Why Superbowl Ads Are So Sexist, Racist, and Homophobic
Why is the Superbowl commercial line-up, hailed as an achievement in advertising industry creativity, often so casually sexist, racist, and homophobic? Credit the watchful eye of the CBS Standards and Practices department, which ensures that Superbowl ads bring in millions of viewers looking to be shocked—without offending the delicate sensibilities of the American people.
In order to achieve this difficult balance, ad-makers are forced to play within a very small range of acceptably "outrageous" topics. Since casual sexism, racism, and homophobia are main sources of shock-jock humor—and since these attitudes are too pervasive to inspire true outrage in the average American—companies compete to put the most creative twist on the lazy stereotyping without going too far off the deep end. And so: CBS bans an ad that shows two gay men kissing, but greenlights several commercials that play off "gay" stuff for laughs. It bans an ad that shows a guy's head up his own ass, but lets fly a commercial that makes fun of those silly, backwards South Asians who answer your tech support calls (racism: officially less controversial than asses). Even the advertisement decried as the most "controversial" of the evening—college football superstar Tim Tebow's anti-abortion ad—concluded not with a politically controversial rallying call to life, but with Tebow totally sacking his own mother. That's gotta sting!
Some advertisers choose to side-step this paradigm, of course, with varying success (See: Cute farm animals in love; everyone has T-Pain's voice; coffin filled with Doritos). The ones that don't end up being mildly but reliably offensive, and extremely boring.
RACISM:
This was one of the only Superbowl ads I noticed that featured people of color. The other was a Doritos ad where a black man walked into his date's house, checked out her ass at length, and then received a firm slap in the face from his date's small child. In Superbowl ads, people of color are never employed to, say, return an Orca to the ocean after a wild bachelor party; they're just here to get some laughs out of racial stereotypes.
SEXISM:
Welcome female sports superhero Danica Patrick, who stars in the most Meta Controversial ad of the night. In this series of commercials for GoDaddy.com, Patrick is going around living her normal life—receiving massages, appearing on television news programs—when she unwittingly finds herself at the center of a "controversial" Superbowl ad. Wherever she goes, blonde ladies are just itching to take down their hair, rip off their shirts, and become the next scandalously hot Superbowl GoDaddy girl. This ad could have been a clever subversion of standard Superbowl bodice-ripping if Patrick's character had been allowed to point out how totally fucking weird this is. Instead, viewers are asked to head online to check out the even sexier action. Just a reminder that even women who excel in traditionally male fields (a girl who's really good at driving!) are still forced into traditionally female representation (boobs!).
Ah yes: the "men have turned into demoralized, overly feminine wusses who can only be saved by big machines that go RRRRARRRR" category. This ad, for the Dodge Charger, really opened my eyes, you guys: It really sucks to be a man, especially one in a serious relationship with a woman! (Seriously, guys, if it's this bad, just break up with us. We're not worth it). I have one question, though: Why are you carrying my lip-balm? As a member of the gender generally expected to carry an expansive purse instead of utilizing her limited pant pockets to store items, I have often carried this proverbial lipbalm for my significant other. And it has never been so traumatizing that I've been forced to shell out $30k for a Dodge Charger to heal the pain. But then again, I don't know what it's like to be forced to carry lipbalm as a man. I'm sure it's very tough.
Did you know that men are also extremely stupid? Men are only interested in beer, sports, and sex; women are from Venus.
[youtube:v=RrJnv2peeZw]
HOMOPHOBIA:
This ad subscribes to the same theory of gender as the Dodge Charger ad, but this time men can only be saved from their spineless, overly feminine lifestyles if they buy a hand-held television. Bonus: this ad is even clearer in its assertion that men who do anything attributed to the mysterious realm of "female shit" aren't true men. Change out of that skirt, Jason.
I believe that this Megan Fox ad contains the Superbowl's sole same-sex couple: Two guys who slap each other with dramatically limp wrists when they discover that one of them has been checking out Megan's sexy pix on the Internet. Apparently, gay men can only be represented in Superbowl ads in the pursuit of hilarity. We are truly living in a post-sexual-orientation America, people.
At first, this Careerbuilder.com ad was is headed firmly down the casual homophobia route: Naked dudes! Around other dudes! Touching their own nipples! But then a couple of underwear-clad female co-workers show up, and the ad refuses to go the aggressively heterosexual route with them. Careerbuilder.com actually reveals itself to be the rare Superbowl advertiser that doesn't exploit boobs for faux "sexy" controversy. Ah, the complexity of Superbowl ad politics.
10:11 am
God forbid any commercial should be geared towards men, reflect the feelings of men or (worst yet) poke fun at women a little instead of making men look like idiots. The "Spine", "Dodge Charger" and "You're a man" commercials were some of my favorites and reflect what so many women don't (or refuse) know about men. This may be why so many of them are divorced or can't get a man.
10:19 am
"The “Spine”, “Dodge Charger” and “You’re a man” commercials were some of my favorites and reflect what so many women don’t (or refuse) know about men."
No, I think a lot of women know men can be sexist.
10:22 am
stann, as a fellow heterosexual man, i think these commercials make men look totally pathetic. how can you relate to a commercial that makes men look resigned to spending miserable lives doing shit that they dont want to do all the time just so they can fuck a woman and drive a shitty dodge? maybe your life just sucks. sorry, stann.
