# Homophobic Super Bowl ad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226 "2007-02-07T17:14:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Nuggets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Mr.Nuggets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nuggets)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/1 "2007-02-07T17:14:41Z")
Some ultra-PCers are considering a Snickers ad that aired during the Super Bowl homophobic. It’s the one where the two guys accidentially kiss while eating the same Snickers bar and then ripping out chest hair to do something manly. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/2 "2007-02-07T17:18:57Z")
Cracked me up. ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/3 "2007-02-07T17:23:58Z")
I wish snickers had shown some balls and not pulled the ad. There was nothing homophobic in that ad. Now, had someone seen them kiss, then condem then to a life a hell and beat them to a pulp… then yes, I would say it was homophobic. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/4 "2007-02-07T17:26:12Z")
I didn’t see the full ad but saw from a couple of seconds prior to the one guy starting in on the other end of the candy bar to a second or two after they split apart. Would I go so far as to categorize it as “homophobic”? No. I would however categorize it as playing on stereotypes, which I’m fine with if the play is even remotely original. The whole “straight men inadvertantly get involved in a homoerotic situation and isn’t that a stitch” has been done to death. I would also categorize those who dismiss the issue by labeling those questioning the ad as “ultra-PCers” to be guilty of a certain lack of critical thinking. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/5 "2007-02-07T17:26:27Z")
Here’s the GD link: [Fallout from the Snickers ad - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=407333) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/6 "2007-02-07T19:12:37Z")
It reminded me of a scene from _NewsRadio_ that I thought was funnier. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/7 "2007-02-07T20:02:00Z")
[QUOTE=Dob] I wish snickers had shown some balls. [/QUOTE] Now that would have been a good ad! ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/8 "2007-02-07T20:27:23Z")
I thought it was funny. So did my sister and her gilfriend. The humour seemed to poke fun of homophobia rather than homosexuals. :: shrug :: Don’t see what the fuss is about. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/9 "2007-02-07T20:33:01Z")
This commercial was on par with the “those aren’t pillows” scene in _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_. Personally, I thought those two guys chawing on that snickers bar was the funniest damn thing I’ve ever seen during a football game. I had just enough time to register the thought, “they can’t possibly have these two guys kiss, can they?” What will be even funnier is if they show the guys a day later and one of them is going, “I don’t know why I cain’t quitchoo”. ---
**Author:** ![Anomalous\_Reading](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Anomalous\_Reading](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anomalous_Reading)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/10 "2007-02-07T22:06:43Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] I thought it was funny. So did my sister and her gilfriend. The humour seemed to poke fun of homophobia rather than homosexuals. :: shrug :: Don’t see what the fuss is about. [/QUOTE] I agree! I think those who are taking offense aren’t really looking at it with enough… nuance or critical thought. Play it back in your mind… it’s not homophobic. It’s poking fun at homophobia. Something, in a way, we need more of… imo ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/11 "2007-02-07T22:18:19Z")
I don’t have sound at work, but here’s the [ad](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHkoZ7ngAM0). I classify this under the heading of “ads which make me want to not buy the product,” which is unfortunate, because I love Snickers bars. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/12 "2007-02-07T23:42:32Z")
The only one that I could see people getting outraged about was one of the [variations](http://americablog.blogspot.com/2007/02/snickers-superbowl-web-site-promotes.html) they were planning to air during the Daytona 500 (and previewed on their web site) – where they proceeded to violently assault each other… :eek: > [@](#): > > Ad 4: “Wrench” (these are the actual names Snickers gave the ads). The two guys accidentally kiss, they say to each other again “quick, do something manly,” and one guy proceeds to pick up a huge oversized wrench and violently attack the other guy, while the second takes the first and throws him under the hood of the car, slamming it down on his head. Yes, the appropriate reaction to a guy kissing you is to beat the crap out of the guy who kissed you. Maybe Snickers should rename this ad “Matthew Shepard.” ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/13 "2007-02-07T23:55:54Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] I don’t have sound at work, but here’s the [ad](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHkoZ7ngAM0). [/QUOTE] Wow, that was really stupid. In light of the description of the other ads, especially “Wrench,” my opinion of the ad has changed. As a series, yes, the ads as described are homophobic. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/14 "2007-02-08T00:12:18Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Wow, that was really stupid. In light of the description of the other ads, especially “Wrench,” my opinion of the ad has changed. As a series, yes, the ads as described are homophobic. [/QUOTE] I see it much differently. They are showing homophobic people and making fun of them. That would be the opposite of homophobic. The two in the ad are shown to be stupid rubes doing idiotic things. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/15 "2007-02-08T00:12:34Z")
Meh…I don’t think it would have bothered me if I’d seen it before all the hoopla. But [here’s a take on it](http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/141423/snickers_candy_bar_superbowl_ad_dissatisfies.html) from a friend of mine. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/16 "2007-02-08T00:58:29Z")
The ad like all the others shown during the game, barely registered with me. I didn’t think much of the commercial before the decision to pull it and now I am indifferent to it. My only question is how is ripping out one’s chest hair considered doing something manly? Does subjecting oneself to self-induced pain fall in this category? While nothing immediately springs to mind as an alternate ending, tearing out a tuft of one’s chest hair doesn’t strike me so much as macho but as just bizarre ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/17 "2007-02-08T04:09:01Z")
Ok, so I just watched it for the first time (from the link provided) and I’ve decided that whatever else it may be, it’s stupid and not very funny. Yes, it does seem to poke fun at their homophobia, which I suppose would be better than presenting their kiss as actually a bad thing (rather than something they perceive as bad), but I don’t think it was very well executed. In any case, I’m kind of tired of the gag where two straight men accidentally do something they think makes them look gay and then proceed to overcompensate. It’s overdone. Personally, I’d love to see a scene where two straight men are affectionate and don’t give it a second thought, I suppose it’s less funny that way. (I also think it’s sad that straight men so often feel the need to act macho after doing something like that). ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/18 "2007-02-08T04:24:15Z")
[QUOTE=Licentious Ectomorph] Meh…I don’t think it would have bothered me if I’d seen it before all the hoopla. But [here’s a take on it](http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/141423/snickers_candy_bar_superbowl_ad_dissatisfies.html) from a friend of mine. [/QUOTE] I just read the article and I thought this quote summed up the problem with the ad pretty well: > [@](#): > > As a gay male, I’m not offended but that’s because I don’t offend easily. I’m disgusted that, more and more, gays are becoming the new punch line and that too many are confusing that with some perverse form of acceptance. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/19 "2007-02-08T04:52:14Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] I see it much differently. They are showing homophobic people and making fun of them. That would be the opposite of homophobic. The two in the ad are shown to be stupid rubes doing idiotic things. [/QUOTE] Not to cast aspersions on football fans but I really don’t think most people watching the Super Bowl are going to get that distinction, if that is indeed what Snickers intended. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226/20 "2007-02-08T05:44:40Z")
I’m guessing that if two ugly gay mechanics ran into the same “predicament” that they would also be surprised and disgusted. Last I heard, gay guys don’t lust after every man they see. I guess the twist is the “do something manly” part…and can someone explain to me how ripping off your chest hair is manly? Woulda been funnier if they punched eachother in the face or something. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homophobic-super-bowl-ad/391226.md?page=2)