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CBS, the network agreeing to air a pro-life ad during the superbowl, has rejected an ad submitted by a gay dating site. The rejection brings up a number of interesting issues.
The most important thing to focus on is the obvious bias in advertising policy. Man Crunch, a dating website located in the UK aimed at providing a pick up space for men on the down low, submitted an ad that depicted two men wearing football jerseys watching a game together making out. It’s an awkward ad, not that funny and playing on all sorts of stereotypes, but it definitely isn’t too suggestive for television. The kiss isn’t even shown on camera. If this ad had depicted a man and woman, it would never have been questioned.
Perhaps it is the fact that this website is directed at men on the down low that makes it so threatening. The ad, and the site, are clearly designed to attract men who read “straight.” Perhaps the campaign is seen as a recruitment technique that threatens the mainstream, rather than an ad full of half naked men wearing tight pants and making suggestive facial expressions. What could be worse than finding out that your shaggy haired, football loving husband actually like doing it with guys when you are not around?
Second, the ad censorship brings up questions of advertising content restrictions. Many are up in arms about the pro-life ad expected to air during the game. Those same people are furious that Man Crunch has been ousted. The trick is to stand on the side of freedom of expression, for the opposition as well as for those advertisers we support. CBS is clearly engaging in content-based restriction of speech. And even if, as private broadcasters, they are permitted to do so, we should be clamoring for an open playing field when it comes to high profile advertising. We support the right of conservative groups to advertise their beliefs. We just want the same privileges. Let both ads air, be happy with the marketplace of ideas, trust that with the right amount of education and information, the restrictive hate-based approach touted by conservative groups will fail. Or at least slowly lose support.
Third, the Man Crunch as scandal has many wondering if the ad was submitted as an attempt to gain publicity without paying high prices for superbowl airtime. This is an important point only because Man Crunch is teaching all of us about how to get creative in our advertising and awareness raising techniques. It’s one thing for the HRC to have donation campaigns directed towards buying tv airtime, but it is entirely more inspiring for their money to go towards developing new and controversial methods for bringing attention to the fight for equality and the struggle for recognition in the mainstream. We should be thanking Man Crunch for finding intelligent new ways to fight for equal rights and for setting the bar high enough that we might try to be as creative ourselves.
We should be thanking Man Crunch for finding intelligent new ways to fight for equal rights and for setting the bar high enough that we might try to be as creative ourselves.
Ok, first off..if this is the intelligent and creative side of it..then don’t bother. I find this ad very offensive as a gay man. I don’t like being projected in that stereotypical light. It is very disgusting to see this as we are already seen as only sex to start with. If the ad were to actually portray in the manner it is inteded..a dating site..then it would have been set in a different manner. This makes it seem that two men “discover” that they are gay and then are typically all over each other. It should have portrayed perhaps as a man reading an ad, responding with his information, getting that call and setting up a date..hence..dating site. This is just ludicrous and repulsive, and I would NEVER use this site..
when i first heard that CBS rejected gay dating site, I’ll admit i was ready to yell discrimination; but after seeing that ad, I just want to say Thank God. I was offended as a person who just recently realize he’s gay, and didn’t jump into any man’s arms. I will admit i’m also glad it’s not airing with it being a Packer fan and viking fan making out like two teenagers.
I agree with BOTH of the previous posters. I found this ad offensive, and wouldn’t want it aired. I think that ultimately this ad would be used as fuel for the burning flames of hatred of the Right.
I don’t see what all the screaming is about on this ad. It is using some of the worst stereotypes that we get hung around our necks every day. Also, the men depicted (shudder!) I wouldn’t even THINK of approching either of them. Finally, the whole way the scene plays out is just disgusting, wrong, and plays right into the hands of the rabid right. I, for one, and DELIGHTED this ad got rejected. CBS did us a favor!
Wow…Yea THANK YOU CBS. This site is aimed at men on the “down low?” What does THAT mean? Maybe I’m wrong, but doesn’t that mean self-hating gay men who are so loath to be out that they pretend and lie to the world that they are straight, often marrying a woman and making them both miserable? Is this what we want to promote? I mean what is this UK site trying to promote? “Hey, want to have gay sex without publicly being known as a f**got? We provide a way to do that”. That is more harmful to our cause than anything. In the words of Harvey Milk (a paraphrase), only by coming out to our friends, families, and coworkers can we win hearts and conquer homophobia.
ad of one guy with his rear up in the air and climbing all over the other guy while their hand press together right down into food reminds me of my flight back home from from the UK a couple of years ago.
Only what I saw was a “hot and heavy” scene between wife and husband plus causing needless inconvenience to those needing to use the plane’s bathroom. They just couldn’t wait to get home. This couple was “so madly in love.” The husband was sitting in the very last row of plane seats next to the bathroom.
His wife had her rear end thrusted up in the air blocking the path to the rest room, rubbing and kissing the living daylights out of her embarrassed -looking husband while people wanting the bathroom were blocked and likely wondering what to say if anything.