10:24 am
These commercials are just about stripping men down to nothing and demeaning them. If it isnt men walking around in there underwear its penis growing or viagra commercials. That do nothing but make men feel uncomfortable.
10:27 am
READ THIS ARTICLE... see why its ok for men to get objectified and why women will always be able to justify it. No matter how bad it gets.
http://www.menstuff.org/columns/roberts/archivebak.html#equality
10:39 am
I don't get the "women force men to go on unpleasant shopping trips" stereotype. I sometimes ask my boyfriend if he wants to come, to be polite, but I'm hoping he says no. I enjoy shopping alone. The one time he wanted to come was when I went underwear shopping, and then complained that it was boring and took to long. That is the last time he came with me.
10:39 am
gdmt: Any "man" who says a Dodge Charger sucks on anything but gas should just admit she's really pretending to man so as to give some credibility to her point of view. It would be no surprise though, that complaints would come from the same emasculated men depicted in the commercials. Sorry to show you up to a mirror, but that's life.
11:00 am
This article is nothing but a collection of tired cliches that only highlight the disaffected alienation its author - and those who find succor from her barren worldview - surely feels. Nowhere is this better exemplified in her put-down of the Tebow ad - which I, who am firmly pro-choice - found genuinely warm, loving, funny, and most of all, HUMAN! I don't doubt that the author and her fellow sexual Stalinists didn't understand it, or that they were probably repelled by it: misery hates happiness as much as it loves company.
11:04 am
stann: I'll gladly be called emasculated if asserting my masculinity requires buying a dodge charger. also; those emasculated men depicted in the commercial are the ones driving the car i.e. you.
11:06 am
Masculinity must be a pretty worthless and pathetic attribute if it can so easily be replaced by a Dodge. How are men not offended by this?
11:10 am
Yeah, Hess, if you hate Amurrika so much, why don't you move to Soviet Union, you "sexual Stalinist!"
11:13 am
Men can't win with commercials dedicated to "man power". They're always branded as something negative. If it's jokingly over the top, it's a boorish display of homoeroticism. If it's a simplistic assertion of manliness, it's pointing the finger at men who are pussy whipped. Whatever you can come up with, there's always someone itching to punch holes in it, and if you argue against it then you're misogynist. This type of marketing is better off going extinct, because for every one person who laughs at the joke like intended, there's a hundred more pointing the finger and crying foul for one reason or another.
11:14 am
If ads take the pulse of a nation
The Super Bowl bared a frustration;
For the guys ran around
With their pants on the ground
And moaned about emasculation.
News Short n' Sweet by JFD8
on Twitter
11:15 am
As a man, I don't I've ever been more patently insulted by a raft of a commercials than the ones at the Superbowl. Holy shit, really, guys? Who are these guys that think that being in a relationship means doing whatever your girlfriend tells you and then responding with idiotic, passive-aggressive electronics purchases?
Stann, are there really men that feel like that? I don't know any--I'm starting to worry that my pool of friends is uncommonly skewed towards the bespined.
Seriously, though, isn't buying a huge car as a way of coping with your emasculation just treating the symptom (i.e., that you feel like a sissy) without treating the actual problem (i.e., that you are a sissy)?
11:30 am
How were the actors in the Doritos commercial cast into stereotypical roles?
11:30 am
Jenny, how are men not offended? Because we understand that these commercials were supposed to be SATIRICAL and were to poke fun and make people go "WTH?"
This article is obviously just someone trying to gain attention by crying wolf when there is there is clearly no wolf. You do understand these were meant to be funny. No if you thought they were not funny that is perfectly okay because that is your opinion and you are in fact entitled to that.
However, please explain hhow a black man getting slepped and since it was funny that means it is racist? Uhhh what about the commercial where the guy attacks another guy dressed in a dorito suit? Is that racist? No, in fact neither one of those are. If the commercial would not have been shown then YOU are the same person that would cry racist because there were not enough "people of color" in the commercials.
You can obviously find that these ads are "sexist" or whatever "ist" is the cool thing to complain about this week, but I will state it again. THESE ARE MEANT TO BE SATIRICAL! If you complain about these I bet you are the same person that goes to a comedy club and complain about the comedians jokes being out of line.
11:30 am
'Stann' you open up a can of worms with you're comments, but I agree. But something you forgot, this is the man hating, grouping column.
11:36 am
What the "enlightend" of this blog fail to understand is that these commercials were satire. The Dodge Charger ad gives a hint of the personal desperation many men feel dealing with marital commitments. The humorlessness of some people is matched only by their religious adherence to outdated, 1960's dogmas on the inherrent evil of regular men.
12:15 pm
Hmmmm as a woman who carries her own lip balm. and does not prefer a man to be a spineless wuss and whipped, am I an exception to the remarks about divorced, and unable to catch a man? Oh, and since I drive a Dodge Ram extended cab truck, does this mean I have testes? Dodge pulled a truly lame and moronic gaffe this time. Good going Dodge! What's next? How low will it go? Rick, as a man, weren't you irked by the PW ads for the Stuporbowl? Men deserve better then getting ripped into at a sport venue.
