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Editorial: Anti-Gay Violence in Super Bowl Ads Still Not FunnyIn fact, he is staring right up at the backside of a football player which prompts him to salaciously say, "Hey, pretty." He climbs up onto the field, but before making good on his escape, he casts what appears to be a leering look at the players. Just then he is clobbered by another player and left lying motionless on the field.
What's the message here exactly? (Besides watch our show!) I doubt the ad's producers intended to say that men who express interest in other men deserve to get walloped, but it certainly reads that way. One other spot also included a tiny amount of same-sex interaction. An ad for Dell Computers featured a handsome young man moving through the city streets. As he passes a well-built policeman directing traffic, he is suddenly patted on the rear by the officer.
The young man is surprised but doesn't seem offended. Nor does a car suddenly speed up and run the officer down for his same-sex transgression. Later a much older man also pats the young man on the rear and an attractive young woman kisses him all in apparent reaction to the fact that the man has purchased a Dell Computer. I didn't say the ad made sense. But hey, kudos to Dell. Not so much kudos for Bridgestone Tires and FOX's Prison Break, however. (And don't get me started on the misogyny in that horrible Planters Cashews ad where the "ugly" woman gets all that attention from men because she rubs cashews on herself.) Look, every year waaaaaay too much ink is wasted on the "relevence" of this or that Super Bowl ad. They're just commercials, for God sakes. I get that, I really do. But in an era where there's still not a single openly gay NFL player or coach, where homophobia is still far too common among too many of the players, it would sure be nice to watch the game one of these years and not see a gay-perceived person or character run over or beaten senseless. (All of the Super Bowl ads can be viewed here.)Submitted by on Mon, 2008-02-04 00:15. |
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I've got to cry to keep from laughing
afhickman
"It takes a village (to make Village People)"
I may have missed something here, but I thought mimes and Richard Simmon were ALWAYS fair game. And if you watch Prison Break, I think you'd agree that T-Bag belongs spread out like manure on a football field. Maybe you should try getting up on the other, less PC-challenged side of the bed, or however that works!Homophobia
That was not the point, Homophobia in advertising was.
Dennis
Maybe you should get a bigger cap...
T-bag bisexual?? No, I don't
T-bag bisexual?? No, I don't
Actually, according to Wikipedia
Upon seeing that there were no Alliance for Purity members at Fox River, T-Bag starts a new chapter of the gang; its growth grants him significant influence within the prison.[5] An open bisexual, he has no qualms about seeking sexual gratification from other inmates, often preying upon younger men.
Not really feelin' violated...
OK I've been a ghost reader of this site for quite some time but this post made me actually go in and register and officially become a part of this community.
As someone who is OUT in a small rural Texas town (and OH just so happens to live with my 2 kids AND my African American husband), I do know what it's like to feel as though I were being loathed because of my orientation. (I'm sure there are many folks who have had a much more frightening anti-gay experience; I do not mean to diminish what it must be like to be physically harmed because you're gay.)
I point out my own personal experience only because I did not feel either of those ads targeted gays at all. Dude, people wanna beat up Richard Simmons because he's Richard freakin Simmons not because he appears to be gay. The guy is a walking joke and he knows it and he's made millions (well, thousands at least) off of it!
And hello--do you watch Prison Break??! Because if you did, then like all of us, you would have been thinking "it's about freakin time someone gave that slimeball what he had coming!" He is among the worst of TV villians and deserves whatever he gets.
And ok--just in case: I do NOT advocate violence in any situation! But it's TV folks! I don't feel like those ads in any way promoted physically harming homosexuals.
Just my thots...had to chime in!
__________________________
whoever you are, just be you
Siding with MJ on Richard Simmons
Flamboyant=gay?
BUT, if a straight person said Simmons acted "gay" because he acted flamboyant, he'd be relentlessly flamed as a homophobe. You can't have it both ways.
To me, the question to ask is, would the commercial be funny if the driver was tempted to run over Ian McKellen? No, it would not. Because Sir Ian isn't a semiote for annoyingness like Simmons is. It's Simmons personality, not his sexuality, that makes people so annoyed with him. QED.
