Update: Snickers pulled the web site with the ads. Hopefully they will make an official statement soon. Of course at this point they have already shown millions of people how to be violently homophobic. They should really take action to repair the damage they've done.Using a painfully tired theme for humor, Snickers (Owned by Republican run Mars Co.) aired a homophobic and trans/gender non-conforming-phobic advertisement during this year's Superbowl. They also set up a homophobic website to go along with it where they feature several horrific advertisements. In one ad two men physically beat each other after accidentally kissing. QueerToday.com activists played an instrumental role in getting a homophobic 7UP ad cancelled a few years ago. Let's do it again!
- Sign Our Petition! (End Entire Campaign, Admit Wrongdoing, Apologize to LGBT Community)
- Contact Snickers Here!
More HRC Shame - > Today Joe Lieberman (endorsed by HRC over Ned Lamont) sided with the Republicans to block all discussion of the Iraq war. When will HRC drown in its own shame?
10 comments:
Gays blow everything out of proportion. Two heterosexual guys recoil from accidentally kissing each other? So what? I'm heterosexual, if I accidentally kissed a man, I would recoil. Not because I hate gays, because I don't like kissing men.
so quit getting your panties in a bunch and do something productive.
Don't forget that NFL is part of this - their logo and players were on that nasty ad site, and they're still advertising Snickers on teh NFL website.
I have to be honest, I'm not seeing the problem with this ad. Brian and I thought it was making fun of heterosexual masculinity/machismo (they needed to stupidly pull out their chest hairs to feel better), not homosexuality.
I think that last part about Lieberman blocking the discussion of the Iraq War is a much bigger deal than this Snicker's ad campaign.
Carlo,
In one of the ads the "manly" thing to do was to beat each other up - not just pull chest hairs out. There were 4 alternate endings on the web site. Obviously the joke for most people was two men kissing, ew gross. Not only that but the video footage of the football players being grossed out by the gay kissing was just as offensive as the ads themselves.
You are right that the Lieberman thing is a MUCH bigger deal.
I was unaware of the other ads that Snickers had on their website. I usually don't visit corporate websites in the first place. I think they took the offending ads down due to complaints because I cannot find them.
I have to confess I thought the ad that actually aired on television was funny. I thought that it was making fun of hyper-masculinity and the stupidity of heterosexism. But in the context of the other ads, I see that the motive was just plain old homophobia. I should have known that the marketing wonks of a US corporation wouldn't have had the intellectual fortitude to actually parody heterosexism and homophobia.
I fear that stopping this ad will become an end unto itself, when we should be asking why the Mars Corporation felt confident to air an ad campaign that relied on such crude homophobia in the first place. I think it says a great deal about the hostile social and political climate towards queer people in this country right now.
95 million people watched the superbowl.
In the name of 'blowing things out of proportion,' here's something fun to 'chew' on... http://www.Snickerphobic.com/
Enjoy!
MM
I'm sorry but how were the players' comments and reactions an attack on homosexuals? They don't like to watch 2 men kiss, big deal. Are they supposed to enjoy watching 2 men kissing? I'm not understanding how this is promoting violence against homosexuals. What promotes violence against homosexuals, is homosexuals getting upset over something this innocent and ruining it for everyone else.
"What promotes violence against homosexuals, is homosexuals getting upset over something this innocent and ruining it for everyone else."
yeah, i think criticizing an ad is grounds for getting beaten up.
Sandouri Dean Bey thank you for helping to prove my point. Criticizing an ad is no more grounds for beating up a homosexual than is the fact that straight men do not enjoy watching gay men kiss. Every social group can finds things to gripe about. But expecting the world to change to suit your social situation is very arrogant. I myself am an athiest. I do not like the fact that many of the laws and government decisions in the US are based on Christian beliefs. But I respect the fact that the country is primarily made up of Christians. Homosexuals need to respect the fact that the majority of the country is made up of straight people and quit expecting everyone else to change. I do not promote violence against anyone, nor did the commercial or the players' reactions.
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