A call to boycott Slim-Jim and ConAgra Foods

[Kenbo Slice]

I understand where you're coming from, I do, but I don't think these are the worst out there. I'm a woman...do you know how objectified WE still are in commercials? You don't think those Axe commercials get under our skin, where we turn into salivated sex nymphos just because a guy sprayed on some body spray? Or on the flip side of that motorcycle commercial- we're "emasculating" a man by being the driver? Or those stupid Snickers commercials where the guy is caught coming in late, and the woman is dumb enough to believe him when he says he was just getting up? Or how 99% of women in advertising are skinny, perfect looking, and perfectly dressed? Then again, this is the world of advertising-it's an image they're trying to promote for their product. Not realistic people. It's like the world of porn really- porn stars have certain ahem, anatomical traits to promote a fantasy image. Not all girls have double D cups, but that's not what the world of porn says. Same thing for guys; not all of them are well endowed, but that's the fantasy image they want to project.

Oh, absolutely. And you can and should be offended by those things. I am, and I'm male (especially the Axe ads, the idea that I'm some sort of douchbag bicep fetishist (to paraphrase MovieBob) who can't get women on his own virtues is frankly insulting).

But therein lies my point - the fact that such media is not the direct cause of the problem doesn't mean it should be ignored. If we focused more on stamping it out, rather than taking the "ignore it" standpoint, society would eventually get the idea that such insinuations are wrong. Did we tell the slaves to "ignore it?" Did we tell women seeking the right to vote to "ignore it?" Problems don't go away just because you don't acknowledge them, and I say everyone should stand up and fight the problem whenever it arises.

It's about boring. Manliness has nothing to do with it.

Bullshit.

It has everything to do with "manliness," or the alleged lack thereof.

I'd like to refine my previous statement. It isn't your condoning of such commercials per se that allows these social problems to continue, it's your almost militaristic refusal to take them seriously just because they appear in the form of a "joke" (and I use that term generously).

Let me pose you this more relevant scenario: if I made a humorous commercial insinuating that a woman riding a Harley with a black leather jacket, or fixing a car, or playing football, or whatever, was "un-womanly," and she needed to be "fixed" by taking her to a hospital where we'd feed her salad and make her ride on the back of a scooter wearing a pink helmet, would you find that funny? Oh, okay, you might say you do (and you might not even be lying), but there would nonetheless be a huge public outcry. Why are these ads acceptable, "funny" even, when the one I proposed is not?

Me thinks that you're taking these commercials a tad too seriously.

Me thinks that you're not taking these commercials seriously enough.

I'm just going to quote myself since you made no argument refuting mine:

I'd like to refine my previous statement. It isn't your condoning of such commercials per se that allows these social problems to continue, it's your almost militaristic refusal to take them seriously just because they appear in the form of a "joke" (and I use that term generously).

I don't think they're supposed to be taken seriously dude. Lighten up.

 

[ace_of_something]

You know, every time I actually sit down and watch tv, I get the feeling that ads (all of them) are just flat out making fun of the intelligence of the rest of the human race. Anybody else get that impression?

Shhh... they'll hear you. You don't want to find out what happened to the last guy who started nosing around in this area...

 

[Canus]

Congratulations, people like you are the reason we have whole swathes of the populations turning into whiny, celery eating girlymen because they don't have the sense god gave a potato and have skin as thin as a piece of notebook paper after it was used to soak up hamburger grease.

Grow a pair.

alternatively, stop trolling.

protip: The freedom of expression applies to advertisements, and said freedom does not come screeching to a halt because someone is offended.

Celery is actually quite good for you, as it requires more calories to process it than it gives in return.

That makes it bad for you. Like eating sand. It's just filler.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

Honestly, I think you're taking commercials far too seriously. So you're a guy who's married and you're having to give up your fast car for a minivan to get your children around. That shouldn't make a difference. I am a gay man and 99% of commercials and games pander to straight guys. By your logic I should boycott almost all beer, all meat and the like and practically all soda that isn't diet. Not to mention a ton of games and vehicles. No, I am very happy being me and no stupid commercial's going to make me boycott anyone because they're not directly pandering (because all commercials are pandering in one way or another) to me unless the commercial or company comes out and says I'm a bad person.

You are my new best friend. I agree with every point you make dude. *internet high five*

 

[Dense_Electric]

It's about boring. Manliness has nothing to do with it.

Bullshit.

It has everything to do with "manliness," or the alleged lack thereof.