True anti-homosexual prejudice (which is widespread) and violence (which is incredibly rare) are despicable. But it's a disservice to their victims to cry wolf when no wolf is there.
That's my take, anyway. I don'tmean to come across as a know-it-all.
Yes, but that's the point
Why is Ian McKellen so much more acceptable? Because he conforms to gender norms. He acts like a "man." Richard Simmons doesn't. Granted, he's annoying in other ways, but his effeminancy is CLEARLY part of why he is so universally reviled.
And straight DO say he's gay, all the time. Whether or not that's a homophobic assumption, it's part of Simmon's personna, stated or unstated.
The point of Michael's post is that effeminancy is still usually portrayed as something really, really bad, so much so that you should run it down.
It's not like Michael is advocating torches and pitchforks. He just made a point. But yeah, the ad gave me the creeps too.
Read my books! Explore "Brent's Brain" at http://www.brenthartinger.com
I see no homophobia here
I sat with five other gay men, a straight woman and a european straight guy watching the commercials (and occasionally the game). This was, by far, one of the funnier ads.
And running down Richard Simmons is not, to my way of thinking, similar to running down a generic gay person. Or even an extremely flamboyant gay person. Had the car aimed at Carson Kressely or Ross the Intern or even at some unknown effiminate person I might agree that it was the effiminacy that was being targeted.
But Richard Simmons is not hated for his effiminacy, exactly. He's found annoying because of the character that he has created and plays in public. "Richard Simmons" is no more a real person than Elvira or Dame Edna. He was smart enough to take his 80's weight loss guru persona and morph it into a character of derision. It's a living, and probably a good one.
Perhaps at some point there was a component of homophobia in finding Simmons' flapping shreiking characature as annoying. But at this point, I think that he has so successfully honed and branded his freak image that we intuitively want to run him down without even considering why. Partly it's his self absorbtion, his unwaivering upbeat encouragement, his short shorts and goofy hair that haven't changed in 20 years, his corny exercise encouragements, and his general over-the-top exuberance.
None of the guys in the room noted any homophobia - and I'm pretty sensitive to cultural insult (e.g. the insanely racist panda ad). And all thought the idea of a near-miss of running Richard Simmons down was funny... including those who would best be described as, ummm, not-entirely-masculine themselves.
You took the thoughts right out of my head
Timothy said:
"And running down Richard Simmons is not, to my way of thinking, similar to running down a generic gay person. Or even an extremely flamboyant gay person. Had the car aimed at Carson Kressely or Ross the Intern or even at some unknown effiminate person I might agree that it was the effiminacy that was being targeted."
That is the basis of how I aproched this and asked myself: would other affeminate and flamboyant gay men would be treated the same or would be considered "as" funny to be in this ad? To me the answer is no and I considered a bigger list than Carson and Ross.
The other question was: would any of them put themselfs in the same position Simmons did by doing an ad like this? I would say no.
Simmons has marketed himself as a buffoon for as long I can remember and for the same time Ive thought the man must not have very much respect for himself by putting himself in so many derogatory situations; that is why I find him anoying not for being flanboyant. That is why he is on this ad.
Now, I get that because he is flamboyant one might think that this ad was intended as violence to someone who appears gay. But I dont think that is the intention, so I didnt see it as homophobic.
Homophobia
A great deal of what you say is true, I can't stand the guy myself, he's an ebbarresment to the gay community.
However, I have spent some time talking to some friends( they don't know I'm gay, that would be a death sentance for me where I live) and the all agree that he is the face of the gay comunity. they really believe that. The only people that they KNOW are gay are the flaming queens, so to them that is what gay is.They do not know that in a group of 150 people in a small country club that 25 are gay. It's better they don't
Homophobia is alive and kickin in America and we had better take notice. my gay friends and I are planning a pride march this year through downtown, such as it is, but I have been training them all in Tae Kwon Do just in case. Rural America doesn't believe that we exist out here.
