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This stupid misandric commercial is not even original!
Robutussin cough medication of "Doctor Mom" fame had a commericial just like this one a couple of years ago. I don't know if it is still hanging around the airwaves because I have more or less stopped watching TV because of these lame brain commericials that reinforce the negative stereotypes of males and fathers.
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Does everyone realize what an advance it is in men's consciousness that we are now beginning to recognize the misandrist mass media messages that have become so pervasively imbedded in our culture?
Used to be, we didn't even notice where the vile hatred was coming from.
Back in the day, when I was a graduate student in film theory/cultural studies, the buzz-word for this type of analysis was "deconstruction."
(We can thank the French semiotic wackos for this postmodernist tool. Handled wisely, it actually makes a lot of sense.)
To "deconstruct" means to closely interrogate the assumptions and assumed authoring power behind a given message...
Well, feminazis, thanks to the growing and inevitable men's movement, you all are about to experience what it's like to be deconstructed!
Your malicious monopoly of privilege over defining reality is finished.
People are starting to see things clearly.
Don't like being called out on what you've come to assume is your right to proclaim as truth?
Guess the emperor-ess has no clothes!
"It's a terrible thing ... living in fear."
- Roy: hunted replicant, Blade Runner
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by Anonymous User on Monday October 13, @08:52AM EST (#4)
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People looked at the motives behind newspapers, films and TV long before the word "deconstruct" was invented. I'd like to suggest that deconstruction itself needs deconstructing. It actually seems to me to be a PC invention, and its purpose is to attack and undermine anything you don't like. That is you deconstruct any story that has male heroes or a male point of view. For example, rape scenes have been criticised as ignoring the victim's point of view. This "deconstruction" of the rape scene has been used to suggest that a male point of view is that rape is not all that bad, and maybe the woman wants it. There are valid points there, although I wouldn't project any actor's portrayal of a rapist on all men. However, I have yet to see a deconstruction of Thelma and Louise. Thelma and Louise is treated like a single film that has no background, no associations whit with life attitudes and is simply "there". The notion that rape scenes that depict rape in a salacious way are some kind of male encouragement to rape, can equally be applied to Thelma and Louise, as in a lot of ads, sitcoms and films that depict men as stupid but bad, and suggests the only solution is violence. All these films and ads come from a propaganda that depicts men not only as sub-human. It is not an accident. The Nazis did this to the Jews and after years of this they could implement a final solution, having laid the ground work for the "necessity" of it.
Raymond Cuttill
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R.C. -- I agree and disagree.
It's true that the term "deconstruction" emerged out of the 70's academic infatuation with what have come to be seen as PC's roots - feminism, neo-Marxism, semiotics, psychoanalytic theory, cultural studies.
And you're correct that much insightful analysis preceded deconstruction.
What makes it useful for the men's movement is the focus on looking at how social power and influence are acquired through defining reality in terms of the author's / authoresse's advantage... and how those tacit assumptions encourage or inhibit ways of seeing social issues.
A possible example might be the way the Domestic Violence Industry has captured the very language and concepts by which we seek to understand intimate partner violence -- owing to the radical feminists' having successfully denied, minimized, and distorted known social science that offers alternative and more truthful (indeed, more complex) explanations.
Your references to Nazi propoganda and their deliberate mass media demonization of the Jews are only too obviously relevant to how the feminazis have sought to do the same to men.
And, actually, a lot has been written about "Thelma and Louise." I think Ridley Scott was having a psychotic withdrawl from his anti-depressants when he made this misandrist movie.
Now, how about deconstructing Tarantino's "Kill Bill?" (He opines it's about "girl power!")
"It's a terrible thing ... living in fear."
- Roy: hunted replicant, Blade Runner
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>actually, a lot has been written about "Thelma and Louise."
If you've got any references for that. I've vaguely heard criticism but no substantial writing on it.
If you look at my Men's Hour blog article.
Based only on the ad. I said "It looks like all the men she meets are pushovers, but the women have to taken very seriously. There are several one-on-one woman to woman fights. "
I've since heard there is a rape scene, that may be there to justify her "revenge". I also understand that she is an assassin and her own organisation tried to kill her, which also "justifies" her revenge.
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I never saw this commercial, but remember the Progressive Insurance commercial that has a woman castrating her cheating boyfriend using a voodoo website?
Well, I got a letter from Progressive asking if I wanted an insurance estimate.
I wrote them an email:
---------------------------------------------
This is to inform you I will never be using progressive Insurance, even if you offer it to me for free. Why? I remember those TV ads earlier this year depicting a man being castrated via a voodoo website by a delighted and clever female. I would pose the following question to your female employees:
Would they purchase a service from a company that advertized itself by portraying a rape scene and guys celebrating it?
I haven't seen the ad lately, but I remember it. Please take my name off your contact list.