I am not a prude but something had to be done. So I gritted my teeth and said as politely as I could, “I am sorry ma’am, but some of us really need to get to the bathroom.” She apologized and let me by.
Back to this ad.
Is it really too much to ask for ads showing same-sex couples in settings where they are enjoying other’s company but in a graceful, dignified way? I’t a possible to show a good variety of scenes featuring attractive same-sex couples same as can be done for classy straight couples. Might have to spend a few dollars to film it but the lowest budget style as this ad appears to me with a room, TV, couch, bowl of snacks and 2 sloppy and noisy college-aged dudes is not the way to go.
I agree to the some of the comments below, this commercial shouldn’t be in question at all. It was poorly thought out and actually quite embarrasing as a representation for the community, let alone the dating website.
However, like always, it constantly comes down to confidence. If women had more confidence in their husbands, vice-versa, there really wouldn’t be anything to argue against. I mean, let’s face it, the commericial was stupid, wouldn’t have done anyone justice, and certainly would’ve motivated a very few. Anyone getting the indication that narrow-minded straight people aren’t as stable as they like to pretend to be?
You know there is a whole other take on this: won’t let us get married, then we’ll stay on the down low and yes ladies you better be scared about what your husband is doing with his bromances.
I certainly do not see any ad for a commercial venture as representing our “community”. We should be more intelligent than the masses of voters that think political ads truly portray what a candidate will do once in office. Plus the message of “straight” guys finding their atraction and going for it likely would resonate with the super bowl crowd. And, yes, the RR will hate to see facts, as they always do, but married men cruising simply should not be alarming to anyone in our society.
For Emma, just a few comments:
-CBS does not own the airwaves. We the people do, and we license their use to broadcasters. They are not free to censor or not, there are limitations to what they can use our property for and I don’t think it is appropriate to roll over and say they have a right to censor. It is a fine line and I don’t know where it lies, but I’m not comfortable saying the sole decision lies with the licensee. I believe the FCC would have an issue with that.
Secondly, while I admire your plea to accept all and let the marketplace decide, I still think there is a difference we need to not let go unacknowledged. The FOTF piece is basically hate speach. It seeks to impose a narrow religious view on all of us, by making abortion illegal. No, it does not seek to stop a woman from having an abortion. They do not care about women or the individual fetuses. They care about imposing their laws, taliban-esque, on all of us. It also promotes faith healing which is dangerous considering weak minds not able to reason properly are the ones that will decide to listen to the priest instead of the doctor.
The other ad promotes a business venture, however distasteful, perfectly legal. It does not advocate subjugating our laws to an imagined deity nor does it seek to impose guilt on a whole class of society so that they will use their shame to change our nation’s laws.
I find it hard to accept both are equal and subject them to the marketplace. Commercial venture vs. hate speach…should we have a different place in our rules for each of them??????
i dunno skinny guy in vikings uniform is kind of alright. nice ass definitely. men are horny manimals. there is no real steryotype. the dl dudes are like that for sure. they just wanna bust a nut. but these guys were definitely not kissing. more like necking. talk about going back to the old school. first time i have heard of mancrunch though so it did clearly generate publicity.
My question is why the hell do we care so much about having an ad for the superbowl? Its obvious the sports world is not a very inclusive so why are we suprised when they treat us like they ALWAYS do?
Okay so a gay commercial got denied, big suprise! Move on! We need to try to get our Gay channels more viewers and get our channels on common cable.
Maybe we should follow BET’s lead and get a gay station to become a lil more common place. Sorry LOGO, but you guys are still pretty obscure and not easy enough to acces.
I say, lets just boycott the superbowl and be done with it if its that big an issue.
We tend to shove it right back in their faces every chance we get. Guess it is a result of decades of poking sticks at us. Thats okay, when it’s over then we will have the last laugh and it won’t be so important to us to shove back. We’ll have it all.
Another insightful post. I made some of the same points, in my own slightly different way, on my site. I also address the violence issue in football and the Super Bowl as cultural mirror and spectacle. My post is here: http://wordinedgewise.org/?p=761
Grow up, people. Have ANY of you heard of “Mancrunch” before this whole thing?
No. You haven’t.
Because that site isn’t anything but a “gay niche” template site owned by the same woman who does “Cougar Life” and “Arrangement Seekers.”
She’s just using the political power of the gay community for a quick buck.
I think they should have had one of the football players come home to his husband and kids after playing in the big game.
365gay.com did not report on latest CBS anti-gay slur (after rejecting ad for gay dating website) — they helped Focus on the Family write FOF’s anti-women ad copy. Worse yet, 365gay.com DIDN’T REPORT ON THIS, PROBABLY BECAUSE SUMNER REDSTONE OWNS 71% OF BOTH CBS AND VIACOM (which owns Logo and 365gay.com). SO, SUMNER — I GUESS YOU OWN BOTH A GAY FRIENDLY AND AN ANT-GAY MEDIA COMPANY SO YOU CAN TALK OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF YOUR MOUTH.