WTF - An Oppo Conversation

"f86sabre" (f86sabre) 01/14/2019 at 22:10 • Filed to: Gender relations, Bullying

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I know YouTube comments can be a pit of scum and villainy on a good day, but what is up with the hate for this ad? I don’t see it saying men shouldn’t   be masculine. I see it saying men shouldn’t be assholes. Is that such a terrible message? Bullying and crappy sexist behavior being pointed out is threatening to people?

For Sweden > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 22:21

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Any company that advocates for the removal of natural hair is barbaric

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 22:21

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Being an ass is easy. Being a man is hard. 

nj959 > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 22:23

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While I do mostly agree with the message of the video, I also think it’s a bit odd to see it coming from a Fortune 500 company. From a business perspective, I just don’t understand how any for profit corporation could possibly take a look at the current political climate and think that  it’s a great idea to get involved.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 22:25

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eeeeeeeeh.... nothing wrong with the add.... asides from one minor detail

stop telling me what to do and sell me some razors motherfuckers

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 22:29

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I think there's a lot of eye-rolling when a company that cares only about profit attempts to comment on social issues. Then you have the group of people who just hate everything that challenges their world views and post shit on Facebook all day about snowflakes, ironically outing themselves as the real snowflakes for being so easy to knock into a tailspin.

Spanfeller is a twat > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 22:33

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Masculinity== probable asshole

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

facw > For Sweden 01/14/2019 at 22:33

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Counterpoint: A lot of natural hair sucks. I’d welcome more effective and/or permanent removal methods than just slicing it off, but in the mean time razors will do.

Just Jeepin' > nj959 01/14/2019 at 22:35

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I don’t know why, but I’m grateful.

f86sabre > Spanfeller is a twat 01/14/2019 at 22:39

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Do you have a pamphlet?

f86sabre > facw 01/14/2019 at 22:41

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But, really.

wafflesnfalafel > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 22:41

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uh.. it’s why the trumpster won..

nj959 > Just Jeepin' 01/14/2019 at 22:42

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I can definitely appreciate the message itself, but I just wonder what it says about us that we look to big corporations for messages about cultural movements.

I want to be clear that I don’t think that this ad is a particularly big issue in the grand scheme  of things, but something just doesn’t sit right with me whenever for profit organizations make political or cultural statements. Regardless of whether or not I actually agree with what they’re saying. I guess it’s just tough for me to articulate it well.

f86sabre > nj959 01/14/2019 at 22:43

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I think in the current climate they have to get involved.  They know where this is going. Being on the bad side of some dipshits today is better than being on the bad side of history tomorrow. 

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > nj959 01/14/2019 at 22:46

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eh.. its about as sincere as nike caring about racism

the message is spot on

but goddamn do commercials like this piss me off

(just sell me your shitty overpriced razors and stop pretending like you give a damn... we all know you’re just hoping for some of those sweet sweet woke dollars from generation oh shit whats this fuzz on my face)

Just Jeepin' > nj959 01/14/2019 at 22:48

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I think it depends on the context. An oil company touting its green credentials, e.g., doesn’t play well. A shaving company with a motto that already plays into the topic is far less forced and far less hypocritical.

When the government is paralyzed, big  companies have far more room to exert influence on the world. I’m glad some of them are stepping up and facing down the assholes to say we can be better. Tim Cook defending privacy is another example: even if that is to some degree a sales pitch, it’s still an important message.

nj959 > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 22:49

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I’m not sure that a company not making a political statement could really ever put them on the bad side of history. I’d say that any company today that has a strong policy of protecting women* from sexual harassment and a strong system in place to take each and every complaint seriously is on the right side of history, regardless of whether or not they make an advertisement about it.

*men as well obviously, although the majority of sexual harassment in the workplace cases are against women.

PS9 > facw 01/14/2019 at 23:00

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Why do we have hair on our privates? It’s such an inconvenience in like a 100 different ways and the solution (bring a razor sharp skin shredding device near the thinnest skin on your body repeatedly ) is just as bad.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 01/14/2019 at 23:00

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“I stand for the flag and sit down and listen to Baby its cold outside” # sorrynotsorry #comeatmebro

/s

ttyymmnn > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 23:26

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That’s solid. Good stuff. Somehow, I had missed the term “toxic masculinity” in current discourse, but it seems to be a big trending topic. When doing a bit of reading about this video , I came across some other articles that are worth your time. As for the YT comments, there are a lot of privileged people (read white men) who don’t like their place in society questioned. They are not thinking men, and they don’t understand that the guidelines about men’s health aren’t threatening them, they are helping them. But we live in an age when anything that questions the status quo is seen as an attack, because there are lots of people who want things to continue exactly as they are because it’s good for them.

P&G Challenges Men to Shave Their ‘Toxic Masculinity’ in Gillette Ad

How ‘traditional masculinity’ hurts the men who believe in it most

Toxic masculinity is terrible shorthand for a real problem plaguing men

MrDakka > PS9 01/14/2019 at 23:27

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Thanks to the frailties of mortal  flesh, pubic hair does serve a purpose in protecting our privates from abrasion (thinner skin in those areas), serves as cushioning, etc.