Dennis
It's still about Richard Simmons
If it was RuPaul, or any other flamboyant celebrity, we definitely won't find it funny, I'm sure.
The joke is clearly on RS himself, his effeminacy is only part of many, many things that people find annoying enough and worthy to be driven down.
Please get a larger hat.
...
Lighten Up
Since when?
Sadly Effeminate Men
are still considered fair game when it comes to put downs. They take it from straight guys and gay guys. Remember the Chris Crocker controversy? Whatever happened to live and let live?
Do I find Richard Simmons irritating? Yes sometimes, but I also find 50 Cent and Jay-Z and their brand of super macho behaviour irritating as well. Just imagine the outcry if Jay-Z had been in this commercial instead of Richard Simmons.
Cheers
JBE
H.O.V.A.
While I'll be the first to volunteer to run over 50 Cent with a car or truck or even the starship Enterprise, Jay-Z is a different animal (Jay-Z is not homophobic (I have his entire cataloge, and he himself has never on the material I have, said 'faggot'), 50 is viralently so (remember his Rolling Stone comment from about 5 years ago?)). Plus, the alligation would be that the commercial is racist and racism is a different animal. Plus, Jay-Z has made some incredibly poinent music (Blueprint (Mama Loves Me) Ain't No Love, Do U Wanna Ride and This Can't Be Life), whereas 50 Cent has made his money by playing into negative stereotypes about black males.
Chris Crocker was/is annoying as hell and should be run over. And if it was Simmons himself in that commercial (I refused to watch the Stuper Bowl this year, I hate both teams), what do we care? If he's willing to degrade himself, let him. If it had been an Ian McKellon look-alike or if one of the guys getting run over was supposed to be Health Ledger or Jake Gyllenhaal (yum) from Brokeback, I think then you have an arguement.
Art, My Point is
just because some people find a person's behaviour irritating is no reason that they should be shown as worthy of being run over. I know most people would not take it that far, but there are still a significant number of people that consider effeminate men worthy of being ostracized or worse beaten up.
As for Jay-Z I will defer to you in terms of his feelings towards gays and his artisitic merits, I usually don't get through one of his songs without turning the station. Instead of Jay-Z I could have substituted Eminem or a white heavy metal rocker, both I usually find incredibly irritating.
I agree that Richard Simmons was also to blame, I guess one could look at it positively that he does not take himself too seriously, but it unfortunately reinforced a very real problem in the gay and straight worlds. If you have ever seen how less than masculine kids are treated in high school then you can probably appreciate the damage the reinforcement of these views of effeminate can cause.
Cheers
JBE
...
You got that right
You got that right
Dennis
Thanks for the welcome,
Thanks for the welcome, Dennis. Your response really made me think: I remember even as a kid disliking Richard Simmons. Not sure if it was because I hated the components of him that I saw in me, but I do remember all the reasons my dad loathed him—his flamboyance, acting “gay,” and just being a freak. I myself wasn’t completely nelly but I was effeminate to an extent which is what caused me to be made fun of all the time. So maybe that latent self-hate is directed at someone who exudes what I hate about myself. (“RUN THAT F@G OVER!”) That’s one for the therapist. ;)
But I agree with your point, Michael, particularly your “cry wolf when no wolf is there” comment, and with Al from Milwaukee. Maybe a lot of us in the gay community are maybe looking a tad too hard for “our side” to be wronged so we become a little too sensitive? Or maybe we should always be so on guard? Seems this type of situation is a dilemma a lot of minorities find themselves in. [Oh God am i opening up a can of worms here?! haha]
Ultimately, though, I think there are a number of people—including straights—who could have been put out on the road to create the same gag. I’m not a big fan of televangelists. I think they could’ve put one of those guys out there and we’d’ve rooted just the same if not more. [Funny thing, though: would anyone rise to his defense?? Hahaha]
Thanks for the intelligent conversation everyone!
__________________________
whoever you are, just be you
Interesting... I didn't
Interesting...