1:18 pm
Something being humour doesn't give it a free pass. Sexist, racist, homophobic or heteronormative "comedy" is still sexist, racist homophobic or heteronormative. If you're white and walk around on Halloween wearing black face and a Jamaican flag as a "humourous" "costume" that doesn't make you any less of a privileged, racist fuck.
@Danny: The commercial with the black person is racist because it plays up the "black men are voracious sexual animals" stereotype.
Likewise, things like the car commercial play into two sexist stereotypes:
1) The screeching, domineering harpy of a woman who DARES to expect her man to act in a NON-MANLY WAY. Such as carrying incredibly light items for her. Oh noes.
2) Masculinity as hyper-individualistic and domineering. The guy does whatever the fuck he wants. Compromising or doing what women want is being a pussy (correlation is that women are weak and obnoxious). He's a MAN'S MAN and answers to no one other than his desires, regardless of the effect they have. The fact that the last shred of manliness he clings to is an enormous car is very telling. It has a lot to do with ideas of traditional masculinity; taking up an inordinate amount of space (men often sit in a moral sprawled out way than women), big, strong, wasteful, threatening.
It's sexist because it's tied into a culture that dominates women. It's also bad for men, because it makes them cling to a kind of masculinity which prevents equality and truly interconnected intersubjectivity. By calling it a mere joke you're doing a disservice to women AND men. This kind of shit needs to be kicked to the curb for everyone's benefit.
Every feminist blog I've been to today (feministing, Shakesville, Pandagon, etc), has had an article about the ridiculous commercials from the Super Bowl, so don't patronize Amanda by acting as if she's some poor bitter feminist who can't get a man. By the way, the "can't get a man" schtick plays into the heteronormative idea that there are no women outside of porn. So yeah, nice job bro.
1:20 pm
Hey,Hess. There are plenty of other programs to watch. You didn't need to subject yourself to the Super Bowl and all its hoopla.
Aren't you glad you live in a country that allows people to pay you to spew?
1:26 pm
The problem is that millions of people watch the Super Bowl and relate to these horrible commercials. Things don't happen in a social vacuum.
1:28 pm
Okay, here's the problem with calling it satire: despite the fact that it's satire, it's still stupid. It's like, if I went into a restaurant with my girlfriend and a guy came up to me and said, "Haha, you're clearly a pussy! Hahahahah," and then when I was offended by it he said, "Hey, I was just joking." What is that? That's still irritating.
The problem with the Dodge commercial is that it is saying that I need a Dodge Charger by implying an insecurity that not only do I not have, but I am insulted that someone suggests I might have it. Because it is plainly cowardice.
1:52 pm
"People of color" is a stupid expression. Shame on those who use it. Also I really doubt they forced Danika to be in that commercial. I think they outlawed slavery.
2:04 pm
Hmmm, I have a husband so I don't think I fall into that "can't get a man" category that dimwits like stann try to shovel women into just because we think that the companies whose products we buy should pay us a little respect. For the record, men have worse unemployment rates than women these days, so morons like the marketing department at Dodge just effectively eliminated 53% of their buying audience. Pretty sure Dodge is in no position to alienate potential buyers. Then again, stupid decisions are nothing new to a company that required a bail out to stay afloat.
To say this kind of stuff is harmless is nonsense. Any man with a daughter (or sister, or brain for that matter) should want women to be treated as something more than chattel. Constant (not just during the Super Bowl) images of "woman as blow-up doll or harpy" are just depressing. When you punch someone in the eye and say it's a joke, it's still not funny.
2:44 pm
Dimwit here (LOL). Krock should assure Dodge that she in no way works for thier marketing division. If she did, she might know that different model cars have different buyers and that the Charger buyership is overwhelmingly male. Most women are not that insecure, anyway, which brings me to my point. It's great to see all the fragile female egos chomping-at-the-bit about satirical ads. The truth is that some women are upset that the joke is on them for a change instead of where they prefer it, on the men they pretend to care about. Men report higher rates of depression than ever before and divorce rates are as high as ever despite the economy. Women who dismiss this as mere weak-men will ironically "Darwin" themselves out of the gene pool when faced with other female competitors who get it. "Shrill" is not a dominant trait.
2:49 pm
stann, I'm male. I'm genderqueer, but I spent most of my life thinking I was a man.
Nice try.
3:03 pm
Hah! The just removed my #1 comment. Thank you for proving my point!
3:12 pm
Totally accurate analysis IMO. The superbowl ads are supposed to be more clever and attention-getting than regular ads, but no one wants to make an ad that's attention-getting in a "weird" way, so they focus on tired, sitcom-y cliches about guys liking beer and being pussywhipped. The result was a pretty sad depiction of heterosexual manhood as a joyless state where you're endlessly ordered around. The Super Bowl is supposed to be a celebration of red-blooded American virility, not a depressing pity party about how stupid and powerless men are!
About 40 percent of Super Bowl watchers are women anyway; it makes no sense for companies to alienate such a big chunk of viewers with moronic "just for men" ads. And when I watched the game, the guys there (my boyfriend and his mostly 20-something friends) were making fun of the ads, rather than relating to them. The only one that went over well with everybody was the T-Pain one.
3:38 pm
@stann: How does that prove your point? People not wanting to deal with your BS?
