WHERE SUCCESSFUL ADVERTISING MEETS LGBT EQUALITY

Hartwall, I Love Your...

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A suavely dressed man walks up to a good looking woman in a bar. She smiles as he arrives but then he says: "I love your...ice," meaning her beer, but looking at her chest.

Offended, the woman slaps him and leaves. He takes her beer to cool the sting, as an ice pack, but then takes a swig of her beer and likes it.

Undaunted, he approaches another woman, who is equally offended by the gesture and hits him again.

Now, perhaps seeking more beer (if not more slaps), his masochistic quest continues.

Finally, the fellow walks up to another man (an enormous, bearded biker guy) and while looking down to the man's crotch, starts to say, "I love your..." Before he can even finish, the man angrily punches him.

A classic example of how male-to-male flattery -- and misunderstanding -- ends in a homophobic, violent response.

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User Comments
Lajos
I think this ad should get an equal rating. It treats sexual orientation as a non-issue. The guy gets slapped for his flirting, whether it's with a man or with a woman.

Eric Graham
The man in the commercial is getting slapped by everyone, female and male, because of his sexual suggestions. He's is equal-opportunity. I'd say this should get an equal sign because of his lack of hesitation to approach a man and use the same line.

Kris
Ok. Some gay people may find this commercial offensive but I just find it hissarious! I mean, come on. How many guys are just going to sit down next to another guy and say what he said and not expect to get their butt kicked? I guess I've just been one who's able to laugh and joke about my own homosexuality. And I don't really think this commercial is anti-gay. The ad is just showing what would happen to a guy if he did that in a straight bar.

Grace
In the second snippet, he also doesn't get as far as "...ice" before being slapped. I think this is a sad ad because the guy is clearly more willing to "pay" for his beer with a slap than a couple of bucks, but ....

Bill
The ad isn't homophobic, it's funny. Gay men who hit on straight men deserve to get hit. I mean, hello, the guy isn't at a gay bar or any other gay environment. Only a masochist cruises straight guys.

Robert
Why, when a woman slaps a man, is it considered acceptable, but when a man punches another man, it's considered homophobic violence? I think the ad is bad, not because of the man-man situation, but rather because of the slapping and punching as a whole.

Joseph
In the real world, a slap or a punch isn't a justified response to an unwanted come one, gay or straight, and if this had been a scene captured on a hidden camera in a real bar, I'd have a different reaction. However, it's not. It is a TV commercial and the humor is supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. It's selling beer, not making a statement on homosexuality. I think the problem here is that too many people try to make an issue out of a non-issue. It would be like me getting upset every time I head someone tell a musician joke because I thought it was spreading hatred of musicians. It's simply not true. I, for one, think the ad was hilarious. And for the record, after having seen this commercial, and many like it, I can still recognize it as humorous. I'll continue to say, "I'm not interested" to anyone who comes on to me in a gay bar because I'm straight, or a straight bar because I'm married!

Jean Guerin
This is a funny ad that's playing off the fact that this man's behavior is fueled by a quest for beer, not sex. The progression of the ad shows this clearly. Of course, a lot of people have theoretical axes to grind so they ignore any other interpretation but their own. Also, they neglect one big aspect of a lot of individuals, both gay and straight: a sense of humor, including one about oneself.

E
In the second snippet, he also doesn't get as far as "...ice" before being slapped. I think this is a sad ad because the guy is clearly more willing to "pay" for his beer with a slap than a couple of bucks, but....

Terrence
A complimentary come on by anybody, man or woman, never deserves a violent response. In fact, it is a serious crime. This cursing lounge lizard never laid a finger on the woman or the guy. If the receiver of a come on is not receptive, a simple "not interested" or "get lost" response is more than enough. Even though, in this case, the sincerity of this guy's complements could be questioned, the violent response from the women and the man is a severe over reaction. Since when does a gay have to be in a gay environment to hit on another guy. Gay people are in every environment. This ad is clearly homophobic. Only a fearful, insecure, straight guy feels justified to react violently to a complement or come on from another guy.

Daringest
The slap by the man cannot be considered homophobic if he received violent slaps from two women previously. If the slap from the man was homophobic, what motivated the hits from the two women? It's unfortunately okay for men to be hit, and it's especially entertaining in the media for men to be slapped, elbowed, punched or kicked, by women. (Wait, I've noticed that the poor man isn't being slapped, the first woman clearly punched him very hard. None of the other sound effects sound like slaps either.)