Posted on 02/17/2005 1:26:35 PM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
In this PC age of advertising, there is one group who can still be made the butt of jokes with total impunity: middle-aged white guys.
The latest installment was on display in a commercial I just caught. A befuddled guy is sitting on the couch, fiddling with the TV remote. His roughly 11-year old daughter enters, and he tells her he can't seem to switch to a given channel.
"Of course not," she curtly informs him, "it's been blocked." She goes on to inform the ignoramus that most channels can be blocked via the remote or by calling the cable company.
He asks whether channels can be unblocked, and once again she condescendingly explains they can, then snidely adds:
"But you're going to have to get Mom's permission."
He calls out for his wife. She enters, and he imploringly asks her if he can watch the channel. She glances at the screen, gives a curt "No!" then exits.
Another day in the life of Bumbling, Stumbling White Guy.
Yes, yes, I know: "don't be so touchy. I thought it was funny. Chill out. Relax." etc. Look, I have no problem if this was an equal-opportunity thing. But it does bug me that if the tables were turned cries of outrage would echo throughout the land.
Established fact: most white guys have never seen toilet bowl cleaners and have to be talked through it, very similar to civilians who have to land jumbo aircraft when the crew conks out.
It is not just Lifetime, the same thing is pretty much true of all media to a lesser degree.
That's the first commercial I thought of when reading this article. The dude cramming candy in his mouth so he doesn't have to comment. In fact, first time I saw it, I remember thinking, "Black guys must be movin' on up socioeconomically. It's OK for commercials to make them look stupid now."
That's the only commercial I could come up with that features a black guy looking as witless as white guys are made to look all the time.
The judge is a Black woman, kill two birds with one stone there, (has amyone else noticed that fully two thirds of judges on tv are portrayed as Black women?), the sheriff is a woman, I have seen several doctors and nearly all are either Black or female, with one Korean. The school principal is Chinese, Clark's best friend is Black and it goes on and on.
White males aren't left out tho. Just about all the villains are either middle aged white men or high school boys.
I will say Lana Lang is really pretty, she looks a little Chinese to me. It really is a pretty good show despite all the PC nonsense.
Excellent point.
Why the offense at some blacks faces on tv? If a show is all white then it's not PC but too many minorities and now it is?
I don't watch Lifetime. I actually like Spike TV. Lifetime is too creepy for me.
White people complain about too many minorities on tv and minorities complain about not enough minorities on tv. That's pretty darn interesting.
Your statement does not reflect what I said nor the reality of the situation. I suspect you already know that.
Very few people object to Blacks being shown on tv, or women etc.
PC is when a certain group is portrayed overwhelmingly in a positive manner, while another group is portrayed as just the opposite.
It is called bias. It is like the elephant in the room. Everyone knows it is there but no one will admit it. Instead we are constantly being told that women, non-whites etc. are being excluded when the opposite is true.
another interesting think that I have noticed recently is the white girl/black guy eating together, riding together on the bus head on shoulder, sharing a laugh etc. Never white guy and black girl, white guy/asian girl, asian guy/any color girl. No Hispanics. Just wh. girl/bl. guy.
Okay fair enough... the definition of PC is a bit watered down and sometimes I am not sure what people mean when they use it. I appreciate the correction. Bias must be something very individual unless it can absolutely be shown a show is biased in one way or another. Like MTV... Real World has not had a conservative character in a while *LOL*
Wow when? I only see such commercials real late at night when everyone normal with a life is sleeping. I saw one bond trading commercial and the black guy was a stockbroker married to the man's daughter.
You know there are days that I wonder... No strike that. There are days that I know!
A strange comment, but as someone with a normal life(a fulltime job, wife and house and property to tend to), who doesn't watch late night tv, I have seen them(there are at least 4 different ones) at all hours of the evening and weekends when I normally can find a little time to watch tv.
Nothing strange. I don't lead a normal life, and don't watch tv during the day or in the afternoon. TV mostly addles the brain to me, unless it's something educational like discovery channel or food network. You probably watch more tv than I do so I trust you pointing out the other commercials to me.
It wouldn't be funny. And we wouldn't like her, or him. That's the difference. We laugh at the situation with the hapless husband because it's IRONIC. IRONY is funny. That the man has to ask permission from the wife is what husbands joke about.
I love those commercials...
"That was ~really~ condescending..."
Since I watch "Desperate Housewives", "24", "The Shield", "House" and "Boston Legal" WITH MY WIFE every single week, I just don't get this ad at all.
It's still okay to make fun of women. But the thing is, they have to be obviously Southern.
Thanks for the post glgb.
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