---------------------------------------------
They replied:
We are proud of our award winning Web site, progressive.com, and created the advertisement to which you refer to promote its superiority in a humorous, entertaining manner. We apologize if our advertising offended you in any way.
---------------------------------------------
To which I responded:
I assume that is your corporate response, that the sexual mutilation of men is humorous and entertaining and a good way to sell insurance. I have one last favor to ask. Please get a clue.
Let's keep it up!!
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My jaw dropped when I watched this ad a couple of weeks ago. When it was over I realized I hadn’t gotten the name of the sponsor and I haven’t seen it since.
It goes far beyond the everyday super-mom/incompetent-dad stereotype. This advertiser goes way overboard and IMO sets a new low for man-as-moron advertising.
Thanks Wyeth (marketer of FluMist) but I’d prefer to suffer than generate a penny of revenue for this product.
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by Anonymous User on Monday October 13, @08:55AM EST (#5)
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Could anyone get a copy of this ad on VHS tape to me in England and I will put it on the Men's Hour. If you can digitise it, that would be even better.
Raymond Cuttill
Men's Hour
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There are a lot of commercials that point out how important the female parent is:
"Choosy Mom's choose Jif."
"Ask 'Dr Mom'."
"Kids like Kix for what Kix has got. Mom's like Kix for what Kix is not."
Here's an interesting double standard for www.momshack.com:
"Advertising on MoM Shack allows you to gain exposure to our mom members. Only family-friendly sites apply. " Basically "Family Friendly" means appealling to female parents only.
How about this commercial for Dayquil: The wife (who is perfectly healthy) gives the husband the advertised product so that he can get better and "get off the couch". Her reason for this seemingly caring and nurturing act is to get the man outside shovelling the snow!! Why doesnt she just do it herself?!
R
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to the credit of jiff i have recently seen an ad of thiers that was very pro father. A father and daughter are eating jiff on some bread. the father puts it on one piece and folds it up.the daughter then asks the father why he does that. he explains that when he was a child his father taught him to eat it that way and he always wanted to be like his dad. the daughter says that that is silly. as her father turns away she folds up the bread like father did. at which piont the father sees this and smiles. it closes say chosy mom AND DADS choose jiff
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to the credit of jiff i have recently seen an ad of thiers that was very pro father.
I haven't seen this ad, and I'm not likely to since I watch almost no TV, but I'll take your word on this. You just made me a purchaser of Jiffy Peanut Butter (and I like peanut butter).
Thanks, jimmyd.
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by Anonymous User on Monday October 13, @04:55PM EST (#9)
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Wyeth is the company behind the product. I contacted them and this is what they had to day:
"We appreciate your feedback about our TV ad. The intent of the ad was to raise awareness of the potential disruption that the flu can cause in a
household, especially with busy families. Our intention was to show that the father is a bit overwhelmed, trying to do his job and Mom's, and
that the children are taking a little advantage of the situation, not that the father is incompetent or incapable. We recognize your concern
and assure you that your feedback will be shared with the appropriate people."
Doubtful anything'll come of it but I did get a reply right away and it wasn't a form letter.
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Thanks for your email to Wyeth. I got the same response myself. Who knows what the result will be. At least they got the message.
Steve
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Sent one myself lads, although from the UK, at least they will know how far the bad PR has spread
Addenuff
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I'm afraid it really is a form letter. I wrote to them too and got an identically worded response. I'm sure whoever "Perla Copernik" is just clicks the reply command whenever a complaint about this ad shows up, and pops in the text.
Incidentally, I have a Ph.D. in pharmacology (drug research). Guess how likely it is that I'll go to work for them?! I'm not guessing that they're all that "man friendly." Perhaps the best revenge would be for an offended man to go work for a competitor and develop a high-profit drug for them.
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by Anonymous User on Friday October 17, @11:10AM EST (#21)
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I did a little search on Google for "Perla Copernik" and found this little gem on HispanicPRWire:"Using her networking skills, cultural sensitivity and leadership abilities, Perla can motivate management and clearly articulate the actions that they must undertake in order to succeed." Anybody want to tell her that cultural sensitivity includes MEN, too?
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This is how I responded to Ms. Copernik's form letter.
Dear Ms. Copernik
It is highly unlikely that any of the offended people who wrote to you will
be impressed by your form letter that says, in effect, "you're taking it the
wrong way." It doesn't exactly lead us to believe that either you or Wyeth
cares about our feelings. I'd like to think that form letters are used
because there is not enough time to address each of the thousands of
complaints individually. Below is my response to each major point mentioned
in your form letter.
"We appreciate your feedback about our TV ad. The intent of the ad was to
raise awareness of the potential disruption that the flu can cause in a
household, especially with busy families."
As I mentioned, that basic point of the ad is a valid one, but--again--I can
see no reason why this couldn't have been shown in a more gender-neutral
fashion. Maybe use a single dad--or a single mom? Now *that* would get the
message across: The lone parent has the flu and has no spouse for "backup."
