarious, happens for 30 seconds, then I (and the rest of america) move on. get over the "political correctness!!!!!!!" you're trying to find things that aren't worth your time. move on! focus on more important issues, like starvation in third world countries!
.. this commercial was definately more of a joke towards men and how they will do crazy things to prove their 'manliness" like in the burger king commerical where they are running around singing "I am man, hear me roar!" and pulling a truck..
everything is not always derogatory towards gays!
satanjjesus: how was editor's point moot? you didn't provide a counter-argument. one does not choose his own homosexuality as well as one does not choose his own race. and both race and homosexuality have been or still are discriminated against in our society in the same way. i think the editor made a very good point.
With everything going on in the world today, and all the change than can be made elsewhere, you somehow prioritized a commercial during the super bowl as a threat the the gay and lesbian population in America and abroad.....
really?
wow.
Whoabecca: A man beating a woman isn't comparable to a man beating another man, and in this case it's two men beating each other. Substituting a woman for one of the men would bring up this problem, and you cant just ignore it for the sake of making an argument. That, is how the point was moot.
Isn't it obvious that the commercial was making fun of homophobia? The men involved, the obvious homophobes, were depicted as ignorant, insecure rednecks desperate to prove their manliness after an accidental, percieved homosexual moment. Would you rather be associated with being gay, as shown in the media, or being homophobic, as depicted by this commercial? The men are obviously not gay, and obviously not role models. Indeed, they are anti-role models.
I don't see how any of this could be considered gay bashing or homophobic. You'd have to be very illogical and irrational to find this offensive. There is no gay bashing involved in 2 straight guys that don't like to kiss eachother. Most I know would be pretty grossed out by it but none are by any means a homophobe.
It just seems you wanted one more excuse to make yourself feel left out and discriminated against, so straight white males everywhere will seem like the bad guys and you're the victim.
And you failed to mention the "Love Boat" alternate ending, which didn't have any display of violence in any way shape or form, and I thought was the funniest of them all.
This is more proof that whiners are more vocal.
too cute guys would have been better. these two slugs made it yucky!!
Lol, editor...get a life, and live it. People like you will ALWAYS find something to be "offended" at. Laugh at the commercial like everybody else did, and go pick a fight somewhere else.
By the way...very clever "forgetting" the Love Boat ending ;-) go kiss a guy, you anti-heterosexual male!
Two guys getting into a snicker bar, accidentally touching lips getting grossed out...lol, it's perfectly normal, unless you're into that stuff. What's on your computer screen right now anyways? I'd puke if my lips touched my friends, lol.
Let's show a commercial where a black man and a white woman kiss and horrified at the inter-racial kiss, they scream and freak out. Substitute the above advertisement with any sex or race and you find offense. It is irresponsible of Mars corp to suggest that two men kissing is a BAD THING, it offends millions of people who are or are in support of gays & lesbians. To those who think the offended people such as myself are overeacting please think about that. Think about the responsibility a large corporation has to the public and how it might feel to see yourself portrayed in a negative light.
Seriously. Let's step back stop making everything about nothing. All I hear is how someone's right have been infringed on but honestly no they haven't. I didn't think it was homophobic at all. You are somehow making this meningless commercial affect your life so much. Really thought if this bothers you that much you have much bigger problems than a candy commercial. Everyone is segregating themselves. Next thing you know your going to have obese people pissed off cause everyone is telling them they are unhealthy and living the wrong lifestyles. It's ridiculous. Gayesteditorever just get a life go fight for gay marriage or something. In my mind that is where the fight is. Who cares about a commercial maybe you should work for equal rights first. Which i think can and should be achieved. Focus on the real problems.
I watched the Super Bowl at a gay bar even though I'm straight. When I saw that ad and then realized people might think I'm gay because I'm watching football, I started picking up barstools and clobbering all the homos in the joint. Then I clobbered myself. When I woke up, I was in a police car. I explained to the fuzz why I did it and they let me go, you know, because everybody hates gays.
