Before I get into the entire snickers ad thing I want to say what my beliefs are. I think my beliefs on homosexuality arn't had by many people but I could be wrong. First of all I belive that there is nothing wrong with being gay or even bi. I think that there is no real realigous base for people who say it is a sin. I belive that it is a natural state of being and that people who are gay arn't screwed up. I do belive that there are gay animals. I think that gay Marriage is fine. I also belive that there is a differance between a religous marriage in a church and by the state. I think civil unions that give all the same rights as mariage should be legal in every state. I also belive that state mariages should be legal for gays in every state. However I don't think that priests and other religous people who grant marriages in churchs should have to merry gay couples. The reason is that a state marraige and a marraige in the eyes of the lord are differant. I also belive that realigous people who only do realigous marriages can't be sued for not doing a gay mariage. I also belive that they shouldn't merry anyone who isn't doing it for love and undergod in a church. I belive people who are gay should stand up for there rights and march in parades and they shouldn't be harrased for it. But what I don't like is when someone says hello I'm gay oh yeah and my name is. If you are gay that is fine but I don't walk up to you and say I love pussy and BJ's nice to meet you.
Ok now onto my point. Today at work I heard that the snickers add that was on the superbowl where two guys kiss on acident was pulled because of complaints that is was homophobic. I didn't think it was at all. It was a play on of that scene from "lady and the Tramp" where the two dogs kiss. Granted that may have been based on something else. Below I have the article and then I will talk more about it after the article.
chicagotribune.com >> Business
Snickers Ad Pulled After Complaints
By Associated Press
Published February 6, 2007, 4:52 PM CST
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. -- A commercial for Snickers candy bars launched in the Super Bowl broadcast was benched after its maker got complaints that it was homophobic.
The ad showed two auto mechanics accidentally kissing while eating the same candy bar and then ripping out some chest hair to do something "manly." One of the alternate endings on the Snickers Web site showed the men attacking each other.
The Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation complained to the maker of Snickers, Hackettstown-based Masterfoods USA, a division of Mars Inc., which also makes M&M's and other candies.
The Web site also featured video of players from the Super Bowl teams reacting to the kiss.
"This type of jeering from professional sports figures at the sight of two men kissing fuels the kind of anti-gay bullying that haunts countless gay and lesbian school children on playgrounds all across the country," Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said in a statement.
GLAAD spokesman Marc McCarthy said Tuesday the group believed "this kind of prejudice was inexcusable."
Masterfoods spokeswoman Alice Nathanson issued a statement in which she said the company would stop running the ad on television and the Web site.
"As with all of our Snickers advertising, our goal was to capture the attention of our core Snickers consumer," Nathanson wrote.
"Feedback from our target consumers has been positive. In addition, many media and website 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 continued.
"We know that humor is highly subjective and understand that some people may have found the ad offensive. Clearly that was not our intent," she wrote.
Masterfoods brands include Uncle Ben's rice, Pedigree dog food and Whiskas cat food. It is part of Mars Inc., a family-owned company.
On the Net:
Masterfoods:
Copyright © 2007, The Associated Press
I will be the first to admit that I never went to the website so I didn't see the guys attack each other. I also didn't see the reacation of the football players to the add. I can't figure out why they would have that video on their site that makes no sense and it would also make it look like no one liked their ad. Two guys attacking each other sounds like it could be offensive. To me it sounds like the web content is what got them in trouble so they should just take that down.
I will admit I thought the comerical was funny my self and it isn't the first ad to use to guys touching each other and not being happy about it. I don't remember what it is for but there is one where two guys are watching a game and there hands touch on the couch it takes them a second to notice it and then they both move to opposite ends of the couch. To me the ad had nothing to be with being gay at all. It was about how Men are men and can't kiss or hug or do anything unmanly so then to be masculine they rip off there own chest hair. That being funny points to it not being about gays at all. I think sometimes people just have to learn to have a sense of humor about things. That is kinda what all those caveman comericals are about "so easy even a caveman can do it" winds up sending him to a shirnk. I know that you don't want commericals that blantly discrimanate aganst anyone, but at the same time ads should be allowed to be funny. What if when they kissed in stead of freaking out one of the guys said oh you are not my type get away from me, or get off of me I'm not french. Ok then I could see the french getting mad but it would still be funny. When ever a comerical is funny it makes fun of someone. I don't think we should be censoring our ads what is next then.
There is another thing that this kind of complaining does. I think that it causes more problems. It makes in this case gays look like they have no sense of humor and that they think they are special. It also pisses off some of their supporters. I think the complaining does more harm then good in this case. If I where more sensitive or gay I might feal differantly. I think the real problem here is intent. People who are discrimanated against can sometimes assume that the intent was to hurt them (sometimes they are correct and sometmes not). The only people who really know the intent are the ones who wrote the add. People like myself see that there was no intent. Then people who think that homosexuality is wrong or who are on the fence think that the gays are going to far and that they are trying to push there agenda onto us (as they might say).
Ok I have allready wrote a post that is way to long. But what I said is true. I have no problem with anyone who is gay and I think condeeming them is wrong. I just think that in this case there may be some over reacting. That dosn't mean I like anyone who is gay anyless.
woah cowboy! I think you have good advice. It is hard to change and be a better person. Surely we all can work on it. I'm trying and should try even harder.