Gamestation Defends "Sexist" Ad
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
well me for one as it accuses my girlfriend of being easy, as well as the fact that I hate being part of a gender that seems to relish putting the other side down, for little more than lacking a Y chromosomeKorne said:
I don't think the joke means what you think it means.fundayz said:
It refers to the fact that you girlfriend is a cheap ho. This game is even cheaper!!! yay. etc.
Like a washing detergent add would say 'it's brighter than white!'
can't tell if you're british or not, but if you're not, calling a girl cheap is slang for calling them a whore, and it is very strong. They knew what they were saying, they did it to be offensivefundayz said:
Not that I would, but me using that particular racial epithet, being of Japanese/Swedish ethnicity myself, would have no less 'sting' to it as it might have before it started being used as a twisted term of 'endearment' among the African-American community, so I fail to see your point. But if that truly IS the case, then perhaps "removing the sting" and taking the gamer stereotype and "reducing it to a joke" is what the ad was trying to do. Seems like people want things both ways; everything is ok when THEY make fun of something, but as soon as someone else does, the gloves come off and hypocrisy reigns supreme.cpt blackamar said:
They are not being serious! It is a joke... maybe not a good one, but a joke none the less. Some of my favorite comedians have made rediculous jokes that I could take offensive, but it's a joke, so I laugh it off. If it did offend me enough, I just wouldn't watch them. But if you are seriously offended by this simple joke, it seems like you have some insecurities that need to be worked out.cpt blackamar said:
Let's see... Take your average evening's 'date' with your girlfriend/significant other:
Transport (taxi, fuel, whichever): £2-20
Dinner (for two, main course only): £20
Drinks (restaurant and cinema): £15
Movie (two tickets): £15
At just those bare bones, you're looking at £50 and up. For dinner and a film. Because let's face it, it's an unwritten rule that guys pay for these things.
Now, CoD for £30, that's downright cheap considering the amount of hours entertainment you get from it.
Value for money, folks. Let's see some objective study done to actually determine whether this ad is sexist, or factual.
Transport (taxi, fuel, whichever): £2-20
Dinner (for two, main course only): £20
Drinks (restaurant and cinema): £15
Movie (two tickets): £15
At just those bare bones, you're looking at £50 and up. For dinner and a film. Because let's face it, it's an unwritten rule that guys pay for these things.
Now, CoD for £30, that's downright cheap considering the amount of hours entertainment you get from it.
Value for money, folks. Let's see some objective study done to actually determine whether this ad is sexist, or factual.
Well if you think its a weak argument then go ahead and do that. But I can't think of anyway other way to read what he's saying. He's defending sexist advertising by saying it's okay for him to do that becuase men are in the majority. Rascism would certainly not be treated this way. I saw earlier that you posted the word 'Feminazi' I guess you are one of those people who use the old 'Shun her as a lunatic because she stands up for herself' excuse.Venereus said:
Thats getting kind of old. Iv'e really said all I can about this and It worries me that the gaming industry still uses the demographic excuse to be sexist. Won't be posting here anymore have fun!
The wording IS ambiguous but as a reasonable person what seems more likely? That the store is trying to insult their potential customers' girlfriends or that the store is flaunting their low price as compared to more expensive activities.xXxJessicaxXx said:
Not british but calling a girl cheap means pretty much the same in all western countries(and most likely all throughout the world). As far as the INTENDED message of the ad goes, read my reply to Jess above.cpt blackamar said:
The keyword in here is "even".InterAirplay said:josemlopes said:Am I really seeing this? is everyone trying to out-logic the complaints by saying "Gamestation is selling games labelled as "cheap", but since these games are "cheaper" than the girlfriend, aid girlfriend must therefore be expensive"?Rayne870 said:
....
Hey, you guys? Check this out:
AHAHAHAHA, this whale is even fatter than yo momma! Get it?