With the millions of single parents out there, a lot of people would relate
to a commercial like that. And where is that spot involving the workers
botching up a meeting when the boss is out with the flu? I haven't seen it.
"Our intention was to show that the father is a bit overwhelmed, trying to
do his job and Mom's, and that the children are taking a little advantage of
the situation, not that the father is incompetent or incapable."
I don't accept "we didn't mean it" as a valid defense. First, could the
father really be so ignorant of the weather that he wouldn't insist on
proper clothing? Could the children really be "taking advantage of the
situation" in the presence of a more competent father? Besides, would you
dare show the commercial with the parent/gender roles reversed?
"We recognize your concern and assure you that your feedback will be shared
with the appropriate people."
I hope so. A growing legion of American males are getting sick of having to
"take it like a man" while other demographic groups succeed in asserting
their rights to be treated with respect.
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Subject: Your FluMist commercial is sexist against fathers
I am writing in response to your commercial for FluMist which depicts a mother in bed with the flu while her husband gets their two kids ready for school. The husband lets the kids dress in light clothing while the radio predicts heavy snow. After the kids have their breakfast, the kitchen is a mess and he doesn't know what to do. Mothers then get the message that this scenario can be avoided by taking FluMist.
This is offensive and sexist to me in that it portrays fathers as inept at running a household. Would a reverse situation have been acceptable? For example, would you show a woman as incapable of running a lawnmower while her husband is in bed with the flu? Of
course not. Men and fathers deserve the same consideration in advertising as women do. It isn't necessary to promote a product by humiliating men with a such an outdated stereotype.
Please remove this commercial right away. Otherwise, I will make sure that I do not buy this product. Furthermore, I know of many websites where these kinds of anti-male commercials are being condemned.
Sincerely,
Steven G. Van Valkenburg
Note: Wyeth's email for media is pr@wyeth.com
Note2: I saw this on a TV in the waiting room at the car dealership where I got my oil changed. It was a commercial during a soap opera, which I wouldn't ordinarly have seen. And yes, the soap opera did have an eerie sort of feel to it.
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Thanks for the E-mail address. Whenever someone takes the time to add one of those we can send an E-mail of protest. I sent them an E-mail just 5 minutes ago. Good job.
Peace
Guerilla Gender Warfare is just Hate Speech in polite text
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Here is the E-mail. Tell me what y'all think:
Wyreth advertisers,
Stop making sexist advertising! Your commercial portrays an inept and bumbling father who would be lost were it not for the intervention of his wise but sick wife. Your commercial makes him stupid to the point of being unsafe: he is dressing kids for a Fall day while heavy snow is predicted. The kitchen is a mess and the father is looking confused. All of this is resolved when the mom takes her flu medicine. GIVE ME A BREAK. Fathers are a valuable and necessary part of a family. Your commercial helps in the objectification of men. I saw your commercial, found a men's site that also was unhappy with your ad, and someone who had your E-mail. Folks, the salad days of the anti-male PC are over. Start adjusting your advertising accordingly. I am making sure I mention your advertising company and the product on several men's sites I frequent. I will be posting your e-mail and your advertsing agency's name. Stop sexist advertising, even if it is currently fashionable.
Steven Beene
Guerilla Gender Warfare is just Hate Speech in polite text
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I just sent this e-mail to Wyeth Vaccines.
Steven, I used part of your e-mail as a pattern. Hope you don't mind this bit of plagiarism.
"""Wyeth Vaccines
and
MedImmune Vaccines, Inc.
RE: TV Commercial For FluMist
I am writing in response to your current TV commercial for FluMist which depicts a mother in bed with the flu while her husband gets their two kids ready for school. The husband lets the kids dress in light clothing while the radio predicts heavy snow. After the kids have their breakfast the kitchen is a mess and he doesn't know what to do. Mother then get the message that this chaotic scenario can be avoided by taking FluMist.
This is mendacious and misandric. It reinforces the asinine stereotype that fathers because of their gender are innately inept at running a household and taking care of their children. Would an opposite scenario be acceptable? Would you show a woman incapable of running the household while her husband is in bed with the flu? Of course not!
Men and fathers deserve the same positive consideration in advertising as women do. It is archaic to believe that it is necessary to use an outdated and stupid cliche of men to sell FluMist.
Please remove or revise this commercial.
Sincerely,
//signed//
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From: "Perla Copernik"
Subject: Re: IS MISANDRY NECESSARY TO SELL FLUMIST?
We appreciate your feedback about our TV ad. The intent of the ad was to raise awareness of the potential disruption that the flu can cause in a household, especially with busy families. Our intention was to show that the father is a bit overwhelmed, trying to do his job and Moms, and that the children are taking a little advantage of the situation, not that the father is incompetent or incapable. We recognize your concern and assure you that your feedback will be shared with the appropriate people.
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