Gillette ad furor

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Women use razor blades too. How about a doing one for women? Can you imagine the reaction? Hospitals would have to prepare for an onslaught before it’s release. Police would have to pay overtime.
 
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They make a good product, and I will continue to use it…I think people are being a little over dramatic in their reaction…sometimes advertisement is not to please everyone, but rather capture their attention…every time we express ire against Gillette, we are doing them a favor, by keeping the trademark in the forefront of the public’s mind. In that regard, they did a great job!
 
Just curious, since I am not a woman, were you flattered by that attention when you got it?

As a man I am not offended by the commercial in any way. I have seen those behaviors. Our culture needs to improve. So much is taken for granted.
 
Eh, it’s just another in the long line of politicized ads. Guaranteed to get attention, attract some customers while turning off other customers. If you don’t like it, don’t buy the product as it’s the only way to get the company’s attention.

I agree that I prefer to buy my razors, athletic shoes, ice cream, etc without a dose of politics or “social awareness” thrown in with an apolitical product. I buy the products because I want a decent razor, shoes, or ice cream, not because I want to make a political statement with my purchase.

Fortunately, being female, my razor needs are pretty minor and I usually just buy the cheapest on-sale brand or generics. Therefore I don’t have to care about this commercial. I don’t care about it anyway. Except that it seemed extremely biased against men who bbq. I’m not big on bbq-ing outdoors either, but I sure don’t think every guy doing it is a Neanderthal.
 
I really don’t see what the big deal is. Watched the ad and there are grains of truth that have been exaggerated but over all I fail to see why this ad is such a big deal.

Why no backlash against these ads then? Both attempt to inspire people to be better.
 
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What I am interested in regarding a razor blade is a good price, durability,and quality. Sell that, based on that. When a guy works on my car I want him to be skilled, efficient, honest, dependable, legal, certified ( if it is required). I don’t need to know who he voted for, or if he is concerned about global warming or rescues baby seals on the weekend. Too much of our TV entertainment and advertisements are tainted with a subliminal social agenda.
 
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HerCrazierHalf said:
Why no backlash against these ads then? Both attempt to inspire people to be better.
https://youtu.be/Br_xFYcZ4WE
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The Values ad you posted has no purpose other than “inspiring people to be better.” It’s selling the value of patience or whatever value is shown in the ad. It’s not also attempting to sell razor blades or other neutral consumer product by linking it to a big value statement.

What people object to is being put in the position of having to agree with some political or social position by buying a neutral commercial product that they need for a reason completely separate from politics or social issues. For example, the Gilette ad could be interpreted to mean that most men excuse bullying or rape committed by other men. This is debatable. It could also be interpreted to mean that every time a boy gets in a fight with another boy it’s wrong. This is also debatable. There are other debatable points throughout the ad.

A guy buying a razor (or even a woman buying a razor) wants to buy a razor, for grooming purposes. He doesn’t want to engage in a social justice issue/debate as part of his purchase, and he shouldn’t have to.
 
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prayerrider said:
Haven’t found a thread yet on this. Apologies if there is.
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The ad has been discussed extensively already on the latter part of this thread:
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American Psychological Association Labels 'Traditional Masculinity' as 'Harmful' World News
The APA has completely lost the plot. I hope it is not mandatory for all psychologists to belong to it.
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Tis_Bearself said:
What people object to is being put in the position of having to agree with some political or social position by buying a neutral commercial product that they need for a reason completely separate from politics or social issues.
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I suppose I’ve reached the point in life that I refuse to ascribe social or political motives to most companies. Buying a razor is no more political than buying a certain brand of chicken sandwiches is anti-gay.
Tis_Bearself said:
For example, the Gilette ad could be interpreted to mean that most men excuse bullying or rape committed by other men. This is debatable. It could also be interpreted to mean that every time a boy gets in a fight with another boy it’s wrong. This is also debatable.
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Or it could be to imply men should call each other out when other men are doing “bad” things, however “bad” is defined. I certainly didn’t see “most men” implied. I guess three gripe is seeing this ad and getting lost as to how anyone thinks it is claiming “most men”. I see “hey guys, let’s be better men … And but my razor.”
Tis_Bearself said:
A guy buying a razor (or even a woman buying a razor) wants to buy a razor, for grooming purposes. He doesn’t want to engage in a social justice issue/debate as part of his purchase, and he shouldn’t have to.
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Excluding special promotions with groups you dislike do you have the same issues around buying certain brands of yogurt, fast food, or a myriad of other products?
 
