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Home » Blogs » snicks's blog » Is this Fox promo for "Prison Break" offensive?

Is this Fox promo for "Prison Break" offensive?

by
snicks

The Fox series Prison Break ends its four-year run next week, and to promote the finale they're sending out press releases ... accompanied by bars of soap.

Above you can see an example that was sent to The Advocate, along with the statement "we hope the enclosed bar of Prison Break soap helps lather up excitement for the two-hour series finale airing Friday, May 15."

Well, if it's lather they wanted, it's lather they've got. GLAAD spokesman Rashad Robinson released this response about the tacky giveaway:

"It’s unfortunate that Fox thinks a veiled reference to prison rape is an appropriate part of their marketing campaign for this show."

What do you think about Fox's "gift"? Is it offensive? Funny? Just plain ... stupid? Take our poll and let us know!

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    • Submitted by
    snicks
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 17:12.
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    Liz T's picture

    hmm

    Submitted by
    Liz T (8822 points) (1837 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 17:48.

    i don't know if it's 'prison rape' that i would be offended by, but instead the notion that you're gonna have sex with men in general while in prison. make sense?

    btw, i am surprised people are raped in prison. the thought baffles me.....prison seems like such a place that is not really....private...for such an act...or any act really.

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    Knickie's picture

    Go to the site Stop Prison

    Submitted by
    Knickie (4010 points) (818 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 19:52.
    Go to the site Stop Prison Rape and you'll find out.
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    Kitty's picture

    You have to admit though...

    Submitted by
    Kitty (1667 points) (382 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 18:09.

    While it is a "clever'" (I use the word loosely) campaign tactic, they obviously did it just to kick up some dust. They succeeded. I wouldn't have thought to put anything on soap (company logo, TV show, etc.).

    It is at the bare minimum tacky because the show is set in prison, but I call it offensive because prison rape simply isn't funny. A soap campaign would have been much more suitable for things like the movie Fight Club. Great, now I wonder if in fact Fight Club had such a campaign. Thanks snicks for another question within the boundless ends of the universe.

    Kitty

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    db's picture

    Straight men & prison rape

    Submitted by
    db (3165 points) (658 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 18:30.
    Why do straight men find prison rape so hilarious?
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    Hallah's picture

    You give them too much credit for selectivity.

    Submitted by
    Hallah (135 points) (29 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 23:27.
    Judging by some of the movies that have come out and made a bazillion dollars recently, they find all rape pretty hilarious.
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    Darrien's picture

    Prison rape morons

    Submitted by
    Darrien (3326 points) (704 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 19:01.
    Gay rape like straight rape has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with the dehumanising and control of the victim. I'm not going to laugh at some woman being raped, so why the hell should I laugh because a man gets raped? It's a vile, violent, disgusting, horrific invasion of another human being. Someone explain to me where the laughs are because I just don't get it.
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    seanb's picture

    Finally!

    Submitted by
    seanb (1479 points) (306 posts)
    on Fri, 2009-05-08 09:15.

    Darrien -  Finally, a post from you that I can completely agree with!  I knew if I stayed here long enough it would happen!   :)

    Seriously, as I read the post and the comments I was getting all prepared to make a post separating the concepts of sex and rape.  But I see you beat me to it.  I've read SO many posts here that seem to equate prison rape with homosexuality.  It's not the same thing at all.  It's like what women have been insisting for ages - rape is a violent act, related to domination; it has nothing to do with sex.  Similarly, prison rape is a violent act of domination, it's not a sexual act.  When I was younger I didn't fully understand when women said that about rape, but now I understand it.

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    jettasian's picture

    What?

    Submitted by
    jettasian (420 points) (96 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 19:18.
    Offensive?  Where?  How?  I think sometimes you guys are way over reacted to everything.
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    Brent Hartinger's picture

    I was the one who opened the PR package

    Submitted by
    Admin
    Brent Hartinger (345 points) (1130 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 19:25.
    I saw the bar of soap, and I thought, "Really? They're making prison rape jokes?" (And it is a rape reference--"Don't drop the soap!")

     

    Then the materials themselves go to great lengths instead to talk about "lathering up." I think they were trying to provoke, and then cover themselves, so no one could accuse them of anything.

     

    Check out my new fantasy website: TheTorchOnline.com. It's like AfterElton.com for fantasy geeks! And I Twitter

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    Knickie's picture

    If you seriously want to

    Submitted by
    Knickie (4010 points) (818 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 19:56.
    If you seriously want to look at the subject of prison rape, check out T.J. Parsell's book "Fish" -- he would also make a good interview. He went to prison at 17 as a gay teenager and what happened to him there is chilling. He's now a campaigner against prison rape and exploitation of both gay and straight inmates.
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    Nukely's picture

    Pretty funny, huh?

    Submitted by
    Nukely (3426 points) (1195 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 21:48.
    We do not have incarceration in this country. We have rape as punishment. Is it any funnier when you see it for what it is?.

     

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    isoron's picture

    It's obvious that no one watches the show.

    Submitted by
    isoron (2324 points) (537 posts)
    on Thu, 2009-05-07 23:15.
    Because this last season had absolutely nothing to do with prison - let alone rape  - except in the aspect of agencies raping the world. So get a lid on it before you get on your high horses (too old?). Anybody have personal experiences about prison rape??? (only first-person anecdotes, please).
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    Nukely's picture

    Ah, Dude...

    Submitted by
    Nukely (3426 points) (1195 posts)
    on Fri, 2009-05-08 03:20.
    I have watched the show. This isn't about the show. It's about an idiot they hired to promote the show, someone who should be fired for using a joke that is has always been offensive and grows more tedious every day. A joke in poor taste that, as you point out, has nothing to do with the show.

    I don't get why you want to hear about prison rape experiences, anyway, or why that matters. I am not a woman, does that mean that should not speak up against people making a joke about women being rapped. I am also not a child, so I can't speak up against making a joke about selling children into sex slavery? What's wrong with you?.

     

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    afhickman's picture

    The mind-forged manacles

    Submitted by
    afhickman (3715 points) (770 posts)
    on Fri, 2009-05-08 04:11.

    afhickman

    "Prison Break" is the title of the show.  Why does it make me think of prison?  Because the word is in the title!  Prison rape is not a joke; it's the most egregious flaw in a irredeemably flawed system of "justice."  If two men find love together in prison, it's beautiful.  If one man is forced by another man to have sex with him in prison, this is a crime, and the blame rests with the system.  I watched the first two seasons of "Prison Break" and don't remember being offended by it.  But I'm disappointed, to say the least, by this advertising campaign.

    "The mountain has wings."

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    Wheeler's picture

    I voted...

    Submitted by
    Wheeler (360 points) (82 posts)
    on Fri, 2009-05-08 10:56.

    I voted 'Tacky, but not really offensive', but what I meant was 'Tacky but hilarious'. It certainly made me chuckle. I notice the poll offers four ways to look down your nose at the promotion, and one option to basically abstain - there's no 'I liked it' or 'I thought it was funny' option.

      I'm actually far more offended that GLAAD can't tell the difference between homosexuality and prison rape. Shouldn't they be a bit better than half-witted about this stuff?

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    seanb's picture

    Yes, this might be a bit

    Submitted by
    seanb (1479 points) (306 posts)
    on Fri, 2009-05-08 11:30.
    Yes, this might be a bit tacky or even genuinely offensive, but it's not anti-gay.  Again, prison rape is NOT a subset of homosexuality.  The overwhelming majority of perpetrators are straight, and the overwhelming majority of victims are straight.  It's an act of violence and domination.  So could we as gay people quit seeing as anti-gay everything related to prison rape? 
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