3:58 pm
I didn't find the Doritos commercial particularly racist; however most of the commercials dealing with gender politics were stupidly offensive and unfunny to boot.
Racially or sexually charged humor is ok (to me) when it comes from a position of understanding rather than exploitation. It's a fine line, but the tone and speaker of a particular joke can entirely change its meaning.
4:08 pm
Stann: hey, man, pay attention to me. I am a heterosexual white male, and I think that if any of those Superbowl ads played on insecurities that you have, it's because you're a sissy.
This isn't some kind of female sexual Stalinist plot to make you feel bad about yourself. You really should feel bad about yourself. Also: a car is unlikely to make you feel better. I recommend you stop defining your masculinity according to dumb shit.
4:44 pm
Stann, your comment was not removed, it was flagged, and any user can flag a comment. Click the "Show Flagged Comments" link at the bottom and the first of your idiotic, misogynist thoughts will reappear.
4:54 pm
Amanda, thank you for writing this. This has been a trend I've noticed for a number of years now.
5:43 pm
My wife would disagree. She's brilliant, beautiful, makes enough money to allow me to stay home and raise our children. She makes women like this look pathetic. She'll tell you herself too. But not right now- my dick's in her mouth.
6:02 pm
The above ads are stupid and full of tired cliches.
Any guy who stays in an unhappy relationship and whose only outlet is to pick the type of car HE drives (which would mean the women wouldn't care anyway since it's not her car) is a true wimp.
Most men and women I know are looking for partners, not a chance to babysit. Most men and women I know want to be in relationships based on mutual respect where both individuals are treated as equals. There is nothing attractive about either being passive-aggressive or domineering.
I guess guys who think the Dodge ad speaks to them are just losers who can't get a girlfriend or who for some reason are only sexually attracted to domineering woman--maybe they have mommy issues?
In any event, most guys I know chose to be women they love and generally enjoy being around. Maybe, the Dodge ad guys should follow their lead.
6:20 pm
My understanding of Stann's argument is that women who don't want a man that buys a Dodge Charger will be unable to find a mate. So good luck womenz with all your "wanting a modicum of respect", the MEN have spoken and will not be subject to your wiles and machinations now that we have a powerful leader in the Dodge Charger and hand-held electronics. Viva la revolucion!
6:22 pm
As a guy, I realize the ads are supposed to be satirical but I found them equally offensive to men as women! A lot of the guys were portrayed as idiots in the ads especially the beer ads which rubbed me the wrong way. Anyway, I guess if we are talking about the ads they did serve a purpose to get you to remember the product. I recall reading 90 percent of the battle in advertising is creating an ad that is memorable enough to associate it with the project. So good or bad, we are talking about them.
6:41 pm
I found the Dodge commercial particularly whiney and irritating. 1. It demeans men to this man-child mentality who are incapable of being responsible contributing members of a house hold/society without whining. 2. It makes it seem that the people (bosses, wives, family members) who are (if this commercial's narrative is any indication) demanding very little of them, are the biggest assholes on the planet for asking for bare minimum contribution from them. Puh-lease! No man wants to be a with a woman who bosses him around, but no woman wants to be with a man that thinks its ok to act like a sloppy child into adulthood. not that I ever buy american cars, but Dodge can definitely go eff itself for infinity.
7:15 pm
This article was written by a woman, so therefore it means nothing.
7:23 pm
Amanda, get a clue. There is a reason the ads are the way the are. It's what people want to see. If you have a problem with them, don't watch them. Also you sound a bit bitter - not sure what that's all about.
7:31 pm
How about the two Jeffs drag their knuckles back to whatever cave they crawled out of. Obviously, if you look at this comment section as any guide, these are NOT the ads that people want to see. Both men and women found most of them either stupid or offensive or both.
These types of ads appeal to the lowest common denominator, the same types of people that go to tea bagger conventions and think Sarah Palin would be a great president...
7:33 pm
Sweet (though quick) shot of The Sexist blog on Brian Williams' NBC news broadcast tonight.
Awesome!
7:45 pm
KROCK, its the "dumbing down" syndrome. Its easier to conjure up a spoofy, nonsensical ad than a creative, inspiring one. One only has to look at the plethora of reality based TV programs nowdays as proof that this type of programming seems to sell unfortunately.
8:13 pm
Ads always play on people's problems and insecurities and provide their product as a remedy. What's offensive is the implication that men are pussy-whipped wusses because:
1. They enjoy spending time with women.
2. They compromise some of their desires for the sake of a harmonious relationship with someone they love.
3. They may help the woman they love by carrying some of her purchases.
4. They like the smell of lavender.
What's ironic is that at the same time men are told that women don't want them to hold the door open for them, they're told they are whipped if they have to carry a woman's lip balm. You can't win. Not when multi-million dollar campaigns are created to make people feel insecure about every psychological aspect of their lives. It's sad, really. These ads seem to promote an idea of men as selfish adolescents incapable to asserting themselves and their own needs.
8:49 pm
Shouldn't Amanda Hess be in the kitchen making sandwiches or doing some fund raising for Haiti instead of worrying about something as relatively unimportant as Super Bowl commercials?
9:11 pm
Hey, thanks for posting that Megan Fox commercial. I totally missed it, grabbing snacks between plays. W00t!