The advert could very easily be calling the girlfriend a cheap whore. I understand and realised myself that probably wasn?t what they were going for and were simply trying to say being in a relationship can be expensive. That doesn?t mean they shouldn?t be more careful with how they word things considering this add will be in areas where it will be read as calling the girlfriend a cheap whore.
Also saying it?s aimed at the core demographic actually doesn?t address the complaint or the issue of the ad. And there is an issue if it can be read like that.
Also saying it?s aimed at the core demographic actually doesn?t address the complaint or the issue of the ad. And there is an issue if it can be read like that.
I honestly took the ad at first glance to mean:
"You're going to spend less on this silly video game than all of the kitsch your girlfriend will inevitably demand from you."
I can't deny that [29.99 < Jewelry, clothing, food, bar tab, parking, ect.], but that is based on pure materialism, not love or compassion. Now what would you rather have is an entirely different story. Sexist? Maybe, but I see it more as devaluing ones relationship.
"You're going to spend less on this silly video game than all of the kitsch your girlfriend will inevitably demand from you."
I can't deny that [29.99 < Jewelry, clothing, food, bar tab, parking, ect.], but that is based on pure materialism, not love or compassion. Now what would you rather have is an entirely different story. Sexist? Maybe, but I see it more as devaluing ones relationship.
So the ad was saying that CoD: Black Ops is more of a whore than your girlfriend?cpt blackamar said:
As much as that sentiment makes me laugh, it doesn't make any sense. I can see your point, but that's a big enough leap in logic that I think we can give Gamestation the benefit of the doubt.
I think Korne's point is less that she doesn't have the right to be offended in this case, and more that she should be picking her battles better.xXxJessicaxXx said:
If anything, I'd say this ad is more offensive to men than women; like it's saying, "Yeah, we know your girlfriend doesn't love you for you, and you have to put out big time just to keep her from leaving you for some jock with blond hair and six-pack abs. There's no way your relationship is going to end well for you, so you might as well embrace your romantic incompetence and buy this video game instead. At least you'll be saving money, you hopeless prat."
And if you disagree with my interpretation of this ad, then you can probably also see how I might feel like the plaintiff is reading too much into this.
Maybe it's just because I'm a man, and I've known and known of guys who've had their wallets drained by their GFs and received little or nothing in return, but this seems like a pretty innocuous joke to me, and is an unintentional slight at worst. Getting upset about relatively minor things like this ad makes it look like your side is just out for blood whenever they can get it, instead of focusing on cases of intentional discrimination, which are much more serious.
You've got a point there, however I learned not to be offended by stuff like this by my mother.cpt blackamar said:
You forgot to account for the bit where she said "I appreciate Gamestation's style, but I don't appreciate them making me feel I'm not who they think should be buying their products."thedeathscythe said:
We've gotten our cheap laughs from the cop-out stereotyping, OK. But in the end the ad is rather alienating to any would-be customers who aren't male, because it suggests we aren't supposed to get the game.
That would work but there're more appropriate sayings that say the opposite.Zachary Amaranth said:
Sayings like:
Women, causing more work for men since birth.
Women, causing problems for men since birth.
Women, costing men money since birth.
(These are all backhanded compliments by the way, like many British "insults"; despite these things men don't try to get rid of/ignore/kill off women, we still go after them because they're worth the cost.)
Those are common sayings all in the same vein, the ad uses those as a basis and not the "your girlfriend is cheap". That's how I interpret the ad anyway, as a British male.
The cheeky side of it, the part you're suggesting is the major basis, is there no doubt. But it's there to be cheeky, that's the cornerstone of British humour; it actually horrifies me how Americanised and up-in-arms about everything we are getting in this country. We're losing our sense of humour and that depresses the crap out of me.
It seems women look at it expecting to be, and so getting, insulted.
Hehe, Don't know how much Girlfriends cost, Don't have those any more, Just Friends with benefits, benefits of not cuddling and not paying for Dinner and presents....can't be that cheap though..
