Video: The obligatory “Heinz’s gay ad” clip
posted at 9:00 pm on June 26, 2008 by Allahpundit
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I’ve given up trying to predict what will offend people. I hadn’t seen this until today but from the bits and pieces of news stories I’d read and the fact that they got hundreds of complaints about it in Britain, I figured it was explicit. As it is, not only didn’t it air during kids’ shows, it barely qualifies as “gay”: The guy in the hat is supposed to be a woman whose magical Heinz-powered sandwich-making kung fu has transformed her spiritually into a burly New York deli owner. It’s about as racy as an episode of Three’s Company. But the fear of protests demanded that it be yanked, and yanked it was — which triggered a counterprotest with support all the way up to the halls of Parliament. What’s a condiment company to do? No word yet, but the UK being the UK, it’s bound to end up as a hate crime either way.
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I’m not saying the court is always right, I’m just saying the court is more right than you when it comes to the argument of separate yet equal. You didn’t even make an argument – it seems like you misunderstood the entire opinion of the court. You do know what the court ruled, right?
Nonfactor on June 27, 2008 at 12:12 AM
THIS is where the militant gay agenda gets dangerous to society. They don’t want to target gay HIV, but they are OK highlighting black HIV. It is in the article as well. They didn’t want to call it homosexual, so they called it male sex with male.
From the article:
So, it’s OK for them to point out that they target more black areas, but they won’t dare target homosexual areas. . . or should I say ‘MSM’ areas. This reasoning is disingenuous and DANGEROUS and the homosexual movement should be ashamed of themselves for the misinformation they have put out about HIV and AIDS since it was first discovered 25 years ago.
Just like non-factor did. He said it wasn’t a gay disease, but a BLACK disease. AIDS is everything but a gay person’s disease. This is more dangerous than what the tobacco companies did and the homosexual community should be ashamed of themselves for carrying on like this and endangering the public (AND ESPECIALLY THE YOUTH) for promoting their lifestyle without HIGHLIGHTING THE RISKS THAT COME ALONG WITH IT.
ThackerAgency on June 27, 2008 at 12:15 AM
OK, how do you have a “mayo” with New York deli flavor? New York deli-style mustard, yes, but mayonnaise? Sounds like a blatant case of deceptive advertising to me, even without the kiss.
jon1979 on June 27, 2008 at 12:22 AM
Well the California Supreme Court thinks it’s more right than the history of Western civilization, that has never had gay marriage. They’re arrogant and think they no best for society.
terryannonline on June 27, 2008 at 12:24 AM
This commercial would have been more effective if the chef had turned into the wife just before the kiss.
Rose on June 27, 2008 at 1:03 AM
This commercial is G-rated compared to some of the things found on other adult-oriented BBC shows. I didn’t find this offensive at all, but then again I’m used to the craziness of British television.
P.S. I want to correct several previous commenters on this thread who have their facts wrong about Doctor Who/Torchwood. (I’ll admit it, I’m a huge fan of both shows):
a) Torchwood is NOT marketed to children. Although the main character of the show (Jack Harkness) started out as a side character in Doctor Who (which is a kids show by default), kids are warned not to watch the show just to see him. There are massive content warnings at the beginning and after each commercial break for every episode.
b) Jack Harkness is technically pansexual because he will go with about anything that isn’t dead. Male, female, weird alien species, it doesn’t matter to him. In our world, it’s easier to just call him bisexual.
c) Harkness only has an American accent in order to distinguish his character from the rest of the cast. His character comes from an alien world far in the future. Everyone else has standard Welsh/British accents.
madame_bluetooth on June 27, 2008 at 1:12 AM
Thacker, I live in San Francisco and I can tell you that the media here targets HIV prevention materials and media directly at the gay community… heavily. The gay press is very critical of those who follow a lifestyle which involves having lots of partners and you get the message loud and clear on bus stops, street corners, even drink mats at bars. I fully expect there will plenty of activity highlighting the dangers not only of HIV but the latest strains of drug resistant STDs which have emerged over this coming weekend and the pride festivities here. From what I can see here at ground zero, they are highly self-critical even if you yourself don’t see it where you are.
lexhamfox on June 27, 2008 at 1:18 AM
What is human purpose?
VolMagic on June 27, 2008 at 1:32 AM
As for the add, meh. If two men kissing is gonna send you into a hissy-fit, you’d do wonders for yourself not to watch television.
VolMagic on June 27, 2008 at 1:33 AM
Then it would of lost all comedic value.
Yoshi on June 27, 2008 at 1:53 AM
Nice, terryann.
All your patience with the snide and snippy substance-free moonbat paid off.