Ok wtf, the guys in the commercial didnt kiss on purpose, their not gay, so where do you get this "gay-bashing" from?
Boofricketywho! Geez you are making this thing into something rediculous. I'm 15, a sophmore at a private highschool, white, heterosexual, and thought that this commercial was very humorous when i saw it.
Personally, I don't think that the commercial was suppposed to be taken as a shot towards gays/lesbians. I mean, sure, I can understand how some of you might say that, and, respectfully, I am gonna disagree. Everyone gets made fun of, sure, some more than others, but I can tell you that if I kissed one of my guy friends, I'd be a little creeped out. Speakng from experience, I can tell you I get made fun of every day. I'm a little heavy, and I play on my school's football offensive line, so yeah, I'm the brunt of some jokes.
And to all you people that are saying "substitute this in, substitue that in," I can only say one thing... WOW! Why the hell would you substitue a "black woman and a white man, or a white woman and a black man"? Honestly, take the ad at face value, this isn't some highschool english class where you need to delve into the mind of the author or read between the lines, it's a commercial that I guess some people are making to big a deal out of.
So, I'm sorry to all those that feel like they are being discriminated against, or put down, or "marginalized" as my christian service teacher would say, but I am going to have to disagree and say save your rants for a later time where they are more appropriate.
So, respectfully disagreeing with all people out there who think that this is a "gay-bashing" commercial, peace out.
(P.S. Snickers is one of my favorite candy bars of all time!)
Bro you are definitely a fag.. omg you sensitive peice of shit relax
i agree ur a whiny whore is making this whole big fart so no one in our politcally correct society even whispers that u're homophobic, imagine their shock when they find out ur gay
I think these commercials were not so much of an attack at homsexuality but a humorouse dig at homophobic men.
Think about it, the majority audience that viewed this commercial are me who would probably have a similarly uncomfortable reaction to kissing another man; that those two meat heads in the commercial did. Then on the other hand they are rabid fans of sports that consist of sweaty men jumping and grabbing all over each other, slapping each others asses and then when its all over showering together. Sounds pretty gay to me.
I think that this was the point of the commercial, how rediculous the average american male is when it comes to homophobia. Granted gays are still unfairly persecuted in this nation but I think you should stop jumping at shadows and pick your battles more wisely.
if anything, i felt like this commercial was making fun of the ignorance of people, while still selling their product. For instance, many of you here see that it is completely ridiculous. It's meant to be "ridiculous" and to make someone laugh. It's not that they're saying gays are immasculine... it's that this "snickers" bar was so scrumptious that two straight men, obviously uncomfortable with kissing a man because they are straight, kissed! Im gay, i don't want to kiss a man! Don't you all know big and "manly" guys who are so uptight about anything that threatens their straight sexuality? I feel like the gay community preaches for acceptance, but causing such a backlash against a commercial like this that it promotes violence and bad sentiments towards gays. i don't think it's meant to be taken seriously.
RE: bharpo & koolkidsklub~ If that shit is towards me, you are f**king retarded. And if not, you are huge assholes for saying shit like that.
Woooooow.
Snickers > You.
yeah, I'm kinda torn between the two sides:
The commercial DOES imply that homosexuality, or doing something homosexual is wrong, or not "manly" which is where it goes wrong.
HOWEVER, I also don't think it was meant to be taken that way. When I first saw it i thought of it as a joke about how silly and stupid men, "manly" men, can be over something so meaningless. It's a play on how dramatic guys can get about something homosexual. But seriously, if i kissed one of my friends (girls OR guys) that i didn't have feelings for or didn't think was attractive, I'd probably be grossed out too.
