finally, my fist in your face

[rone]

I saw one of these billboards on the train home on Monday, but i forgot to share with you all its immense stupidity. You're welcome.

Comments

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Like i said, the comparison of women to beer is pretty offensive. And i can't imagine what would drive you to say that some women would be flattered by it. Imagine an ad for a summer beer that said, "Finally, a smart blonde." Is that still "sort of silly"?

[jeff2001.livejournal.com]

My, you're really offended by this.

Actually, "Finally, a smart blonde" is an entirely DIFFERENT sentiment. That would be offensive in the manner in which you are offended. It would be saying, "All blondes are dumb", which is a negative statement.

"All Latinas are hot", however, is not a negative statement, and I imagine only ugly and hateful Latinas would find it to be negative, being jealous and all. If some beer company called me a "Hot Scandinavian number", I'd be kinda flattered, that is if I even paid that much attention to what a beer company said about me.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

I'm not really offended by it; i'm just amazed that you don't find anything wrong with it.

Make my example, "Finally, a cold blonde." Now what?

[jeff2001.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing: I see clearly how it could be offensive to others, but I reject that dynamic as being just the kind of politically correct distinction that I loathe. I personally don't believe that collecting offense and overjudging one's environment makes the world a better place, so I try to be unoffendable. I don't always succeed, but mostly.

I personally don't believe people should be offended, even by the worst and most loathsome racism imaginable. I think people should be unoffendable, and not let things in their world coopt their emotions out from under them. I don't think we ought to give others a bristling arsenal of alphabetic weapons to use against us. I'm a word guy, though, so that probably figures into it. So, that's my opinion about that.

Anyway, I think if you had a Baskin Robbins ad for a new kind of vanilla, and the tagline was "Finally...a cold blonde", you would sell one hell of a lot of ice cream.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Like i said, you should go into advertising, then. I'm not hip with comparing women to ice cream or beer, especially not as a way to try to sell my products.

"I think people should be unoffendable" is foolishness. You're saying that we shouldn't let other people affect our emotions negatively; it's one thing to temper our reactions, but to suppress them is baloney.

[jeff2001.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, not suppression, it's just about choosing how I will interact with the world.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

If you choose to not provide any feedback to things that affect you negatively, i would suggest that it sounds like a less than healthy way to go through life.

[jeff2001.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree.

[merde.livejournal.com]

I imagine only ugly and hateful Latinas would find it to be negative, being jealous and all.

jesus christ, you're an asshole.

note: being neither a woman nor latino, perhaps the reason you can't comprehend why anyone would be offended is that you have no frame of reference for it.

myself, i don't find it offensive. i do think it's pretty stupid. but your comments here so far -- those have been offensive.

[jeff2001.livejournal.com]

I was trying to share my POV truthfully and honestly, and extemporaneously, with someone I like and respect. I don't see why I should be vilified for it.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

The "ugly and hateful" bit was definitely asking for it.

[jeff2001.livejournal.com]

Yes, of course you're right. Sometimes I let my fingers outrun my prudence.

[merde.livejournal.com]

*snort*

it must be difficult for someone so rigidly idealistic to live in reality.