This is a little off-topic, but I’d like to warn you, terryann:
DON’T GO INTO THE LIGHT!
misterpeasea on June 27, 2008 at 2:31 AM
I read through most of the comments but I don’t think this was brought up.
Who made the hundreds of complaints? Would seem out of character to me for the UK to let a bunch of Christians dictate what commercials are not appropriate. I’ve heard that most of their ads are & have always been much racier than anything we ever see in the US. So what has changed? My guess is the only reason they reacted with such sensitivity to the outrage of the “complainers” is because the complainers in question are experts at getting their way. I mean, who wants to risk a bunch of burned cars or maybe a train bombing for a stupid commercial. (Which for the record, I didn’t really get the message either until I read about it here…even though it didn’t necessarily seem gayness was the point.)
Cheesestick on June 27, 2008 at 5:29 AM
Long time reader, first time commenter, blah, blah, blah. Okay, now that that’s out of the way …
I don’t know what alternate universe versions of Doctor Who you all have been watching but it IS a family show and there has never been two guys necking in any episode I have ever seen and I own the DVD’s of series 1 through 3. Torchwood, yes. But Doctor Who, no!
60B on June 27, 2008 at 6:00 AM
I am not buying any Heinz products for the rest of this year, because this commercial just killed my appetite for that long!
pilamaye on June 27, 2008 at 6:54 AM
Long time reader, first time commenter, blah, blah, blah. Okay, now that that’s out of the way …
I don’t know what alternate universe version of Doctor Who you’ve been watching, but it is a family show and they’ve never shown two guys necking in any episode.
Torchwood, yes and often. Doctor Who, no.
60B on June 27, 2008 at 7:03 AM
Am pretty darn conservative about this kind of thing but to me the ad wasn’t offensive at all, it was amusing and IMO that’s all they meant. In fact am surprised gays aren’t protesting that the kiss is being used as the punchline.
And it was very clear to me that the deli man was really Mom and the mayo was making her the deli man.
That said,
brings up an excellent point. Would be interesting to find out given how fast the ad was pulled. Though Dunkin Donuts did pull the Rachael Ray scarf ad pretty fast too.
inviolet on June 27, 2008 at 7:38 AM
I just want to thank you all for this thread. It has reaffirmed my views of liberal, conservative, straight and gay. Best of all I didn’t have to view the Randi forums to get my reality fix. This was much better.
jmarcure on June 27, 2008 at 7:48 AM
pilamaye on June 27, 2008 at 6:54 AM
We boycott Heinz products, too, ever since Kerry’s POTUS attempt. There’s a great ketchup that tastes better made by “O” Organics sold via Safeway’s chains (Randalls, Tom Thumb, et al)
maverick muse on June 27, 2008 at 8:04 AM
I asked you for your opinion and you referred me to a court’s opinion without providing a link. I don’t even know what it is I’m supposed to be reading.
aengus on June 27, 2008 at 8:06 AM
Yes, but that was here in the US….different set of circumstances & complainers to be sure.
Cheesestick on June 27, 2008 at 8:44 AM
lexhamfox on June 27, 2008 at 1:18 AM
Are you denying that there wasn’t and hasn’t been a concerted effort since the original outbreak of AIDS to downplay the increased risk directly to the homosexual community so that they would garner more sympathy?
So are blacks more at risk (heterosexual) than gay people as nonfactor and the article suggested?
How is that information different than the tobacco companies claiming that there are people who don’t smoke that get lung cancer? How is teaching the gay lifestyle in grade school different than the tobacco companies targeting young people with ‘cartoons’ and ‘comic books’?
I KNOW they target homosexual areas. But they stop short of EXCLAIMING that HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF CONTRACTING AIDS. There has been a surgeon general’s warning on every pack of cigarettes for 40 years.
The problem is that the gay community will say that this is reason to educate MORE on the use of condoms. . . rather than educate MORE the risks involved in SPECIFICALLY MALE TO MALE SEX (which is what makes someone gay).
My comments on this thread aren’t necessarily about the ad, but they address the militant gay community and how their actions have been and continue to be dangerous to society. Smokers get increase rates on health insurance. It is against the law to increase the rates on a gay person because they are gay. Yet being gay increases the risk of contracting AIDS more than smoking increases the risk of contracting lung cancer. Both are equally preventable.
You can’t smoke in public buildings, but you can be gay (and are encouraged to be with anti-discrimination laws). Actors can’t smoke in movies (higher rating) but you can be gay and win all sorts of awards (brokeback mountain).
ThackerAgency on June 27, 2008 at 9:05 AM
Very Offensive
Wade on June 27, 2008 at 9:13 AM
I gathered from the headlines that the ad actually portrayed homosexuals in a sexual context. Silly overreaction to an amusing and clever ad.