i think it is absolutely appalling that they had them kiss at all people shouldnt have to turn on their telivison and see such smut. like it or not homosexuality isnt and shouldnt be an accepeted "norm". if you want to be gay that is your business but i dont want to have to see it. if you want to air the crap do it on cable were crap is paided for and accepeted
and if it was two chicks makingout no1 would care .. at least i wouldnt ..but thats cuz i have balls.. unlike the fag who wrote this article
I have to say that I didn't see these commercials as targeting gay people at all. Rather, when I viewed the commercials, I saw an anti-homophobic message. Hear me out. Here are two men, clearly straight and afraid of being labeled as gay. When they do something that others might consider a gay act, they, in their deranged homophobic minds, feel the need to do something to "prove their manliness," which basically means doing something insanely stupid. Now, when I see that, I see the message, "Don't be idiots like these guys." I don't think the commercials are endorsing this sort of behavior. After all, who can take two men poisoning themselves for not-even-kissing seriously? It clearly is pointing to the ridiculousness of such behavior and is therefore speaking out against homophobia rather than supporting it. At least that's how I viewed it. Coming from a pansexual, I really don't think these commercials are at all offensive.
(FYI, if anyone responds to me, it's unlikely I'll come back, so sorry if I don't respond to responses. I took more time than I have to write this in the first place; I just had to put my opinion out there.)
its just a tv ad... good god lol Ppl look way to deeply into everything its sad..honestly
if you watch tv and ur gay expect to get offended JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE tough it up then the other 99% of society will consider u accually men...
It's a joke....
lighten up!
Honestly, this is why anal people are screwing up the world... Calm Down.
hate crime? basically, the author's implying that it is beating up a gay in response to a homosexual act, and therefore it's a hate crime. but if you consider it like that, then they BOTH be gay, and since they're BOTH beating each other up, it wouldn't be a hate crime. that's like saying two black guys beating eachother up is a hate crime, just because of the fact that they're minorities. god, people and fuckin PC these days...
and I think that this was just supposed to make fun of how stupid people can be over homophobia, and wasn't really supposed to be going either way. I think before AOL syndicates an author, they should overview whether they're a self-righteous bullshiter or not first.
whoever wrote this article seems to me to have a certain agenda. in other words, if an anti-christian ad appeared in the superbowl, i'd be surprised to see them have a problem with it. this one-sided political correctness is stifling creative thought in our society - such individuals may think they want "acceptance for all," but what they're really doing is forcing a certain set of values on us. not only is this not very democratic - or progressive for that matter - this hypocrisy is insulting, incorrect, and utterly detrimental to everyone involved in it.
stop forcing us to think what you think. if people want to be gay, that's fine - but don't make me support it. if you want society to support homosexuality, that's fine too - but be honest about your actual goals. you're allowed to convice me, you're even allowed to be irrational, but this is a free country, and it goes both ways.
the superbowl ad was by no means offensive; by your article, anything that doesn't completely embrace homosexuality is "anti-gay." guess what: it's ok that two guys aren't gay. in the ad, they didn't diss gay people, they didn't say homosexuality was stupid, they themselves simply are not gay. the fact that you think there's a serious problem with that puts you on the very, very far-left. not only do i disagree with your views of the ad, i disagree with your general attitude.
too bad most of the media agrees with you.
Give me a freakin break!! The person who wrote this article has waaaaaaaaaay too much time on his/her hands! If you're gay and were offended by this, then you are an idiot. If anything, the commercial was making FUN of homophobia, NOT promoting it!
get life and remove the stick out of your tight ass maggots!!!!!!
.....geez, the more i read what this dope editor wrote the more disbelief i feel....lame!
wow that commerical was really uncalled for especialy for an event that kids are watching and some parents might not want them seeing. it was bad not because of it being "homophobic". its bad because it promotes homo rights. showing two men kiss on TV is really gay....(and correct me if im wrong but isnt gay supposed to be a negative term????) i dont care what you believe about gays and gay rights but it seems to me that TV and the media dont give enough respect to those who believe its wrong. they automaticaly label those people "homophobes" and "intolerant people". i just think that those people (including myself) deserve a little respect and dont want those types of ads shown on TV when anyone (including little kids) can watch it.
are you kidding me?
