Quote:
Originally Posted by bowener
Hi, legit question: Why does this commercial upset anybody?
I am so confused why people are mad about this. Seems pretty straight forward: Don't be a piece of shit, and call out other people for being pieces of shit.
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Speaking only for myself, it's no so much upset, as eyerolling at how this commercial appears on the surface to have one message, but betrays many others, and further reinforces subtle societal double standards.
The message is 'you're a man, you're powerful, but use it for good.'
It's a message of male supremacy, softened by advocating 'benign' male supremacy.
It points out faults in some men, and tells all men to be on guard for those faults in themselves. That is stereotyping.
Can you imagine a McDonalds commercial for black folk that had the message 'consider our salads, before you lose your foot to the sugar.'
Can you imagine a Tampax commercial for women gently reminding them that their menstual cycle can make them bitchy, so they need to keep mind to be extra nice sometimes.
Those are 'benign' messages simply urging people to behave better. But I don't think you would be as bemused by outrage in those situations.
But men are strong. Men are in charge. And that is as it should be. They can take condescension and chiding, not like the lesser and weaker genders and ethnicities.
The message is at cross purposes with itself, and it self-erases half of the stuff its preaching out the other side of its mouth. But even pointing out the inconsistency is considered gauche because the very social stratification they are tyrying to argue doesn't exist props up the message as beyond criticism.