3point8isgreat > nj959 01/14/2019 at 23:28

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“It’s time we acknowledge that brands, like ours, play a role in influencing culture. And as a company that encourages men to be their best, we have a responsibility to make sure we are promoting positive, attainable, inclusive and healthy versions of what it means to be a man.” - https://gillette.com/en-us/the-best-men-can-be

It appears they felt like they play a significant enough cultural part to need to say something.  

ttyymmnn > PS9 01/14/2019 at 23:28

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Pubic hair has a job to do – stop shaving and leave it alone

DipodomysDeserti > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 23:29

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Too bad they make shit razors. Feather blades FTW.

jimz > f86sabre 01/15/2019 at 02:29

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I see it saying men shouldn’t be assholes. Is that such a terrible message?

It is if your last name is Baruth.

Stef Schrader > f86sabre 01/15/2019 at 04:23

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Piers Morgan hates it, so it’s got that in its favor.

I’m in the “you have to be skeptical of any large corporation’s #branding but the sentiment at least seems good here” camp. Let the irrelevant angry internet men stay mad. Other than that, it exists to sell you razors? Meh.

Call me when the pink ones aren’t more expensive, thanks.

jimz > ttyymmnn 01/15/2019 at 05:57

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Boomers and way too many older Gen Xers have an extremely unhealthy fetish for the 1950s.

OmerCarrothers333 > f86sabre 01/15/2019 at 11:45

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way back before there was a thing called “an internet comment section” the Fortune 500 company Coca-Cola tackled war, racism, and such in a sixty-second commercial that was basically saying “Hey, wouldn’t it be nice if we could get along? And have a Coke?” No one thought it was bad, because life was fucking terrifying in 1971, so Coke saying “Hey, wouldn’t it be nice if we could all get along and have a Coke?” was pleasant to say the least.

Here we are almost fifty years later, and a lot of men seem to be too fucking weak or stupid to handle the message of “Hey, don’t be an asshole.”

OmerCarrothers333 > jimz 01/15/2019 at 16:16

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You sir, get a star.

f86sabre > OmerCarrothers333 01/15/2019 at 19:39

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What kills me is that many of those men are being cheered on by the gristly remains of the flower power generation. What happened to peace, love and rock n roll?

OmerCarrothers333 > f86sabre 01/15/2019 at 19:43

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Don’t get me started, kid. Don’t get me started.

f86sabre > OmerCarrothers333 01/15/2019 at 19:51

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As an early Gen Xer I have some theories. 

OmerCarrothers333 > f86sabre 01/15/2019 at 20:52

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I don’t agree with a lot of what this guy says, but he brings up a few hurtful truths here.

f86sabre > OmerCarrothers333 01/15/2019 at 21:30

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I’m onboard with most of what he is saying here.  P&G is not the perfect company. Pink razors still cost more than blue for no good reason, but you have to start somewhere. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > f86sabre 01/15/2019 at 22:40

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Here’s a good one.

White insecurity.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > OmerCarrothers333 01/15/2019 at 22:44

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Insecure, penis-envying men who were probably bottle-fed and whipped with Daddy’s belt.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > nj959 01/15/2019 at 22:46

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If intact family units had parents inculcating these values into their children, then there’d be no place for an ad like this. But no, we have the opposite coming from the White House, kids watching their parents -- and their preachers -- signing on for the ride, and here we are.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > jimz 01/15/2019 at 22:49

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Or Trump.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > f86sabre 01/15/2019 at 22:49

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Late and slightly cynical take here.

Firstly, Gill ette isn’t in the best position to denounce unhealthy masculine gender norms . As a current lead sponsor for an NFL stadium, it’s slightly hypocritical for Gillette to take this stance while still giving some of its dollars to a sport that sweeps domestic abuse under the rug .

Secondly, the ad itself isn’t that well executed. There are so many facets and visual elements that it would have been much better if the sub topics were spread out over four ads or so. That way it would be easier for viewers to understand the complexity of the message and it would make Gillette’s efforts seem better concerted. In its current form, the ad comes across as vague and preachy upon first viewing and it’s easy to dismiss it as a company jumping on a convenient ideological bandwagon.

Overall, it’s just kinda meh. It doesn’t present anything new, it’s too busy to send out a truly clear message and it might be slightly hypocritical for Gillette to send out this message. Despite the internet backlash, n obody will boycott anything, the ad wi ll have its 15 minutes and then everyone will forget about it.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Stef Schrader 01/15/2019 at 22:52

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I nsecure men who were probably bottle-fed and whipped with their daddy’s belt.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > ttyymmnn 01/16/2019 at 00:30

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one of the most shocking part of Eurpomeet, was for a week, not being asked what I do. It never occured to me how much of an American thing that is. 

jimz > f86sabre 01/16/2019 at 04:46

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as they got older they realized that whole “oh, all you have to do is a bit of work and the American dream will make you rich” was a load of bullshit, and as they faced retirement with not much money they turned into a bunch of petulant grabby infants. 

ttyymmnn > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 01/16/2019 at 08:25

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Interesting. I thought a bit about myself. I am a musician. But that’s what I wanted to be from fourth grade. But that doesn’t necessarily define me. At least I hope it doesn’t.