Debasement
A man is kicking a woman in the stomach.
Repeatedly.
On television.
If you saw this, wouldn't you be outraged, furious, spurred to action?
Soon you are on the phone and on the Internet registering your loud and justified complaint about violence towards women.
And you would be right.
But wait.
Every day, you can see exactly this TV advertisement.
Except that a woman is kicking a man in the stomach.
She also punches him several times.
She is oh so funny and he is the Dope.
Ho ho ho.
Isn't that amusing.
That piece of male debasement is the work of a clever and irresponsible ad executive and his/her "creative team," who want to attract women to their client's product or service.
I believe the client in this case is BMO, the Bank of Montreal.
This dreadful unnecessary and socially destructive piece of trash is part of a long tradition in TV programming and advertising, both of which are aimed at the "female consumer."
Because that's what you are, ladies, in the warped minds of advertisers and their clients - consumers.
You USE stuff.
In this oft-repeated scenario, the woman always wins.
She is smarter, stronger, more clever, more resourceful.
The hubby is a colossal nitwit, a loser, an incompetent, who clearly could not function without his far superior partner to drag his sorry ass through life.
And this running sore of a theme helps children and families HOW?
If a man kicked a woman in the stomach in an ad on prime time television, it would be front page news and talk show fodder for weeks.
But having a woman kick a man in the stomach is apparently just funny.
No.
It is not funny.
It is sick.
Boys and girls need and want fathers they can respect and admire.
Women and men need to respect one another.
Ridicule is not the way.
3 comments:
I agree 100%, David. The trouble is, whereas men have been told, and boys socialized, to not be violent towards women and to not use filthy language in the office, etc., women and girls have NOT been taught this. They are told to GO FOR IT. I can't tell you the number of women I have worked with (including bosses) over the years who think it's "cool" that they are vulgar, loud, verbally abusive towards men, and using every chance they have to debase men. The response? Many other women giggle and give a thumbs up, or join in. Many men, even their supervisors, let them do it, tuck their tails between their legs, and suck up to them so the women will change their behaviour. They don't call them on it as you do because they've been taught not to upset women. And the women are running roughshod. It's appalling. What's the answer? We need to teach women that when they want to act like a man, they should act like a nice man.
Amen, David.
I think it is time for Society to realize that it is OK to be a Man just as it is OK to be a Woman.
Well...if it's a BMO commercial, be rest assured they're not a company I intend to do business with. Ever.
But, to my way of thinkin', neither gender should be hitting the other for any reason. Not verbally, mentally, physically or emotionally.
If you hit someone - expect to be hit. Period.
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