I love how you back up your argument. Go to the Slim Jim site and take the spice loss quiz. It's full of sexist questions like "what is the best weapon to use in a zombie attack". Or "what is mankind's greatest invention" (answer: duct tape). Clearly it's all about men being better than women, or women being better than men or whatever you're projecting onto the commercial.

A straw man argument (also a bit of a red herring).

I did not, nor do I, suggest that the quiz questions you're referencing are sexist. In fact, I made no reference whatsoever to the website.

I am referring specifically to the TV ads:

- Guy sitting on the back of a scooter is "wrong"
- Guys are not allowed to have emotional responses to a breakup
- Guys are not allowed to drive mini-vans for practical reasons and must drive sports cars
- "MADE FROM STUFF GUYS NEED"
- Do I seriously need to spell it out for you?

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Hear Hear!

I agree! I pledge to not eat the stuff I have never eaten anyway!

 

[Dense_Electric]

I understand where you're coming from, I do, but I don't think these are the worst out there. I'm a woman...do you know how objectified WE still are in commercials? You don't think those Axe commercials get under our skin, where we turn into salivated sex nymphos just because a guy sprayed on some body spray? Or on the flip side of that motorcycle commercial- we're "emasculating" a man by being the driver? Or those stupid Snickers commercials where the guy is caught coming in late, and the woman is dumb enough to believe him when he says he was just getting up? Or how 99% of women in advertising are skinny, perfect looking, and perfectly dressed? Then again, this is the world of advertising-it's an image they're trying to promote for their product. Not realistic people. It's like the world of porn really- porn stars have certain ahem, anatomical traits to promote a fantasy image. Not all girls have double D cups, but that's not what the world of porn says. Same thing for guys; not all of them are well endowed, but that's the fantasy image they want to project.

Oh, absolutely. And you can and should be offended by those things. I am, and I'm male (especially the Axe ads, the idea that I'm some sort of douchbag bicep fetishist (to paraphrase MovieBob) who can't get women on his own virtues is frankly insulting).

But therein lies my point - the fact that such media is not the direct cause of the problem doesn't mean it should be ignored. If we focused more on stamping it out, rather than taking the "ignore it" standpoint, society would eventually get the idea that such insinuations are wrong. Did we tell the slaves to "ignore it?" Did we tell women seeking the right to vote to "ignore it?" Problems don't go away just because you don't acknowledge them, and I say everyone should stand up and fight the problem whenever it arises.

It's about boring. Manliness has nothing to do with it.

Bullshit.

It has everything to do with "manliness," or the alleged lack thereof.

I'd like to refine my previous statement. It isn't your condoning of such commercials per se that allows these social problems to continue, it's your almost militaristic refusal to take them seriously just because they appear in the form of a "joke" (and I use that term generously).

Let me pose you this more relevant scenario: if I made a humorous commercial insinuating that a woman riding a Harley with a black leather jacket, or fixing a car, or playing football, or whatever, was "un-womanly," and she needed to be "fixed" by taking her to a hospital where we'd feed her salad and make her ride on the back of a scooter wearing a pink helmet, would you find that funny? Oh, okay, you might say you do (and you might not even be lying), but there would nonetheless be a huge public outcry. Why are these ads acceptable, "funny" even, when the one I proposed is not?

Me thinks that you're taking these commercials a tad too seriously.

Me thinks that you're not taking these commercials seriously enough.

I'm just going to quote myself since you made no argument refuting mine:

I'd like to refine my previous statement. It isn't your condoning of such commercials per se that allows these social problems to continue, it's your almost militaristic refusal to take them seriously just because they appear in the form of a "joke" (and I use that term generously).

I don't think they're supposed to be taken seriously dude. Lighten up.

You refuse to address my argument: it doesn't matter if the ad is meant to be taken seriously or humorously, the fact is that the ad is indicative of, and possibly encourages, our sexist social mindset, and as such should not be tolerated even with their humorous tone.

 

[Fbuh]

Congratulations, people like you are the reason we have whole swathes of the populations turning into whiny, celery eating girlymen because they don't have the sense god gave a potato and have skin as thin as a piece of notebook paper after it was used to soak up hamburger grease.

Grow a pair.

alternatively, stop trolling.

protip: The freedom of expression applies to advertisements, and said freedom does not come screeching to a halt because someone is offended.

Celery is actually quite good for you, as it requires more calories to process it than it gives in return.

That makes it bad for you. Like eating sand. It's just filler.