9:14 pm
Danica Patrick female sports superhero? Can you name any other race car driver with a record as mediocre as hers who get ANY national exposure? I'll answer that for you: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Danica gets national commercials because she has breasts, Dale JR. gets commercials because of his family legacy. Anybody else with a similar record of accomplishment not only doesn't get to do commercials they they'd be looking for a new job by now.
9:37 pm
These ads were done in jest, just like this man hatting column!
11:23 pm
I think you need to change your tampon and shut the fuck up. These commercials are meant to appeal to a REAL MANS, not a queer or womans sense of humor. Statistics prove that footballs main demographic are males, straight males at that. So who really gives a flying fuck if anyone gets insulted or takes offense to this. THEYRE FUNNY COMMERCIALS! LEAVE IT AT THAT. Now get back into the kitchen where you belong bitch and cook me a steak.
12:53 am
People keep saying these ads are "satire."
Can one of you please tell me what they're satirizing? Satire is a very specific form of humor and requires that something be satirized.
1:41 am
So I'm the only one who thinks saying "people of color" is stupid? I'm mean the only people that don't fit into that group are albinos and I saw more than albinos in the ads...
2:28 am
thank you for this cogent analysis.
3:19 am
They were ads for a football game. Get over it.
3:58 am
Jesus you people cry a lot. I'm offended by the fact that I read the article and all of the inane comments. Stann is the only one in the this thread with a modicum of sense. I'll bet you guys (oh crap, I didn't mean to be gender specific there) are a real hoot at parties.
4:36 am
Thanks for roundup of ads! They could have used less words in between them so I didn't have to scroll so much, but they're still funny as hell!
6:33 am
It's interesting to note the person doing the voiceover in the Dodge Charger commerical is Michael Hall, the actor who plays Dexter. The final pre-car image - the slow zoom of a guy in a suit - recalls American Psycho.
I'm not sure if this was intentional or not. In my fantasy, the ad boss / car company wanted to tap into some Tyler Durden manpain, but the creative department gave them Patrick Bateman instead.
In reality I expect the people making the commercial are tapping a vein of male rage so deep (the stans of the world) they think invoking serial killers is a good thing.
Either way, that ad seethes with violence. It's like the rumor that domestic calls skyrocket during the Superbowl made flesh.
7:27 am
LOL WTF are you talking about Disgusted Dude? You got issues man. Has the concept of hyperbole been lost on everyone here? Maybe, just maybe the commercial isn't even about women. Maybe, just maybe it's an exaggerated expression of the fact that men put will happily put up with a lot of crap for love, but still deserve something nice for themselves. Oh, and caricatures = teh funny.
7:44 am
Tell you whats happened woman been fighting for us to be more like them for so long. That now men are becoming sensitive and emotional. Now these jokes that poke fun at men are psychologically effecting them. And we dont want to be the brunt of the joke anymore. So commercials like this in a few years will not fly.. Maybe men around this country will start respecting themselves more when facing a mirror that is the commercials. These commercials depict what has happened to our country in real life. Its sad to say but the average man would rather be single then be in a relationship with any of the worlds bloodsucking females. I was fortunate enough to find a woman who doesnt hold the ideals of the girls on SEX AND THE CITY. BUT what really really doesnt make sense to me is that woman fought for equality for so many yearsssssss .. and now most woman are feeeling that equality but without stopping there they turn and think its ok to psychologically and physically beat on men cause they are big guys and should be able to take care of it themselves.. Well that is not the case anymore...
Megan idk why you posted that website when Feminists have thousands of websites . If you want some good reading about Feminism and mens rights READ THESE ARTICLES. http://www.menstuff.org/columns/roberts/archive.html
7:49 am
How did woman somehow get offended by these commercials. When the articles are depicting exactly how women treat men in Society. How Woman manipulate men with there Emotions and there bodys. Usually there are articles with half naked women in them and because this year woman had really no articles to complain about because everyone in society is so scared to offend women, Because There are so many funded feminist groups that will attack the company its not worth the time. They know that for the most part men can take a joke and wont complain well they are WRONG its Time men start demanding respect emotionally and psyhologically.
7:57 am
3d. I'm kind of interested in finding men who are personally hurt or offended by these ads. If you're psyche or self esteem is affected by a commercial- you have deeper issues to deal with. I don't know if your mommy didn't hug you enough or what, but most men are able to laugh this stuff off because the characters are funny because they are unexpected, they are the anti-stereotype. So, if you are one of these guys, without sounding cliche, man the "F" up dude. It's just a commercial. Crying about your self esteem being brought down by an ad agency is for teen age girls man.
8:05 am
Exactly Roz these commercials do not effect me no. I do see other men my own friends are just like the commercials depicted. The more normal that is to society the worse society is gonna end up. That is all im really saying... But it would be nice to have you own opinion instead of bashing other people... when you have no idea where I am coming from or who I AM . Personally I can take a WHOLE lot of jokes I work in Contruction... alll day everyday We bust eachothers balls at work... So dont tell me to man up... Its a observation stop trying to seem like more of a MAN then somone you dont even know.
9:07 am
thanks for calling out the CBS standards and practices department for their role in these commercials. good article.
9:28 am
Hey how- grow up and actually BE a man you whiny, pathetic man-child.