the REAL implication here is certainly not to the tune of "anti-gay" and if anything is a social commentary on the ludicrousness of homophobia.
tearing off one's chest hair is not only implicitly stupid, but also far from an affirmation of heterosexuality.
further, any "affirmation" of masculinity would hardly (no pun intended) do anything to quash feelings of "gayness"
what you failed to note sir, is the MYRIAD of ads which were CLEARLY geared toward the growing number of women who are tuning in to the superbowl (see also the chevy HHR commercial, playing on the old "bikini carwash" theme and the "but he has an axe" bud light commercial playing to female "horror" apprehension and men's ignorant-to-the-obvious-danger cliche bravery.
someone should steal your keyboard sir, because you do not deserve to share your mob-mentality-inspired diatribe with the interweb.
http://daverockstar.com/comingsoon.html
Did anyone watch the View today? Funny how outspoken gay activist, Rosie O'Donnell, loved the commercial along with tight-ass, elizabeth hasselback. If those two women agree it's funny and not homophobic... let it go people. keep the peace. and let it go.
So, after viewing the ad, I considered the fact that it seems to be poking fun at traditional heterosexist and macho conceptions of manliness. I then decided that the ad is nonetheless offensive and inappropriate in that while making fun of these conceptions, it still reinforces them by failing to offer an alternative to this conception of masculinity. Younger and homophobic viewers will walk away believing or continuing to believe that being gay or kissing another man is to be avoided to preserve one's manliness.
I'm glad to hear it was taken off the site, but I still urge all to write to Snickers and ask them to issue an apology and seek the counsel of an expert in LGBT sensitivity while constructing future ad campaigns.
Okay, I would first like to say that the writer of this article is quite an unfortunate dunce. The commercial isn't meant to be taken literally, it's meant to be humorous. I'm not sure if your aware of this or not, but thats what Super Bowl commercial are kind of meant to be, you know, humorous. It's not homophobic. I think your just homophobic and are just trying to cover it up with this article, It wouldn't surprise me. The way that you write is like reading about someone taking a piss, I know what your thinking "WTF?!" Don't worry I'm sure that you will get over your little problem with gay people you sick freak. I'm just saying it everyone was thinking it. Way to hit a home run and completely insult gay people, douche bag. Go huff some gas.
i dont think its homophobic, its just funny, it's for the supur bowl which means that it was meant 2 b funny, if u cant c the humour than ur just stupid.
If it was a lesbian/gay who accidentally kissed some dude/woman and then had to do something stereotypically "lesbonic/gay," do you think a rational straight person would write a stupid article complaining about it?
Hypothetically speaking, why does it matter if a minority, or if even the majority, of heterosexual males were discusted by the idea of them kissing another guy? I'm sure there are plenty of homosexuals who would find the idea of them partaking in heterosexual intercourse deeply disturbing, even unto the point of irrational behavior. Are these people anti-straight? I have a gay friend who finds certain heterosexual activities entirely revolting, and I don't hold it against him, neither do I provoke him or claim he hates me for liking women.
No matter what you have to say, someone is going to be offended by it. My advice is to either grow up, or sue whomever for whatever damages they caused--not whine to people and pretend you're behind some great cause. You arn't.
I don't hate gay people, I love gay people. If I did hate gays, I'd probably be just as angry as you dimwits about the commercial because the guys kissing would not only be discusting but enraging. If anything, you're likely part of some homophobic conspiracy to get male-male kissing scenes off the air, rather than some activist trying to promote any kind of gay rights.
Stereotypes are fun to make fun of, and making fun of them is healthy too, ignoring the fact they exist is like sweeping a rat corpse under a rug- no one sees it, but it still stinks. Jokes about stereotypes offer satire as a form of anesthetic: it shows people that the ideas of the stereotypes are so rediculously pathetic that they are richly humorous and it helps break down these barriers rather than ignoring them.
Or maybe I'm wrong. Who cares? Not anyone I know.