Not if you're a hefty one like me. I also have IBS, Crohn's Disease, and diabetes, so there isn't much else for me to eat. If I could successfully eat a triple layer bacon cheeseburger, then I would be all about that shit.

 

[shrekfan246]

I don't think they're supposed to be taken seriously dude. Lighten up.

Some people are militant in how vehemently they'll attack something that they view as "offensive". I'm pretty sure that "Anger" ranks up with "Love" for "Emotions that make people do ridiculous things - Regardless of otherwise logical EDIT: solutions."

OT: So, judging by your OP, you probably find everything about Duke Nukem offensive as well, right? Because it's certainly more of an attack on gender roles than a few Slim Jim commercials. The "Messin' With Sasquatch" line was actually fairly amusing, and the only reason I've even started to be annoyed by the current line of ads is the alarming frequency at which they're shown on internet videos.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

I understand where you're coming from, I do, but I don't think these are the worst out there. I'm a woman...do you know how objectified WE still are in commercials? You don't think those Axe commercials get under our skin, where we turn into salivated sex nymphos just because a guy sprayed on some body spray? Or on the flip side of that motorcycle commercial- we're "emasculating" a man by being the driver? Or those stupid Snickers commercials where the guy is caught coming in late, and the woman is dumb enough to believe him when he says he was just getting up? Or how 99% of women in advertising are skinny, perfect looking, and perfectly dressed? Then again, this is the world of advertising-it's an image they're trying to promote for their product. Not realistic people. It's like the world of porn really- porn stars have certain ahem, anatomical traits to promote a fantasy image. Not all girls have double D cups, but that's not what the world of porn says. Same thing for guys; not all of them are well endowed, but that's the fantasy image they want to project.

Oh, absolutely. And you can and should be offended by those things. I am, and I'm male (especially the Axe ads, the idea that I'm some sort of douchbag bicep fetishist (to paraphrase MovieBob) who can't get women on his own virtues is frankly insulting).

But therein lies my point - the fact that such media is not the direct cause of the problem doesn't mean it should be ignored. If we focused more on stamping it out, rather than taking the "ignore it" standpoint, society would eventually get the idea that such insinuations are wrong. Did we tell the slaves to "ignore it?" Did we tell women seeking the right to vote to "ignore it?" Problems don't go away just because you don't acknowledge them, and I say everyone should stand up and fight the problem whenever it arises.

It's about boring. Manliness has nothing to do with it.

Bullshit.

It has everything to do with "manliness," or the alleged lack thereof.

I'd like to refine my previous statement. It isn't your condoning of such commercials per se that allows these social problems to continue, it's your almost militaristic refusal to take them seriously just because they appear in the form of a "joke" (and I use that term generously).

Let me pose you this more relevant scenario: if I made a humorous commercial insinuating that a woman riding a Harley with a black leather jacket, or fixing a car, or playing football, or whatever, was "un-womanly," and she needed to be "fixed" by taking her to a hospital where we'd feed her salad and make her ride on the back of a scooter wearing a pink helmet, would you find that funny? Oh, okay, you might say you do (and you might not even be lying), but there would nonetheless be a huge public outcry. Why are these ads acceptable, "funny" even, when the one I proposed is not?

Me thinks that you're taking these commercials a tad too seriously.

Me thinks that you're not taking these commercials seriously enough.

I'm just going to quote myself since you made no argument refuting mine:

I'd like to refine my previous statement. It isn't your condoning of such commercials per se that allows these social problems to continue, it's your almost militaristic refusal to take them seriously just because they appear in the form of a "joke" (and I use that term generously).

I don't think they're supposed to be taken seriously dude. Lighten up.

You refuse to address my basic argument: it doesn't matter if the ad is meant to be taken seriously or humorously, the fact is that the ad is indicative of, and possibly encourages, our sexist social mindset, and as such should not be tolerated even with their humorous tone.

It encourages buying Slim Jim's, that's all it does, it's not some propaganda for men.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

I don't think they're supposed to be taken seriously dude. Lighten up.

Some people are militant in how vehemently they'll attack something that they view as "offensive". I'm pretty sure that "Anger" ranks up with "Love" for "Emotions that make people do ridiculous things - Regardless of otherwise logical situations."

OT: So, judging by your OP, you probably find everything about Duke Nukem offensive as well, right? Because it's certainly more of an attack on gender roles than a few Slim Jim commercials. The "Messin' With Sasquatch" line was actually fairly amusing, and the only reason I've even started to be annoyed by the current line of ads is the alarming frequency at which they're shown on internet videos.