9:28 am
I like the idea that if Dodge portrays its target customer as someone whose life force is being completely sapped by the onerous duty of having sex with and occasionally talking to a woman, that somehow it's the *critics* of that ad who are man-haters. I'm not even going to get into the other brain failures demonstrated above -- the fact that, for instance, "satire" is a word that means something, and that thing is not "I think it's funny because I am a dick" -- because there's no point. These guys are clearly having fun circle-jerking over how good they got us over on Homosociality 101 or wherever they crawled out of, and why ruin their one tiny bit of fun in their apparently joyless, pithed, emasculated lives?
Sorry, guys; satire.
9:43 am
(Though actually, as the exchange on the Comments of the Week post makes clear, these dudes are admirably demonstrating another tricky English-class concept: irony. Thanks guys -- you suck at grasping satire but you're still managing to enhance our literary lives. The more you know!)
9:43 am
3d- Fair enough, but no offense- I don't really care who you are where you come from. It really doesn't matter. You pointed out earlier that these "girly men" are exactly what was considered what women wanted. Ever since there was a woman, there was a man standing next to her wondering "how can I make her happy?" Wars have been waged, Empires and Wonders built all with the sole purpose of trying to impress women. So, it's more than a bit ironic that women should be complaining about these commercials when men like the ones depicted are just products of their own creation. For the last 30 years or so men have been inundated with this idea that this "male dominated society" we live in is bad and male chauvinism will not be tolerated. So, you end up with men growing more and more passive and becoming bigger and bigger push overs with the fear of being negatively labeled and the hope that such behavior will make the women happy. Because that's what they want right?! The feminist movement has done more to damage male psyche than any Dodge ad will ever do. I'm not saying that women (or womyn) are inferior or some sort of sub creature, they deserve to be treated equally and respectfully, but men need to find a balance between treated a woman with respect without losing self respect themselves. I have no doubt you know some guys like the ones in the commercials, but at the risk of making another assumption, they are in their early 20's probably raised by their mothers or at the very least in an environment that lacked a strong positive male role model. I ripped on somebody earlier for alluding to Fight Club, but maybe he is right- do you remember the line, "We are a nation of men, raised by women"? To a certain extent that's true. Men have been told for so long now (not just on TV, but homes, schools and colleges) that for some reason it's wrong to instinctively act like a man. So again it's ironic to find many women now wondering, where have all the men gone? So maybe these ads mocking that sort of mentality is a good thing and eventually guys will snap out of that behavior. Because that's what women want right?
9:46 am
Because that’s what they want right?!
Yup. All women want is for men to project all their hopes, fears, ideals, and insecurities onto us as though we existed as foils and receptacles for their personalities instead of as humans in our own right. That is definitely the main crux of feminism.
9:53 am
Yup. All women want is for men to project all their hopes, fears, ideals, and insecurities onto us as though we existed as foils and receptacles for their personalities instead of as humans in our own right
Oddly enough, that's why a lot of women find themselves attracted "jerks" and "a**holes". Eventually, they get older and a little wiser.
9:58 am
Jess,
Thaaaaaank you. I'm sure one of the trolls who frequent this site went and whined on some MRA blog about how the women here are such man hating bitches. WAAAAAAAAAH! Go back to your own little cave in cyberspace. No one complaining about this article has added anything relevant or intelligent to the conversation. More of the same drivel fed to us every damn day.
Er...I'm sorry: Satire.
11:54 am
"Because that’s what women want right?"
Actually, if you ever really respected a woman and listened to one, you'd know that we just want equal pay for equal work and not to live our lives with the constant threat of rape and violence. That covers most of it.
12:21 pm
I find this whole article hilarious in the fact that men and women need each other. It doesn't matter the opinion of one person or the other. Now yes it's true that some people may need to make a few changes depending on if they want to spend the rest of their life with a certain person of the oppisite sex, but that's what makes life fun and worthwhile.
1:02 pm
Eh, I think it's pushing it to say the Doritos commercial with the little boy was racist. Men of all nationalities check out women, and little boys of all ages are defensive of their mothers. Did I miss something?
However, the rest of the article was great. The commercials were sexist to both men and women. Personally, as a woman, I'm used to the GoDaddy.com mentality. But for men, you guys were really made to be big wimps. Complaining about carrying lip balm? I doubt you've ever even had to since it's usually his keys, wallet, etc. that find their way into my purse.
2:20 pm
I think these commercials did a service to men all over the country by holding up a grotesque funhouse mirror to the way we are being forced to live our lives. I don't know a single male who hasn't sacrificed his own individuality, goals, hopes and aspirations in the name of placating a "loving" partner. In the end it comes down to this: Men must yeild, and God help them should they stray from the path chosen for them.
There are many women who are harpies, just as there are many men who are sex-desirous wolves. The key isn't to subscribe to stereotypes or social dictations as to what you should think or do, but to find someone you are happy with, and who is happy with you, without having to compromise either of your souls.
3:31 pm
Okay, now I have another question. It's obvious that there are a lot of men stuck in unfulfilling relationships that wear on their souls and their self esteem. It's apparent that these men have a lot of bitterness from the years of abuse they've taken. So my question is: why do you guys do this to yourselves?