Free speech. I'm buying thrice as many snickers now.
they did go a little far, but some people are going to take this wayyyy to far, just like janet jackson's flop-out incident.
*does carson's swami impression* i see a lawsuit in the future....
will people get over themselves? gay, bi, lez... who gives a crap?
love is two people, not gender. if you have anything to say otherwise, AIM me at
heartbrokeang3l
and dont think im emo/goth because of the screenname.
~Ryu~
i don't think it's homophobic atall.
if they were homophobic, they'd've been too disgusted by two men kissing, that never wouldve happened on their commercial.
the ad is satirical, poking fun at the inbred homophobia that is laiden inside of grown men in america.
the real problem is pro-censorship douchebags like yourself
Honestly who gives a flying fuck it was funny straight guys dont complain when they show adds and the guys totaly whipped y do gays have to have a problem with an add that is very true for straight men. kissing a dude is kinda gross, its not wrong or bad or whatever its just no appealing. Its hilarious that people have a problem with this. how many ferries watch the superbowl neway
wtf, why must you have to see a problem with something perfectly humorous and have to make a whole big discussion about how wrong you think it is. like anyone cares. boo friggin hoo, get over yourself. the point is, most likely (actually, i'm sure) most people who watched this found it to be funny, and it might have brought them a little happiness if only for a few moments. please consider that before you tear into it just because it didn't go along with exactly what you believe people should be watching. anyway the focus of this commercial seemed to be more on the ignorance of the two characters when they felt they had to pull stupid stunts to affirm their manliness. if people really wanted to bash homosexual people, i think they'd do it in a more violent way as hateful people usually do. not in a dumb little superbowl commercial that everyone will probably forget about in a few days.
I'm glad they removed the alternate endings from the website. The commercial aired during the superbowl had an ending that was neither gay-bashing nor offensive. Taking an extreme such as poisoning yourself or fiercly beating somebody because of an imagined homosexual experience should not be utilized to sell candy bars.
Meh, I'm not offended... it's less of a joke against Gays and more of a joke against Homophobes being stupid.
Homophobic? Give me a break. NONE of those commercials, including the unaired ones, were homophobic. Liberal Americans need to get outside of their little boxes. Close contact b/w men is not inherently homeoerotic, any more than men who think that kissing other men is disgusting. It's all a matter of culture. Some of the most poisonous homophobia comes from areas of the world where it is customary for men to kiss (on the cheek) and walk hand-in-hand together in public, like in Saudi Arabia (just to name one example of many), where "convicted homosexuals" are publicly beheaded. The bottom line is, their horror about "accidentally kissing" is typical of straight American men--I'd feel awkward too if that happened to me! Though their decision to do "something manly" has been exaggerated for comic effect.
I think the point is very clear that these are straight men. Therefore, hitting/hurting themselves is not gay bashing. In the world of straight men, kissing another man is quite disgusting. That is just the way it is. Straight men pride themselves on manly things such as fixing stuff, drinking beer and owning lots of things with buttons. When we do something girly such as get a facial with our girlfriend, we have to do something manly to re adjust ourselves such as, well drink beer and watch a football game using our remote that does 1000 different things. That is our culture. This commercials is geared towards it. It is aired during a football game. It is not aired on the cooking channel or during figure skating. This commercial is not designed to bash gays, it is designed to show the interaction of two straight men who accidentally do a very awkward and uncomfortable thing.
You want to have the ability to marry same sex couples, and think it is outrageous that some would ban you from doing this because they do not agree with it? I think it is outrageous that you interfere with my ability to enjoy my culture by harassing a company that produces products I enjoy because you do not agree with it. You stop my commercial, you don't get married. The door swings both ways, buddy.
Fuck "LGBT sensitivity".