Mark Jaquith on June 27, 2008 at 9:18 AM
Being in the UK, I would bet that most of the reaction to get the ad pulled came from the Muslim community instead of the Christian community. I hope that the homosexual community eventually appreciates the freedoms and rights that they have under a Christian dominated society. Once Christianity loses its influence to Islam, homosexuality will be considered offensive and banned outright (the practice, not just the display of it).
ThackerAgency on June 27, 2008 at 9:25 AM
As someone who watches both Torchwood and Doctor Who, I agree with the rest of the commenters – Torchwood is the more adult show of the two. Doctor Who is the more family-friendly show, and the one we let my stepkids watch with us on the weekends.
And the actor who plays Jack Harkness is actually a Welsh actor who moved to the US as a kid and learned to speak with a more American accent so he wouldn’t get picked on. There are some outtakes on the first season DVD, from what I have read, that feature him slipping into the Welsh accent every once inawhile.
ScoopPC11 on June 27, 2008 at 9:29 AM
It’s fascinating, all the different reactions to this ad. To me the ad shows a man kissing a woman. The reason it’s amusing and not offensive (to me) is pretty much the same reason that 0:25-0:35 in this video is.
Still can’t understand why gay activists aren’t protesting the ad. They’re usually so easily offended, and here what looks like a man on man kiss is presented for everyone to laugh at.
inviolet on June 27, 2008 at 9:47 AM
For instance: I remember gay activists very loudly protesting this movie scene, in which Jim Carrey reacts to finding out the woman he (ahem) kissed is, well…
inviolet on June 27, 2008 at 9:59 AM
I don’t want to join the overall discussion, but I want to clarify one thing.
Now, anyone who’s been here for more than a day already understands that you know nothing whatsoever about religion, let alone what would constitute a religious outlook on the purpose of living, so I won’t berate you for this comment.
But seriously. The only outlook that would decide that the purpose of living is to procreate is a “survival of the species” outlook.
Yes, religion touches on the issue of procreation, the “go forth and multiply” verse being one of many, but if you have any experience with religion at all, you’d understand that it’s merely a footnote in a rather lengthy book. If it were the purpose of living for a religious person, then the holy book wouldn’t have passages that condemn things like adultery, sleeping with your sibling, sleeping with your sister’s husband, etc…
After all, if the only purpose of life is to have children, then religious people would need to spreed their seed as far and wide as possible.
Literally putting all of your eggs in one basket is hardly the best way to bring more children into the world.
Esthier on June 27, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Captain Jack kissed both the Doctor and Rose on the mouth at the end of the first season leading up to the Dalek confrontation. It was about as explicit as this Heinz ad.
Enrique on June 27, 2008 at 10:53 AM
They’re arrogant because they think the law should treat everyone equally. Jesus, terryann, you sure put a lot of faith in the history of Western civilization, which has been marked by slavery, warfare, superstition and bloodshed. Grow up, woman.
Enrique on June 27, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Apparently, Western civilization is doomed because people don’t get the concept of the ad.
It wasn’t two gay dudes, however Heinz condiments turn your kitchen into a deli and will make your wife a deli sammich maker. THAT’S HOW AWESOME THEY ARE!!!
Krydor on June 27, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Let me get this right. For decades our society has been told marriage is just a “piece of paper.” No big deal. We have children growing up without fathers. But now that homosexuals want to get married it’s back to being a big deal and an equality issue. Please tell me where all these gay marriage advocates have been while children have been growing fatherless?
terryannonline on June 27, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Jesus, Enrique, you sure have swallowed the leftist line on the eeevils of Western civilization.
Tell me, what are the alternatives to Western civilization? I mean the ones that haven’t been marked by slavery, warfare, superstition, and bloodshed.
Grow up, man.
misterpeasea on June 27, 2008 at 11:58 AM
Enrique,
Gays have the exact same right to marry somebody of the opposite sex as I do. How is that discrimination?
Theophile on June 27, 2008 at 2:02 PM
Funny ad. Shame it got yanked. Some people really need to grow up.
LimeyGeek on June 27, 2008 at 3:17 PM
And you have the exact same right to be a buggerer or buggeree.
We should also share the exact same right to marry someone of the same sex – how’s that for equality?
LimeyGeek on June 27, 2008 at 3:19 PM
Yes, I do know that one scene in that one episode that you speak of and it was intended to be lighthearted and humorous. I agree that it is about as racy and offensive as this commercial (for the record, I don’t find the commercial to be offensive at all) and hardly constitutes “two men necking”, which was the phrase that the person who originally brought it up used.
He was actually born in Scotland.
60B on June 27, 2008 at 8:54 PM
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