Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Our own Spencer Hall briefly mentioned this Thursday. Here's the story. Mancrunch.com is a gay dating website -- sort of a Match.com for homosexual men. They produced a commercial that they planned to have aired during the Super Bowl. Friday, it was announced that CBS has rejected the commercial.
Take thirty seconds to watch the commercial in question.
So, potential CBS viewer, does this video disturb you? If it does for religious reasons, then fine, but keep in mind that every year, commercials are aired during the Super Bowl that likely run morally afoul of your holy book of choice. And if this disturbs you because you think homosexuality is icky, ask yourself whether gay football fans would react the same way to Match.com ads featuring a heterosexual kiss.
And if you just plain think homosexuality is morally wrong and your children should not be made aware that gay people exist: join the 21st century! Seriously, it's awesome! We've cured polio, been to the Moon, and successfully marketed overpriced stupid gizmos. I love it here!
The real target of our ire, though, should be CBS, an apparently cowardly network that is refusing to go out on a limb for the sake of tolerance.
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Thanks for posting this
Tim Tebow’s ad is acceptable, but this isn’t? I don’t understand.
Silver Seven: the Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators blogs.
by DarrenM on Jan 29, 2010 7:08 PM EST reply actions
Have you seen Tim Tebow's commercial?
If not, I don’t think you have a basis for comparison.
Mancrunch.com wanted this ad rejected so they’d get the publicity without the expense. If they’d seriously wanted to get the commercial on the air, they’d have produced an ad lacking in shock value.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Jan 29, 2010 7:11 PM EST up reply actions
You're probably right
This is a brilliant PR move on Mancrunch’s part. If it’s rejected, they still get plenty of publicity without having to shill out for ad time. Honestly, I give them props for putting the ball in CBS’ court.
by Jon Bois on Jan 29, 2010 7:19 PM EST up reply actions
What’s shocking about two people kissing? And how is it more shocking than discussing abortion? Although it would be useful to see the Tebow ad, I don’t think a comparison is necessary. I’m not expecting the Tebow ad to show abortions in progress or anything graphic. The fact is that no matter how they frame it, I don’t see how discussing the ethical implications of keeping a fetus is not more controversial than this.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they wanted the ad to get rejected, and it’s a smart business move. But again, I don’t see the shock value in the above commercial (considering TV often has men kissing as a joke, its just that audiences are fine if you’re doing that to make fun of homosexuality, but not if you’re supporting it).
Silver Seven: the Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators blogs.
by DarrenM on Jan 29, 2010 7:28 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
As far as know
Nobody’s seen the Tebow ad except Focus on the Family. And I don’t care what’s in it. What I care about is CBS’ change of a long-standing policy that allows the FoF ad but denies the MnaCrunch one. You know, basic fairness issues and all that.
Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer.
by MtnEer_in_SC on Jan 29, 2010 8:34 PM EST up reply actions
While free speech is a right
fairness isn’t necessarily. CBS is an entity that has the right to accept or reject whatever they want. If they had chosen to do the reverse and accept this one and reject the Tebow one that would have still been perfectly acceptable. Somewhere along the line someone exercised judgment about what should be deemed acceptable. Their line of what’s acceptable is different from many of ours. Tough. It may seem frivolous and petty but CBS is within their rights. There are worse injustices in the world.
by levnclf on Feb 1, 2010 1:43 PM EST up reply actions
Lacking in Shock Value?
Come on. It’s no more shocking that hundreds of other commercials except that in this case it’s a Packer fan kissing a Vikings fan.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
by PPP on Jan 30, 2010 1:25 AM EST up reply actions
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