Assuming you're not trapped in the classic cycle of abuse (in which case, there are resources to help you and I hope you will consider using them) - why are you settling for a relationship that hurts you so much and gives you so little? I know we've all been fed the idea that marriage is SUPPOSED to suck, because women are SUPPOSED to be evil and controlling and men are SUPPOSED to bow to their every whim - but guys, we make our own reality. It doesn't have to be that way. I promise you, there are lots of women in the world who won't treat you like crap.
I hear guys complaining about how girls always go for the ***holes, but in the same breath they complain about how their partners mistreat them. Please stop expecting to be treated like crap. It is a demonstrable falsehood that "every woman in the world" is a nagging harpy who doesn't care about your needs and feelings. I can say that because I'm a married woman, I've been with my husband for five years, and we treat each other like two decent human beings should treat each other. We have our own lives, we don't control each other, and we don't abuse each other. And I know we're not an isolated case because I can look at my friends and my family and see dozens of happy couples who listen and support one another and don't live out their lives in silent desperation.
Are there cruel, abusive, controlling women out there? Of course. A lot of them. Do you have to submit your lives to their domination? No. And assuming you don't enjoy getting kicked around, I have to conclude that the only benefit you would get from such a relationship is sex. Is sex worth a lifetime of this kind of pain and frustration? If you've decided it is, then you've made your own bed. But if your dignity and happiness are worth more to you than the complacency of a steady sex partner who makes you miserable, maybe you can look a little further beyond your current prospects and realize that there are good women out there who are looking for good men to be involved with. Hell, there are even decent women looking for decent men to sleep with for a night, if that's all you're looking for.
Every time you get involved with someone as a partner or potential partner, you're putting yourself at the risk of getting hurt or finding out that the person is not right for you. That's life. We all deal with it, men and women both. We've all been burned. If you choose to settle rather than risk getting burned again, that's your choice as an adult. You can't blame anyone but yourself for making that choice.
3:46 pm
I don't see what Hess adds to the general discussion on this topic other than predictable commentary and thrown-brick-sarcasm -- as bad as these ads were, this article is no better. Adding drama to the mix by bringing in blame (companies, CBS, organizations, ...) makes the whole thing read like a sermon. It is topped off by bragging: Hess gets it, Hess isn't like those women, Hess has a SO who is enlightened, ...
This article is just venting, not instructing and not persuading. If you have your own blog, that's one of the benefits, of course, but it could be employed more usefully, I think. It uses the same techniques the ads used to leverage stereotypes to make various points. The only difference is the air of moral superiority -- the ads just want to sell, Hess wants not only agreement but a pound of flesh, as well.
4:30 pm
I was very offended by the Doritos ad. It's a horrible slander to insinuate that black men blatantly look at women sexually rather than as potential life partners and soul mates. And why was it treated as OK for the mother of a small child to go out on a date? Is it because one cannot expect any better from black people?
Then there was the darkness of their skins -- just because _some_ black people have dark skins doesn't mean they _all_ do. Isn't it time we did away with that outmoded stereotype?
5:06 pm
These comments are proof that the commercials have done their jobs. The companies wanted publicity, and they got it.
7:27 pm
Phew! This room STINKS with white privilege!!!...and male privilege to boot.
12:18 am
Ok...to all those people who were offended by any of the commercials that were aired during the superbowl, you need to grow up. You are what is wrong with this country! They are commercials designed to make us laugh. That is why they are shown during the most watched sporting event of the year. Nobody is forcing you to watch them so if you get offended, the remote is sitting right next to you and you can control the tv from where you are sitting. CHANGE THE CHANNEL!!! If you get offended by commercials during the Super bowl, you are pretty much un-American. Most Americans who watch the super bowl do not know who's playing or what the rules are in football but know that the commercials are funny so they watch. GROW UP!!! No wonder this country is going down hill so fast.
8:32 am
I agree. Its a bunch of kill joys here . With all the problems in the world we have over 80 posts devoted to this - commercials !??! Lets fight real sexism not this.
11:40 am
I'd like to see this kind of outrage over a commercial that features a man who refuses to pull over and ask for directions. Advertising cuts both ways.
4:58 pm
@Jason; actually it's thinking like yours that is what's wrong with this country. It is definitely not "un-American" that I have as much of a problem with men being depicted as stupid, ignorant, meatheads as I do with women being depicted as weak, vapid, sex objects. Or as much of a problem with people of other cultures being depicted as ________ (enter whichever stereotype might apply here). It's actually very "American" to think that media images should not be reinforcing damaging, age old prejudices and stereotypes. How is it do you think that these kinds of ideas carry on, and on, and on despite the efforts of people to change them? BINGO...perfect example--our media.
But people like you have a very important role too. To continue going, "but it's funny, and harmless", "you're being ridiculous and un-American by having a problem with it". The country might actually be going uphill a lot faster if we were doing it without the hindrance of thinking like yours.
1:35 am
if you don't like the ads, don't watch them
here's the thing... these ads reflect and influence our collective consciousness. and the more we are bombarded with images like these, the more we--men and women both--begin to internalize that it is ok for men to treat women as nagging harpies who make them take out the recycling and aren't worth as much as a set of tires. so even if i didn't watch the superbowl and never saw the ads, my life is still affected by the way I am treated and viewed by men. And if these ads are even a little bit increasing the sexism I encounter in my life, then "just not watching them" isn't really going to help me much.