Do you people realize that slowly, as everyone becomes obsessed with preserving their own tiny culture and suing anyone that might disrupt them that we are paving the way for a Big Brother society. No one will be able to express themselves, no ideas will be discussed and no problems will be resolved. This is a reality. Companies cannot hire sensitivity lawyers to protect them from every single group out there, it will never stop. There must be complete free speech or censorship. There is no middle ground. I will go for free speech and the risk of possibly being offended at one point or another any day. And you know what, if I don't like something I see or hear, I WONT LISTEN TO IT OR WATCH IT AGAIN.
I have to be honest. I am glad snickers is adding on to the ending. I dont want any suggestive behavior put in a childs head about what is right and wrong.
monza1962: your culture is not that of a straight male. you have lumped all straight males together into a group that hates seeing male-to-male kisses and has to buffer any type of "female" or "gay" activity with beer-drinking or football. your culture, then, is of a homophobe. it IS outrageous that some would ban homosexuals from marrying because they don't agree with it. that's like saying they are a lower class of people who don't deserve the same rights as heterosexual people. a commercial where the response to a male kiss is "that just ain't right" promotes the idea that two men kissing is wrong all of the time. and for you to compare the right for gays to marry to you being able to "enjoy your culture," which comes in the form of a 30-second spot stereotyping "manly men" and demonizing homosexual contact, is disgusting.
WHY DIDNT THEY USE K-FED MAKIN OUT WITH BRAD PITT IN THE COMMERCIAL THAT WOULD OF BEEN DELICIOUS! TO WATCH:)~
WHAT I GOT OUT OF THE COMMERCIAL ISS THAT THEY KISSED BY MISTAKED BUT THEY LIKED IT. BUT THEY WERE SUCH 'MACHOS' THEY COULDNT HANDLE IT SO THEY HAD TO PROVE THEIR 'MANHOOD' AND DO SOMETHING 'MACHO' AND TAKE PAIN BY PULLIN OUT THEIR OWN HAIR. IM SURE AFTER THE COMMERCIAL THEY EXCHANGED NUMBERS. THIS IS OLD IVE SEEN THIS IN 'MAD TV' NOTHING NEW.
I find this whole thing SICK and PATHETIC. From what I have learned from abused individuals/children being GAY is NOT BIOLOGICAL! Rape/DRUGS/Incest/Experimentation is what cause this behavior,and what gets me most when a person trys to get out of the situation and take the RIGHT ROAD some obcessed HOMOSEXUAL stalks them. I won't even tell you the HORROR stories. This is PURE TRASH! I personally wouldn't want people like that arould my family nor will I do BUSINESS with ANYONE who is or who PROMOTES the IDEA!
Absolutely amazing! This is the year 2007 and people are STILL horrified & offended at the site of two men kissing? You would think by now people would accept such things. We as Gay people don't get all bent out of shape when we see a man and a woman kissing. But, let me tell you people something. I spend a LOT of time in the AOL chat rooms & you would not believe the number of supposedly "Str8" guys (in "committed realationships" with their wives or girlfriends) who fool around with other guys - either online, on the phone, or even in person. WAKE UP PEOPLE! There's NO such thing as a "completely Str8" guy anymore. When a guy gets horny, he'll let anybody help him get off! But, as a Gay man, I'm appalled by the reaction that people have had to this commercial. I think people aughtta just learn to let people be who they are & if they see two guys or two girls kissing, just let 'em alone & accept it as being part of the times. It's the year 2007 people! Wake up & smell the times!
I have always held that if something is truly funny, it will offend a lot of people. I'm not saying offensive = funny or funny = offensive; all I'm saying is risk big, win big. You might get a courtesy chuckle poking fun at heterosexual relationships, but no one ever got offended by a comedian complaining about how long his wife takes to get ready. This commercial had the potential to offend people on both sides of the board: (1) those who believe homosexuality is a sin (the man-kiss), and (2) those who believe that anything other than total, open, unwavering acceptance of gays is homophobia (shock and reaction at accidentally doing something 'gay'). Rather than take the commercial as a whole, you conclude that because something offensive was IN the commercial, the commercial ITSELF must be offensive.
