Boycott homophobic Mars/Snickers

[Stella_Omega]

I can't even marshal my normal ability to explain here. http://americablog.blogspot.com/2007/02/snickers-superbowl-web-site-promotes.html

If you thought the Snickers ad during last night's Superbowl was somewhat homophobic, you ain't seen nothin' yet. My good friend Andy Towle alerted me this morning to the fact that the Snickers' Web site outright endorses violence against gays.

A bit of background. The ad in question showed a mechanic eating a Snickers bar. Hi co-mechanic is so desirous of the Snickers that he starts eating it from the other end of the same bar that's already in the other guy's mouth. The two butch guys eat their way down the bar, like the dogs eating the same string of pasta in the Disney movie - until they're accidentally kissing. The guys, naturally, recoil in disgust - then, oddly, start ripping out their chest hair with their hands. Yeah it's homophobic, but it's also kind of funny, though a bit weird, so I was going to let it go. Well...

(edited to add)

Why is this a problem?

1. Because the reactions of the Bears and Colts players to two guys kissing is outright disgust - you can watch the reactions by clicking under the "extras" button at the bottom of the site. "That ain't right," one player says. A second player crinkles his face into absolute disgust as the guy's kiss. The interviews with the players reacting to the gay kiss continue on and on. These are role models for kids, and they're telling America's kids, and rather scary adults, that two guys kissing "ain't right."

The three ad endings that you could vote for were promised to be shown during the Daytona Race. One is mildly funny, one has the guys drinking anti-freeze (which will kill you in an unpleasantly long and drawn-out way) and one has them attacking each other with wrenches and car hood to prove that they are real men.

That's kind of a funny idea, of you are The Onion, or any other entity known for satire. but candy bar companies are not satirical entities. And they were planning to show the ad during the next biggest sporting event in the country.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

noooooooooooo not my Snickers!

Bastards!

 

[drksideofthemoon]

I read the link, looks to me like someone is trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill....I saw the commercial, and I thought it was funny...I didn't see anything "homophobic" about it...

 

[S-Des]

I read the link, looks to me like someone is trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill....I saw the commercial, and I thought it was funny...I didn't see anything "homophobic" about it...

I didn't either. Two straight guys accidently kissing, then being embarrassed doesn't tell anything to gay youth. Their reaction was over the top (and completely unrealistic), but that's what comedy is...you exaggerate.

 

[Liar]

From the blog (about the "alternative endings" of the ad):

Ad 2 (Ad 1 is the original ad that aired): "Love Boat." After the guys kiss, a third guy walks up, effeminately brushes his hair out of his eyes, and says, "Is there room for three on this Love Boat?" as if he's gay.

Ad 3: "Motor Oil." After the guys kiss, they say "I think we just accidentally kissed - quick, do something manly," and proceed to drink motor oil and I think anti-freeze - they guzzle it down, screaming at the top of their lungs, making them sick to their stomachs. The ad is vaguely violent - better to die than be gay.

Ad 4: "Wrench" (these are the actual names Snickers gave the ads). The two guys accidentally kiss, they say to each other again "quick, do something manly," and one guy proceeds to pick up a huge oversized wrench and violently attack the other guy, while the second takes the first and throws him under the hood of the car, slamming it down on his head. Yes, the appropriate reaction to a guy kissing you is to beat the crap out of the guy who kissed you. Maybe Snickers should rename this ad "Matthew Shepard."

The entire thing is absolutely sickening. And while I can appreciate that Snickers didn't overtly think that promoting violence against gays and lesbians is "funny," they knew what they were doing. They were gay-bashing for fun. And they didn't just cross the line - they left the line in the dust.

Um... I dunno. Apart from the "Ad 2" version which I don't get what it's about fro the blogger's description, the other three (including the one that aired) seems to me to be quite clearly not gay-bashing, but instead poking fun at homophobia and cliché 'manliness'.

What am I missing?

 

[Liar]

Anyway, I dnn't fancy either Mars or Snickers much. So feh.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I read the link, looks to me like someone is trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill....I saw the commercial, and I thought it was funny...I didn't see anything "homophobic" about it...

did you follow the link to the website that was pulled down?

 

[drksideofthemoon]

did you follow the link to the website that was pulled down?