3:59 pm
Wow Amanda, it's one thing to point out actual racism and sexism. But to make it up, point out the crazy crap in your head, and then write an article about it, that puts you up there with the top crazies of all time.
Good luck in life, you will need it!
2:49 pm
I think you're missing the 100+ commercials that make white men out to be balding, fat, emasculated idiots. But I guess that doesn't make for a holier than thou blog does it?.
4:45 pm
If you don't like the ads, you should just ignore them! Because just ignoring the people that constantly portray you as a nagging harpy bringing down teh menz (this one time a woman forced me to SPEND TIME WITH HER, gawd) will totally stop women from being treated badly. I mean, just look at the commenters here! Clearly, women are not being treated badly anywhere ever.
Maybe you guys should take your own advice and not read the blog if it offends you so much?
5:28 pm
Somehow I managed to raise a son who is masculine but not a sexist pig. Yes, people, it can be done.
Danica Patrick should be ashamed of herself. There are plenty of female athletes that do not choose the T&A route to promote themselves. I'm calling her out on this one. Nobody's holding a gun to her head and forcing her to promote the sexist Go Daddy. I would not use them for a hosting company even if they were the only game in town. But they are not and we need to let our wallets talk by not giving them any of our money.
Also, I happen to know gay men who love to watch football and not because they're looking at the players' asses. Most of the players are not "their type." They just enjoy the game. Yes, there are masculine gay men out there. A shocker for most people, I know.
3:50 pm
I don't quite see how the FloTV ad can be called "satire". The main point of the ad is that the man has "lost his spine" and is his wife's slave.
Where's the satire?
Seems like straightforward sexism to me. The ad feeds off the stereotype of the controlling wife, implicitly berating men who would do anything but watch the game on TV.
Ridicule isn't the same thing as satire. (Fans of Rush Limbaugh take note.)
9:44 pm
I agree pretty strongly with the article above. I was going to add "despite being a married (hetero) man," but, bullshit. There are plenty of guys out there like me. We got married because we wanted to and stay married because our wives make our lives better. We have kids and we love them. We read books, we walk the dog. We bitch and moan about things sometimes, but we don't forget how good we have it.
I didn't even watch the superbowl. I don't see how my life would be any better if I started caring about professional sports? If the sports team in my town wins a game against the sports team in your town...in what universe does that make any difference in the world?
I'd rather watch kids play little league baseball (pop warner football, whatever). I'd rather watch SOMEBODY ELSE'S kids, playing a game they want to play, than watch a bunch of overpaid deadweights. Major league sports do so little good in the world relative to the amount of money and mindshare they suck up.
Imagine a world where there were no teachers. Or, no police. No doctors. No writers. No postmen or no garbagemen, no plumbers or store clerks. Remove any of these groups and you get a hole, a need that's not being filled.
Now imagine a world where there were no professional sports. Would there be no entertainment? Seriously, would there be no heroes for kids to aspire to if they didn't have Tiger Woods?
Wouldn't it be better if they had to choose from people who contribute to the good of the world when looking for heroes?
8:51 am
Has anyone seen this other Charger ad? Its another spin on the "getaway car"...Now, If the tables were turned and the guy was driving away in the car, Im pretty sure the feminists would be complaining about it and men's evil ways. However, since the woman is the one driving away they consider it "empowering".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2pgSuhzOCo
10:02 am
Ir was just a commercial. It aired for 30 seconds. GET OVER IT. DAMN. You people make a fuss and over think everything. Commercials are made by people to sell things. It doesnt mean that they are a accurate depiction of any social order.And why bash the Charger? it is really a fine automobile. Maybe you like your flashy POS Beemer but thats not for everyone. If I have to dole out a huge sum of money to drive Ill drive what I like, not what you want. Maybe you are wearing a pair of lime green Crocs that make you look like a fucking clown, But who am I to tell you you have to put on a pair of boots like a real man.
7:48 pm
@Kelly...I'll say it again incase you missed it the first time. GROW UP! The commercials were not meant to offend anybody and if it did, who cares? And again, YOU are whats wrong with this country. Your reaction to these commercials is proof that a portion of this country is not paying attention to the things that actually matter in the world. Women being sex objects offends you??? A: Sex Sells...FACT B: Talk to your women who have no problem being sex objects. Somebody must have held your head in front of the TV and forced you to watch. If that was not the case, don't open your mouth and whine about something you CHOOSE to pay attention too.
1:13 pm
I'm so sick of you queer (in the biological sese) people who worry so much about women's "issues" and their being demeaned by men's perceptions about them. And I'm sick of women who think the same thing. I am proud to be biologically and genetically wired to want to desire and occasionaly fuck a beautiful woman. I can't think of anything that is more satisfying than a good work out of my hormonal gifts and urges. So all you miserable queer men and sad and miserable women who feel that your own creation is a mistake.....can go fuck yourselves...which is what you are really talking about. Kiss my ass.
Johnny
1:20 pm
Oh, and given the nature of things....I hope you and your paradigm are very happy together. Why don't you read some good old Hermaneutic theory and get away from all this feminist BS. Again, kiss my ass.
Johhny.
PS - yeah! I mispelled sense....screw you.