# Geico Cavemen = Black Peps? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317 "2007-07-27T02:08:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/41 "2007-07-31T00:49:20Z")
I’d like to see the pilot. I hope they use that song “Remind Me” that was in one of the ads. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/42 "2007-07-31T01:08:59Z")
…[the Five Orange Peps](http://www.geocities.com/fa1931/british/conandoy/5orange.html)…? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/43 "2007-07-31T01:56:20Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] Well, here’s a black cavewoman, that count? [Rae Dawn Chong in Quest For Fire.](http://www.themakeupgallery.info/weird/paint/qff.htm) [/QUOTE] No, that’s mud. And I don’t think there were any black neanderthals named Chong, anyway. Or Jewish. I think the cavemen are just yuppies whose grooming hasn’t yet reached the “metro” level. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/44 "2007-07-31T02:12:21Z")
The whole idea is that humans think they are intellectually superior to cavemen. This offends them because it’s painfully apparent they are just as smart and civilized as we are. The humor and ideas aren’t somehow invalid just because the exact same premise became popular in an advertising campaign. Same producers, writers and directors. I found the commercials hilarious, never even thought about the race/minority parallels, and none of this seemed to hurt Geico or the campaign. In fact, it thrived because it’s clever, which made it popular, so Geico made more and now ABC has the rights. We only have something to gain here… What are y’all, a bunch of Neandertals?! ---
**Author:** ![Yeeter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/96bed5/32.png) [@Yeeter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeeter)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/45 "2007-07-31T03:08:52Z")
I don’t condone breaking any laws, but FYI the tv show is available ‘out there.’ I’ll let you know what I think after I’ve seen it. ---
**Author:** ![lowbrass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dc4da7/32.png) [@lowbrass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lowbrass)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/46 "2007-07-31T08:46:11Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] The whole idea is that humans think they are intellectually superior to cavemen. This offends them because it’s painfully apparent they are just as smart and civilized as we are. The humor and ideas aren’t somehow invalid just because the exact same premise became popular in an advertising campaign. Same producers, writers and directors. I found the commercials hilarious, never even thought about the race/minority parallels, and none of this seemed to hurt Geico or the campaign. In fact, it thrived because it’s clever, which made it popular, so Geico made more and now ABC has the rights. We only have something to gain here… What are y’all, a bunch of Neandertals?! [/QUOTE] No, the point is that the commercials ARE funny. They’ve done some hilarious 30-second spots. But you can’t sustain an entire television series on a 30-second gag. It’s called writing yourself into a corner. When you use such a limited premise, you’re invariably going to reach a point where the gag isn’t funny anymore. This point will probably come somewhere between the beginning and end of the first episode. I said this in another thread, but I think it’s _possible_ for it to be a good show. _Third Rock From the Sun_ would seem to have had an unsustainable premise, yet they did manage to sustain it for awhile. If they have good writers, they can make anything work. But the odds are against it. ---
**Author:** ![Yeeter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/96bed5/32.png) [@Yeeter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeeter)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/47 "2007-07-31T13:14:28Z")
[**spoilers (like you care)**\*\*] Ok, I know the article said that the pilot is being re-done, but the version I saw included jokes that seem like they are taking jokes that would be typically a certain ethnic group and substituting in cavemen. For example; the opening sequence is a news program showing a convenience store being robbed by a caveman, then we see one of the main characters say something like, “Of course it’s a caveman, they only put it on tv when it’s a caveman!” Another example is one of the characters says something about “Cro-maggers” and the other character says that it is a demeaning term, then the first guy says, “yeah, but it’s ok if WE say it.” Immediately following that comment the characters broke into singing Sir Mix-a-lot’s “Baby got Back” substituting in the word “mag” for butt. So it seems to me, some of their jokes are definitely based on racial stereotypes, and my answer to the OP is, yes. Cavemen = Black peps [sic] BTW, the show was not awful. It wasn’t wonderful, but I did laugh a couple of times. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/48 "2007-07-31T17:54:14Z")
yikes. That Baby Got Back gag sounds horrible. Well, I never said it would definitly work. Just wanted to point out the commercials worked very well. If the characters are strong and the writing is clever, who cares if it’s an allegory about what minorities have to put up with? Wouldn’t it make the show more worthwhile to watch? I think there might be a lot of ground to cover on that premise. Time will most certainly tell. I wasn’t giving the US version of The Office much hope either, but the show’s one of my favs now. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/49 "2007-07-31T18:01:41Z")