Yes I did.

Do you really think that M&M/Mars would purposely put out an anti-gay ad in this era of constant litigation?

I'm straight, maybe I should take offense to the ad as it portrays straight men as imbecilic goons...

The ad is slapstick humor...nothing more, and nothing less...

Some people should really get a life and quit looking for non-existent monsters under their beds...

 

[scheherazade_79]

I think people have become over-sensitive, and this is just symptomatic of it.

These days people are filing multi-million dollar lawsuits, if someone so much as releases a politically incorrect fart in their presence.

It's silly, because it just increases the resentment towards minority groups, and makes them look rather silly.

 

[Emaline]

Yes I did.

Do you really think that M&M/Mars would purposely put out an anti-gay ad in this era of constant litigation?

I'm straight, maybe I should take offense to the ad as it portrays straight men as imbecilic goons...

The ad is slapstick humor...nothing more, and nothing less...

Some people should really get a life and quit looking for non-existent monsters under their beds...

I agree. The simple fact that the advertisement managed to shake up people from all parts of the sexual continuum shows that the ad was effective in catching our attention. And I don't think that Mars would commit market suicide by actually implying that they think homosexuality is wrong. I think they were merely playing on people's ridiculous discomfort about the topic, and the fact that homophobes will be absolute morons to prove they're not gay. People on both sides of this sexual preference tug of war should probably just calm down a bit.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Yes I did.

Do you really think that M&M/Mars would purposely put out an anti-gay ad in this era of constant litigation?

I'm straight, maybe I should take offense to the ad as it portrays straight men as imbecilic goons...

The ad is slapstick humor...nothing more, and nothing less...

Some people should really get a life and quit looking for non-existent monsters under their beds...

I didn't see the commercial (I hate football *ducking*) or go to the website...

I just don't wanna feel guilty for eating Snickers...

Because I, unlike Liar, happen to LOVE 'em!

 

[Stella_Omega]

Yes I did.

Do you really think that M&M/Mars would purposely put out an anti-gay ad in this era of constant litigation?

I'm straight, maybe I should take offense to the ad as it portrays straight men as imbecilic goons...

The ad is slapstick humor...nothing more, and nothing less...

Some people should really get a life and quit looking for non-existent monsters under their beds...

they did put out an anti-gay ad. You watched it.

You should take offense to the portrayal of straight men as imbecilic goons.

As a gay woman, I can't really see the funny in any of that. When anti-gay sentiment is rife, and when the ad is played at DAYTONA for crissake, the slapstick will be lost in the wash. It isn't funny. The monsters live next door to you and me and they watch TV.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I didn't either. Two straight guys accidently kissing, then being embarrassed doesn't tell anything to gay youth. Their reaction was over the top (and completely unrealistic), but that's what comedy is...you exaggerate.

What does it tell straight youth?

 

[Emaline]

they did put out an anti-gay ad. You watched it.

You should take offense to the portrayal of straight men as imbecilic goons.

As a gay woman, I can't really see the funny in any of that. When anti-gay sentiment is rife, and when the ad is played at DAYTONA for crissake, the slapstick will be lost in the wash. It isn't funny. The monsters live next door to you and me and they watch TV.

You make a good point with regard to the venue and the target audience. There really are monsters out there that there is no doubt took it as validation for their unnecessary hate. I'll watch the ad again and think a little more on it.
...I only hope one day people will see that love is love, no matter what the gender.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

I watched this ad and thought it funny. My husband watched it and he made a face, but he laughed too. He wasn't gay bashing, because he made a face. I didn't make a face. . .well I smirked but I don't think I was gay bashing. . . I don't feel he or I were gay bashing because we laughed.

The company got the reaction it was expecting. . .humor, until people decided to over think it. But lately it is the "in" thing to over think everything and read between the lines.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

they did put out an anti-gay ad. You watched it.

You should take offense to the portrayal of straight men as imbecilic goons.

As a gay woman, I can't really see the funny in any of that. When anti-gay sentiment is rife, and when the ad is played at DAYTONA for crissake, the slapstick will be lost in the wash. It isn't funny. The monsters live next door to you and me and they watch TV.

Did either of characters seem gay? No, they came across as being bumbling buffoons.