*sigh* I really wish people would get a sense of humor, I really do. I also think that there's more important problems than "sexist" Slim Jim ads.

 

[Matrixbeast]

It's about boring. Manliness has nothing to do with it.

Bullshit.

It has everything to do with "manliness," or the alleged lack thereof.

I love how you back up your argument. Go to the Slim Jim site and take the spice loss quiz. It's full of sexist questions like "what is the best weapon to use in a zombie attack". Or "what is mankind's greatest invention" (answer: duct tape). Clearly it's all about men being better than women, or women being better than men or whatever you're projecting onto the commercial.

A straw man argument (also a bit of a red herring).

I did not, nor do I, suggest that the quiz questions you're referencing are sexist. In fact, I made no reference whatsoever to the website.

I am referring specifically to the TV ads:

- Guy sitting on the back of a scooter is "wrong"
- Guys are not allowed to have emotional responses to a breakup
- Guys are not allowed to drive mini-vans for practical reasons and must drive sports cars
- "MADE FROM STUFF GUYS NEED"
- Do I seriously need to spell it out for you?

-Well, isn't that seat called a ***** seat?
-In the commercial, wasn't it his ex's engagement party?
-Well, he did trade a pretty nice sports car. I don't really have much defense against this one =P
-A slogan's a slogan.
-Sure. Obviously I'm not getting it =P

 

[Endocrom]

I already don't eat their greasy salty meat rods. Not even when the late "Mocho Man" Randy Savage promoted them.

So...

"Talk to me."

 

[Canus]

A straw man argument (also a bit of a red herring).

I did not, nor do I, suggest that the quiz questions you're referencing are sexist. In fact, I made no reference whatsoever to the website.

I am referring specifically to the TV ads:

- Guy sitting on the back of a scooter is "wrong"
- Guys are not allowed to have emotional responses to a breakup
- Guys are not allowed to drive mini-vans for practical reasons and must drive sports cars
- "MADE FROM STUFF GUYS NEED"
- Do I seriously need to spell it out for you?

Ooh, straw man argument AND red herring, someone's been studying for the SAT.

"- Guy sitting on the back of a scooter is "wrong"
Being in the passenger position of the slowest motor vehicle in the world is, in fact, boring.

"- Guys are not allowed to have emotional responses to a breakup"
It's his ex-gf's ENGAGEMENT party. This isn't a response to a breakup, this is him still being obsessed over her months or years later. Clearly he has problems and needs counseling.

"- Guys are not allowed to drive mini-vans for practical reasons and must drive sports cars"
This is a better point. But most people would give a woman crap for trading a sports car for a minivan as well. It's simply less exciting a vehicle.

"- "MADE FROM STUFF GUYS NEED""
It isn't saying "girls can't eat this". The only issue with this statement is implying that horse meat and other refuse are dietary essentials.

 

[shrekfan246]

*sigh* I really wish people would get a sense of humor, I really do. I also think that there's more important problems than "sexist" Slim Jim ads.

I think a bigger issue than the Slim Jim ads is that there are really groups of males around (whom I would call "bros" most likely) who actually believe that men need to be all tough and rugged and should never show emotion. If people are being so offended by these commercials, I can't imagine how they would react actually meeting someone who acted like the "manly man". These commercials are weak in comparison to some of the people I've met before.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

*sigh* I really wish people would get a sense of humor, I really do. I also think that there's more important problems than "sexist" Slim Jim ads.

I think a bigger issue than the Slim Jim ads is that there are really groups of males around (whom I would call "bros" most likely) who actually believe that men need to be all tough and rugged and should never show emotion. If people are being so offended by these commercials, I can't imagine how they would react actually meeting someone who acted like the "manly man". These commercials are weak in comparison to some of the people I've met before.

I concur. I know some guys who are more "manly" than the guys in the commercials. Hell dude, most of the guys in those commercials are scrawny as fuck too.

 

[Samurai Silhouette]

The commercial didn't offend you, you got offended. What was to say that the person in the commercial traded his sports car for the good of his family? And a guy pining over some chick to go as far as showing up like a ***** at an engagement party is not a man, but an obsessive, possessive little boy that needs to grow up and move the hell on. The manbulance? LOL, Probably depicting a guy that leeches of his girlfriend to get around. Chump needs to get a job instead of taking advantage of his girlfriend. What's next on your list to boycott? Videogames?