I didn't see either of those ads with the same eye you did. But I can totally understand how you might, now that you point it out. Obviously, our own "stuff" colors how we view everything. I usually try to view things with my straight married mom AND my devoted ally hats on, but honestly, I didn't see much beyond the stupidity in these two, using either hat.
My take on the Richard Simmons commercial was, "why you wanna be such a goober, Richard??!!," but I associated it with him being an over-the-top crazy person who is either adored or hated (but who is the first to make fun of himself), and not because he might be gay. A televangelist would have worked for me, I guess, but they are not as universally known, nor do they embrace the fun that is made of them the way Richard does.
I don't watch Prison Break, so I knew nothing about the guys coming out of the manhole. Once I realized they were breaking out of prison, I laughed when they got flattened because I thought, "bummer! all that work for nothing!" Reminded me of a Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner cartoon. And as an aside, I was encouraged that this T-Bag guy saw the player's bum and said "ooo, pretty!" I thought that was fairly progressive for a football audience (and yes, I'm stereotyping the football audience - sue me)!
As for the Dell ad? I found myself irritated by this one because I felt the only reason the butt pats were acceptable to this audience is because athletes do it all the time. Because "If you're a big football player and you slap another football player's butt, it's totally not gay." *eyeroll* But if the characters were written as gay and they did that, it probably wouldn't have even aired.
hmmm.....
i didn't watch the game or the commercials....but even though it is 2008, it doesn't surprise me that there continues to be anti-gay commercials or whatever....i mean, i have this assumption that these commercial makers think half their audience is "manly" men who love football...and women....
therefore, they're gonna make fun of people like richard simmons. sadly, being stupid and ignorant is not a crime....but eh, that's just how i see it....may be wrong though.
Food for Thought
Hm
Prison Break
Here's the bottom line
There were two quasi-gay-like individuals featured at this year's Super Bowl, perhaps the year's most prominent entertainment for straight men. One was Richard Simmons, who embodies extreme gay stereotypes and who everyone perceives to be gay, one was a character on a TV show (with the name T-BAG, for God sake!!) who is known for leering at people of the same sex.
How were those characters featured during the superbowl? Both were objects of violence. Again, no other gay-related characters in any of the commercials, no openly gay players, coaches, or commentators. To an audience of straight men.
So that is not the end of the world. Michael was pretty clear that this was pretty mild, in terms of offensiveness. He wasn't calling for torches and pitchforks.
But it means something about visibility for gay men, which is what this site is all about. Only two "gay"-related people at Super Bowl and both were objects of violence. This is worth commenting on, worth noting, I think.
In any event, I didn't find the Simmons ad hilarious at all. The idea that we'd run down anyone with a car, no matter how annoying they are, gives me the creeps.
Read my books! Explore "Brent's Brain" at http://www.brenthartinger.com
Excellent post. I would
Excellent post.
I would add that with the Prison Break commercial, if you weren't a fan of the show, what you would've seen was a man, who had a sexual interest in another man, get the crap beat out of him. How hilarious! And how ashamed I should be for getting offended!
I believe that the posters who aren't the least bit offended by the commercials have turned down their sensitivity as a defensive mechanism. If you dull yourself to the pain, the world doesn't seem so crappy, does it?
wowie...
www.actuallyactuallyjason.blogspot.com
The Question I Asked Myself
is why did the advertisers phone up Richard Simmons (or his agent)? There is no lack of irritating and famous people in the USA why pick him? Regardless of what you think of Richard Simmons (I find him irritating and harmless as opposed to Ann Coulter who is irritating and dangerous), effeminate men have been traditionally seen as people you can make fun of without fear of reprisal.
I have also found over the years that gay people are some of the worse offenders in terms of ostracizing men who do not live up to society's hang ups about masculinity (it is funny but women don't get the same heat about acting masculine). Therefore, I am not surprised that some gay people commenting on this forum topic were not upset about seeing Richard Simmons the butt of the "joke".
Cheers
JBE
Bingo
Hell, one of the above commenters, a gay guy, says Chris Crocker should be run over too.