Tis_Bearself said:
A guy buying a razor (or even a woman buying a razor) wants to buy a razor, for grooming purposes. He doesn’t want to engage in a social justice issue/debate as part of his purchase, and he shouldn’t have to.
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And he doesn’t have to. I buy a product because it works for me, and is, IMO, the best value for the money. I can’t imagine worrying about their ads, unless someone came out with something really vile. Respect for others doesn’t meet that criteria.
 
Yes to the auto mechanic! I don’t want my mechanic preoccupied with social justice issues while working on my brakes. Ditto for dentist or surgeon.

But I noticed you ascribed male gender to the mechanic. Isn’t that toxic male thinking? I mean, there are female auto mechanics, yes?

Point is, men are being harrassed to the point of developing neuroses over such things.
 
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Imagine the outrage if they mentioned God.
Then again. Chick Fil A is a sales leader in fast food despite being boycotted by some, and they’re closed on Sunday. Many people know about In & Out Burger’s Bible verses, too.
 
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The ad is awful and acceptable becuase the only group you can denigrate is White males. A careful observer will notice the bad guys are White and the good guys are not White. Imagine an ad telling women not to nag their husbands. Imagine an ad telling Blacks to act better. It would never happen and everyone knows it. So that is all we need to know about this ad. It is deeply offensive, except it was targeted at the one group you can deeply offend.

Now, as to Gillette and repercussions, anyone paying for their overpriced junk before this ad was already being foolish. If you aren’t shaving with a safety razor or straight razor then you should be.
 
If Gillette had just kept it as an anti-bullying PSA I’d give it good marks.

I don’t like profit driven companies virtue signalling in their marketing ads but not with what they actually support. McDonalds actually supports their Ronald McDonald House charities.
 
angel12 . . . .
What’s so disheartening is that this IS such a big problem for some. Offended by a message of respect.
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I’ll try to keep this principle in mind if I see someone using faulty stereotype, after faulty stereotype complaining against any other group of people.

“What’s the big problem?”

.

For others . . . Here is the commercial (linked below) with anti-man stereotype after anti-man stereotype played out bullying and harassing men if you are interested.
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Gillette ad furor World News
[We Believe: The Best Men Can Be | Gillette (Short Film)] From Gillette . . . Bullying. Harassment. Is this the best a man can get? . . . . . Is there any doubt WHY the “tone” of the commercial is so repulsive? . Now think of anyone else publicly asking something like . . . Pornography. Child molestation. Violations of indecency laws. Public bathroom hookups. Is this the best the male homosexual community can get? Think about the inflammatory nature of the rhetorical p…
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HerCrazierHalf said:
I guess three gripe is seeing this ad and getting lost as to how anyone thinks it is claiming “most men”.
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When you have a whole crowd of men in the ad saying “Boys will be boys” and one man rushing to take action, the message is clear that “the norm” or “most men” are seen as NOT taking a stand or doing the right thing.

And yes, I have a problem with many different products’ ads. One ad, I probably let it go. However, a company that makes a point of pushing political or socially responsible ads, unless the company is touting its own product as being responsible or helpful in its intended use (example: Dawn detergent removes oil from ducks caught in a spill - it’s okay for Dawn to put a duck on the label ) I will generally quit buying it. I’ve sworn off brands in the past for repeatedly linking their product to social responsibility issues not linked to actual product use. I’ll probably continue to do so.
 
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