People in group #1: Homosexuality is real and a part of our society. Just because you disagree with it does not mean that 'gays' should be required to hide their 'gayness' from you. If you don't want your children seeing it, then TiVo everything and fast-forward through the parts that offend you. Though I should say, you're fighting an uphill battle. Your kids WILL come into contact with a 'gay' in their lifetime, and perhaps exposure to something real might just force you to teach your children how you think they should deal with such people. That is your right as a parent.
People in group #2: Hypersensitivity solves nothing. If you believe that nothing should be poked fun at, fine. However, when limiting who can be lampooned in our society, it has to be all or nothing. Otherwise you're singling out people as targets for our sensitivity, which raises them to a status above everyone else. This is no more helpful towards the end of equality you strive so hard to uphold.
People in both groups: The commercial says nothing about homosexuality or homophobia being bad. All it w
I'VE NEVER BEEN WITH A WOMAN IN MY LIFE AND IM 47 YEARS OLD I HAVE NO INTEREST, IM NOT BLIND I SEE TONS OF GORGEOUS HOT BEAUTIFUL WOMEN OUT THERE BUT IM JUST NOT ATTRACTED TO THEM. I GREW UP IN A WONDERFUL HOME FULL OF FAMILIY VALUES AND LOVE, MUCH RATHER BE WITH A HOT MAN.
i thought this was the biggest mistake a co. could have done that is trying to market something on tv. i was watching the game with my 7 year old son and my 68 year old father who both had the same wtf was look on their face as me. people who watch the l word and queer eye for the straight guy know what they are expecting to see when they tune to that, VOLUNTARILLY. i was highly pissed that either my son or father had to see that, we tuned into a football game!!! i think the idiot that came up with that ad and all who approved it should be FIRED. i could come up with something alot better than that, with no formal training. and to respond to the others, we are still raising children in this country, who watch tv, and should not be subjected to this kind of crap.
I find all of this anti gay crap to be a reaction for a segment of society that has not and probably never will fine anything but idiotic responces. If you think two men kissing is repulsive , you have no odea how repulsed I am at watching hetrosexuals slober all over in in social setting and find it just affectionate and loving. If you think I give a rip roaring damn about the UCK I hear from the hetro's you most sadly mistaken. No double standard tyhose days are over. We have a life too. If it uspest you that we have love and affection and lives as openly gay men and women O WELL get over it. I am not going back in the closet or justify anything to any one because GUESS WHAT? I don't give a damn waht you think of us in actuality. If you are not adult and mature to accepts reality and the rights of others to live their lives as they choose YOU HAVE THE PROBLEM. " FOR THOSE THAT REALY CARE , it doeent matter- For those that matter- they don't care. GET OVER IT!
I find all of this anti gay crap to be a reaction for a segment of society that has not and probably never will fine anything but idiotic responces. If you think two men kissing is repulsive , you have no odea how repulsed I am at watching hetrosexuals slober all over in in social setting and find it just affectionate and loving. If you think I give a rip roaring damn about the UCK I hear from the hetro's you most sadly mistaken. No double standard those days are over. We have a life too. If it uspest you that we have love and affection and lives as openly gay men and women O WELL get over it. I am not going back in the closet or justify anything to any one because GUESS WHAT? I don't give a damn what you think of us in actuality. If you are not adult and mature to accepts reality and the rights of others to live their lives as they choose YOU HAVE THE PROBLEM. " FOR THOSE THAT REALY CARE , it doeent matter- For those that matter- we don't care. GET OVER IT!
Come on, this is bullcrap. The problem is that no one can do anything that even remotely pisses people off. Everyone has to walk on eggshells, everything is with malintent.
I think this is in large part a power thing by gay and lesbian leaders. They use political correctness as a weapon and know that they can bully their way to people falling in line with threats and crying "homophobia" for, literally, every little thing. They know that the media will fall in line lockstep and pronounce companies like M&M/Mars as homophobic and the commercial "misguided" and "mean-spirited". Which, it most certainly was NOT.