Haven’t seen the pilot but talked to someone working on the show – apparently they’re not ‘black people,’ they’re going to try to cover different stereotypes that plague all sorts of minorities (hispanics, gay people, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/50 "2007-07-31T18:30:45Z")
[QUOTE=Fiver] I’ve never heard Rae Dawn Chong described as “black” before. [/QUOTE] Pick up a copy of a 1980’s EBONY sometime. ---
**Author:** ![lowbrass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dc4da7/32.png) [@lowbrass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lowbrass)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/51 "2007-07-31T18:39:55Z")
[QUOTE=Yeeter] [**spoilers (like you care)**\*\*] Ok, I know the article said that the pilot is being re-done, but the version I saw included jokes that seem like they are taking jokes that would be typically a certain ethnic group and substituting in cavemen. For example; the opening sequence is a news program showing a convenience store being robbed by a caveman, then we see one of the main characters say something like, “Of course it’s a caveman, they only put it on tv when it’s a caveman!” Another example is one of the characters says something about “Cro-maggers” and the other character says that it is a demeaning term, then the first guy says, “yeah, but it’s ok if WE say it.” Immediately following that comment the characters broke into singing Sir Mix-a-lot’s “Baby got Back” substituting in the word “mag” for butt. So it seems to me, some of their jokes are definitely based on racial stereotypes, and my answer to the OP is, yes. Cavemen = Black peps [sic] BTW, the show was not awful. It wasn’t wonderful, but I did laugh a couple of times. [/QUOTE] Actually, a couple of those gags sound pretty funny. But with the exception of the Sir Mix-a-Lot bit (that _does_ sound pretty lame), that stuff all sounds pretty generic. Could apply to any minority. Maybe you’re thinking the “it’s o.k. if we say it” is about black people, but it could just as easily apply to gay people using the word “queer”, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/52 "2007-07-31T18:55:59Z")
[QUOTE=Askia] Pick up a copy of a 1980’s EBONY sometime. [/QUOTE] Snap. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/53 "2007-07-31T19:13:19Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] Snap. [/QUOTE] Ah, you’re back. Good. It turns out you started a pretty nice thread. Now explain **your** thread title. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/54 "2007-07-31T19:32:24Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] Any chance you’re going to answer the question? Did you write “Peps” when you meant to write “Peeps”? [/QUOTE] I’m still confused by that as well. Certainly he didn’t mean… [Black Peps](http://www.trimsandribbons.com/index.php?p=view_product&product_id=975) If so, I really don’t get the connection! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/55 "2007-07-31T20:08:34Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] Ah, you’re back. Good. It turns out you started a pretty nice thread. Now explain **your** thread title. [/QUOTE] Thank you, it’s good to be back. Explain **my** thread title? No problem. There is an insurance company called [Geico](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geico) that runs a series of commercials whose catch phrase is that using their website is “so easy, a caveman could do it.” They also throw in some offended cavemen for effect. Hence, [Geico Cavemen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geico_cavemen). [Here is an example.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OrTTAQrfBk)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/56 "2007-08-01T03:15:22Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] Thank you, it’s good to be back. Explain **my** thread title? No problem. There is an insurance company called [Geico](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geico) that runs a series of commercials whose catch phrase is that using their website is “so easy, a caveman could do it.” They also throw in some offended cavemen for effect. Hence, [Geico Cavemen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geico_cavemen). [Here is an example.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OrTTAQrfBk)🙂 [/QUOTE] Right…I don’t think it was the Geico Cavemen part of the title people were confused on. It’s the word “peps”. This is a highly common word for people? So common that you can reasonably suggest that someone has missed out on the last 10 years because they did not understand it? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![lowbrass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dc4da7/32.png) [@lowbrass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lowbrass)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/57 "2007-08-01T07:43:35Z")
He meant “peeps”. He just doesn’t want to admit that he spelled it wrong so he’s obfuscating. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/58 "2007-08-01T18:06:18Z")
[QUOTE=lowbrass] He meant “peeps”. He just doesn’t want to admit that he spelled it wrong so he’s obfuscating. [/QUOTE] Au contraire, [pep.](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pep&page=2) ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/59 "2007-08-01T19:10:27Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] Au contraire, [pep.](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pep&page=2) [/QUOTE] So you are saying the cavemen are meant to be representing well-hung black cubans? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317/60 "2007-08-01T19:33:37Z")
[QUOTE=Tahssa] So you are saying the cavemen are meant to be representing well-hung black cubans? 😕 [/QUOTE] Well, obviously, cool ones… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geico-cavemen-black-peps/413317.md?page=4)