Homophobia much? Geeeeez. Physician heal thyself.
Read my books! Explore "Brent's Brain" at http://www.brenthartinger.com
Yes I noticed
that, I think some gays feel threatened by effeminate men, feeling straights will assume all gay are like that. IDK I usually give most straights the benefit of the doubt, and even if they do feel that way I really don't give a f**k what they think. I have a pretty healthy ego so I am not that insecure about my "masculine" image (whatever that is)! :)
Cheers
JBE
Good Points, Michael
Hi Michael,
Good post.
I agree with you on the Richard Simmons/Tire Ad.
I'm actually a little pissed off and disappointed at/with Richard Simmons.
You should interview him.
It's what Richard Simmons represents to mainstream (read: straight culture) society that is the issue and as Brent Hartinger said "his effeminancy is CLEARLY part of why he is so universally reviled."
Violence is never funny IMO.
QTC
Editor, QueerTwoCents.com
Superbowl ads
ugh, He's done it before
Wanted to do some research on Bridgestone Tires (I think I've seen gay positive ads from them before or maybe its another tire company). Anyway, I went to the Commercial Closet website and found another commercial with violence directed at Richard Simmons. This ad was done in 2001.
http://www1.commercialcloset.org/cgi-bin/iowa/portrayals.html?record=675
Interesting to see who the company says was the target audience that he does well with was.
In Fairness...
Entertainment Weekly rates the Super Bowl Ads! # 1 goes to ....
"What do tires, Alice Cooper, and Richard Simmons have in common? Pretty much nothing, but that did not keep Bridgestone from grouping all three together in its hysterial ad."
EW's live-blog took it a little further:
"Bridgestone: Pretty funny, the guy on a dark road, needs good tires to first dodge a deer, then Alice Cooper creeping in the night, then Richard Simmons inexplicably exercising on the road. Would've been funnier if he'd actually picked off Simmons, though... Oh, c'mon. You thought the same thing."
I want to give a public shout-out to Campion for finding/sharing the 2001 mattress clip as it accomplished the same shtick 7 years ago, without resorting reckless driving. From a creative perspective, neither ad strikes me as potential best in anything. Bridgestone just smacks of an accident waiting to happen. Homophobic? Probably, but very debatable. Unfunny and lacking in creativity? Without a doubt.
The Dell Ad was MEANT to be Gay-Friendly!
I'm quite shocked that no one got that the Dell ad was actually meant to be gay-positive
Notice anything about the particular model of Dell computer that was being promoted? Perhaps the color...for those that missed it, 'twas RED.....
As in (RED)...the line of products on the market that raise money for Bono's "Global Fund to Fight AIDS"
www.joinred.com explains on their website the intent of what the commercial is portraying... "Who'd have ever thought that AIDS in Africa would come up as a topic during the Superbowl? It's happening this Sunday when Dell will run a commercial to promote their new (PRODUCT) RED PCs. This ad shows that ordinary people can help eliminate AIDS in Africa, simply by choosing Dell (PRODUCT) RED while shopping for computers that they're already going to buy, and other ordinary people recognize and celebrate this choice. Tune in to the Superbowl on Sunday to watch this amazing moment with us."
So, those casual butt pats? They intended them as depictions of "ordinary people" and left it to the viewer to fill in the blanks. Guess everyone assumed they were meant in the football context, but I know *I* sure didn't see it that way..but then, I had spotted what he was carrying right away and knew what it was a commercial for, so when I saw the butt pat I cackled with glee because I knew the general straight population probably wouldn't get it at all.
EL
Richard Simmons is ANNOYING
Trust me I have no trouble
laughing, but why is American society always laughing at the same people? If people are eccentric, annoying or powerless than they seem to be more the butt of jokes, example effeminate men. Very much a frat mentality that borders on cruelty.
Give me the British sense of humour any day where they are as likely to poke fun at the powerful and pretentious as they are at the eccentric and weird.
Cheers
JBE
I can't stand on Richard Simmons!
Great thread!