Is that what we, as a society want - everyone walking on eggshells afraid of pissing off some allegedly aggrieved minority group? I hope not.
Look, I think people need to treat other people with respect. But, come on, get over yourselves already.
Grow up religious fanatics. Homosexuality has always and will always be a fact of life. It is not a choice and should never be treated as criminal. Keep your extremist religious views to yourself. Religious fanatics offend people who cherish freedom and separation of church and state. Too bad if that offends them.
you people make me sick you complain about a commercial on tv with two make accidently kissing (not real) and have a hissy fit about it.but i have had to sit thru numerous news broadcast with my children watching them cover gay marriages and they show the real disgusting acts of men and hideous looking lesbians kissing and my kids have had to see that.how can you have the nerve to call the commercial degrading to homosexuals.you should be apologising to the straight people of the world for your disgusting behaviour,not expecting apologies from snickers.
Lets look at this from your superficial society "hates us" stand point, we as a society complain and want recognition for what we are, and we finally start to gain a place whether it good or bad and we blow up. you didnt see men kissing 5 years ago on tv let alone a national stage. as a gay man dont speak for me with your " we are people too", bull shit, i see progress and you see what every other anti gay group sees: a chance to sneak in with your "voice" and preach to me a gay man and all the rest of society as to what you think my opnion is. maybe look at yourselves and ask who em i speaking for us or my own insecure beliefs.
The one on the left looks like hes missing a brain cell and the one on the right might be fried on drugs,....I think they get homeless guys off the streets and exploit them or something. Theres no excuse , its a shame and no wonder the other countries are looking down on us with disgust and arrogance, with ads like this , Eastern india has every right to take over this continent, with pride,...fuck amw=erica looks more retarded every day .....iIm sorry,....Just say it like it is,....if it smells like shit I get repulsed,....I see someone elses vomit I get sick,....If I see maggots crawling on my dinner I start gagging,.....2 guys kissing is a feeling of yuk and oh my God we are headed for some real disaster.Disaster like tragedy and death.
The Snicker's commercial didn't make me think poorly of gays.
The gays getting their pink panties twisted, screaming about how the big bad candy bar company was somehow promoting hatred, demanding it be removed, and talking about boycotts have made me think poorly of gays.
Snickers hasn't damaged anyone's image of the gay community. The idiotic statements made by organizations like GLAAD most definitely have.
,
Okay, am I the only one here who saw the take on "Lady And The Tramp" in this?
Actually, I think the ad is a bigger put-on of homophobia than an endorsement of it...the two mechanics, instead of laughing off the kiss like anyone with a working braincell would, react like troglodytes, having to "do something manly" to compensate.
The problem seems to me to be that the GLAAD-iators who pushed to get this ad pulled (including the author) thought the protagonists shouldn't have reacted negatively - and worked so hard to "purge their gayness", as it were - but instead should have tried "exploring their feelings" on the "kiss". This is silly on it's face and patently absurd.
Also, to say that the cartoonish reactions they had in the ad (pulling out chest hair, drinking oil and windshield washer fluid) is encouraging violence against gays is a serious reach. It would be like PETA wanting Roadrunner cartoons pulled because of violence against coyotes...
As for the players' reactions, yes, they cringed...so did most of us who watched the ad! But at the awkwardness that the given situation would cause, not at the idea of "Ewww! Guys kissing!". Maybe I'm being naive, but I think Marvin Harrison is a little more enlightened than that.
haha i'd do the same thing if i accidentally kissed a guy...ewwww is right. silly queerz geting all pissed off over a tv spot. =|
MARS is for BIGOTS. The ads were designed to play on bigotry and violence toward same sex behavior - PERIOD. Violence as a "remedy" of same sex behavior intentional or unientional is not funny. 30 yeas ago you could have inserted a black and white str8 couple in the ads and obtained the same response. MARS Inc is one fucked up corporation and if you don't think there was anything wrong w/ the ad, your an idiot.
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