Is this offensive? I thought it was funny.

[pintobean]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad4fagTyaM4

[snooper2]

1. yes, very offensive to me...

I'm always offended by right hand drive cars :)

[pintobean]

2. I'll agree with that.

I nearly got ran over in Japan because they drive on the wrong side of the road.

[Kali]

3. yes

it is offensive

I see the humor, but it plays to stereotyping and encourages hatred and intolerance.

[Deep13]

5. Hell yeah! Terrorists hardly ever drive German cars!

Suggesting they do paints with a broad brush.

[jobycom]

4. It would be funnier if it was a liberal environmental terrorist.

Maybe an attractive but clueless young blonde protester wearing a "Hope Change Obama" tee shirt with a "Save the Owls" button trying to blow up an SUV dealership next to a cute family of four. That would ROCK!!!

[Deep13]

6. That's pretty goddamn funny.

I thought the British ad standards authority would not allow depictions of suicide.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Well, it is a ridiculously racist stereotype.

Do you laugh at racist jokes often?

[pintobean]

8. What race would that be?

I can't tell. I see, what I assume is, an Islamic extremist suicide bomber. Do you support them?

[jobycom]

9. Ah, the old "When did you stop beating your wife routine."

An oldie, but goodie.

"Racism" may be used a bit loosely there, but the point is pretty obvious. The "terrorist" fits the stereotype of a Middle Eastern Muslim, and while the point about the car being tough is presented in a funny way, the use of the stereotype to further entrench in people's minds the association between, as Ann Coulter has described them, "swarthy-skinned males" who appear to be Muslim and terrorism is the sort of thing that leads to protests against Muslim mosques and Muslim Civic Centers, not to mention attacks on Muslim cab drivers.

I know some very funny racist and sexist jokes. I don't tell them because I don't like the stereotypes they enhance, even if they are truly funny even if you don't believe the stereotypes. Feel free to disagree--there aren't enough people in this country who care about stereotypes of Muslims to complain, and honestly commercials like this probably aren't going to make things worse, anyway. But at least on DU there are probably a few people who feel less than comfortable about such things, and will voice their opinion, especially when asked. Not liking the stereotype hardly implies support for "Islamic extremist suicide bombers," any more than my refusal to tell a sexist joke shows my support for men who beat their wives and girlfriends.

Just my opinion.

[Kali]

10. thanks

I was struggling with the desire to aggressively snark, patiently explain, or just ignore the thread

[pintobean]

11. I thank you as well

I posted in the lounge looking for an honest discussion. If I had wanted a flame war, this would be in GD. Post #8 was a response to a snarky insult. I should have just ignored it.

[jobycom]

15. Let me get this straight. You came to the Lounge... hoping to AVOID snark??/

Ah, rookie, you've got a lot to learn. :rofl:

(Meant in good humor, I hope you realize). :)

[Kaleva]

16. Kinda like looking for sober discussion in a seedy bar at closing time.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. Arabic.

How did you know he was muslim?

[Deep13]

20. Because he's a suicide bomber.

No one else does that.

[Deep13]

19. No it isn't.

If it were any kind of stereotype, it would be a Muslim stereotype. But it isn't. At this time in our history, only hard-core Muslims act as suicide bombers.

[Kali]

22. there are an awful lot of people

who would link the hard core terrorist to the average more or less secular Muslim, not to mention lumping all non-hispanic brown people as (Muslim) Arabs

so yes it is a stereotype.

[Deep13]

23. A lot of people would. I can't answer for them. nt

[MilesColtrane]

13. If I'd had someone I loved killed by a suicide bomber, it would piss me off.

Luckily, I only find it in extremely poor taste.

[pintobean]

17. Great point.

I hadn't considered that angle. I found humor in it, but something bothered me about it. I think you hit the nail on the head. I was thinking that it should be no more offensive to Muslims than pedophile priest jokes should be to Christians.

There are real victims to all crimes.
Thanks.

[Deep13]

21. Agree on the first point.

Now that you point it out it is pretty insentivie to the victims of suicide bombs.

[Kaleva]

14. I first saw it awhile ago and thought it to be very funny.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. I thought it hilarious, but also in very bad taste and shouldn't have been made.

[proteus_lives]

24. That was hilarious!

:rofl:

[Moondog]

25. This ad is at least two years old.

And I still laugh like hell every fucking time I see it. So shoot me.

[applegrove]

26. That is awful.

[hedgehog]

27. I think the proper term here is "edgy", which is short hand for

"I know we're not supposed to laugh at that because it demeans (fill in the blank), but damn, that's funny!"

[MrScorpio]

28. Yep, it's offensive

Ad execs on dope

[crim son]

29. Totally offense but

also funny. Many very fine people do not believe that these two qualies can coexist; I'm not one of them.

[cherokeeprogressive]

30. Thought it was funny. Couldn't discern the race, ethnicity, or religion of the driver.

I saw it a couple of years ago when it first came out. At the time I thought it was very funny.

[HopeHoops]

31. I didn't even find it funny. VW doesn't make ANYTHING as tough as the original beetle.

And by "original", I mean the one created in 1937 from which "The People's Car" got its name. The "hippie mobile" of the 60's was their 2nd toughest with the matching microbus running a close 2nd. Nothing they make now is even in the same league.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

32. heh.

I was more like this:

:wtf:

and then:

:)

and then:

:shrug:

and then:

dumbass.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

33. Both.

I laughed, then I felt guilty for laughing.

[LaurenG]

34. Awful and very poor taste

:(