How many women on this site would want to kiss either one of the two characters? Not many I suspect.

I personally saw nothing homophobic about it. "Gay" or "Anti-Gay" didn't even register when I watched the ad. I saw it for what it was, and nothing more. Just slapstick comedy.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Would have been a better commercial if it had ended with butt sex

 

[Stella_Omega]

Here's a comment someone made on another forum, and this might be the thing I couldn't say;

i was chuckling at them for feeling uncomfortable in their masculinity and acting idiotically because of it. i can see how two men find that to be an awkward situation and can see they're obviously struggling with it. i find their immaturity to be amusing, or so i tell myself

but it's not what is shown but how it is interpreted that is the problem. the way the website glorified the football players' reactions is what is more damaging. atheletes are admired by many impressionable children who will perhaps model themselves after their favorite sports stars.

the commercial itself is perpetuating the idea that it's both acceptable and humorous to be "grossed out" by homosexuality, and that is not ok. the football players' reactions only intensified the message.

There is my problem. It isn't what was shown, but what the company itself did afterwards to interpret it. And you know they had planned to interpret it in this way, because it takes months to put together a website like that one- you can't do it in a few hours. They already had the alternate endings produced, they already had the files set up for the players' reaction videos.

 

[Goldie Munro]

I havent seen the ads - Im not American - but I think i see what Stell O is getting at.

So it's funny that two staight men kiss by mistake - so its funny that to prove their 'manliness' they have drink whatever fatal drink they had to drink.

Why is it funny? It's old hat - it's cliched - it seems to me that it's toe curlingly awful!

 

[Grushenka]

the commercial itself is perpetuating the idea that it's both acceptable and humorous to be "grossed out" by homosexuality,

Interesting thread and posts. I also felt "what's the big deal", even after my best dyke-friend (also my best friend-friend ) sent the blog to me. But yeah, laughing at being 'grossed out' by homosexuality, and especially during one of the most watched annual events on American teevee - not good. Looks like Evil at its most insidious.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

There is my problem. It isn't what was shown, but what the company itself did afterwards to interpret it. And you know they had planned to interpret it in this way, because it takes months to put together a website like that one- you can't do it in a few hours. They already had the alternate endings produced, they already had the files set up for the players' reaction videos.

They planned the commercials months ahead of time, not to bash gays, but to probably (I'm guessing.... just like everyone is guessing as to what their true motives were).... to put these commercials to test groups. Then once the test groups told them was the best they aired it, the others were set up to show folks, this is what else we could have run.

Why use the football players? Because the football players bring them more money, not because the football players were going to gay bash. . .it was all about endorsing the product.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

Interesting thread and posts. I also felt "what's the big deal", even after my best dyke-friend (also my best friend-friend ) sent the blog to me. But yeah, laughing at being 'grossed out' by homosexuality, and especially during one of the most watched annual events on American teevee - not good. Looks like Evil at its most insidious.

Well, I must have missed something when I watched it. Homosexuality was the last thing on my mind when I saw it...

 

[Boxlicker101]

Here's a comment someone made on another forum, and this might be the thing I couldn't say;

There is my problem. It isn't what was shown, but what the company itself did afterwards to interpret it. And you know they had planned to interpret it in this way, because it takes months to put together a website like that one- you can't do it in a few hours. They already had the alternate endings produced, they already had the files set up for the players' reaction videos.

How could they have put the ad or website together before when they didn't know until two weeks earlier that it would be the Colts and Bears in the Super Bowl?

Personally, it it's anti anything, it's anti-homophobia. It shows how stupid two guys, apparently homophobes, act when they accidentally touch their mouths together.

 

[Xelebes]

When we were living in Saskatchewan, my older brother came across an anthill and exclaimed to my dad, "Look! A mountain!"

Why am I getting the same vibe here?

 

[starrkers]

I'm not American, but I did see the ad online. I didn't see a homophobic ad.I saw a snickers ad.
Thinking more deeply into it (which I rarely do with ads - I usually tune out), it's more an anti-redneck idiot ad, poking fun at homophobia. Their reaction was laughable.
It's like Mel Brooks poking fun at Hitler - if we let it be the bogeyman it will win.

But, yeah, I get a mountains and molehills feeling about this too.