No M&Ms nor MilkyWays nor Skittles nor Snickers nor Starbursts nor Twix...

[DRoseDARs]

...nor any other product produced by Mars, Incorporated. Never again shall I purchase anything they make. Never again will I accept from a friend a candy produced by this company. Never again will I provide this company with money to fund million dollar, hate-filled ad campaigns that speak to the lowest-possible denomination. No apology can ever be sufficient. No public repudiation of those that thought this up will ever remove the fact the company approved of and paid for this to see the light of day. No donation provided to further the cause of equal rights for all US citizens will ever make right this wrong. I don't care what their company's intentions were with the ad campaign, whether it was a cruel attack on homosexuals or an in-your-face mockery of homophobia, either way it was horrific and inexcusable in its presentation.

Boycott them if you like, but for me their company has simply ceased to exist.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. Beautiful post.

:toast:

[Breeze54]

2. I will

eat the candy once in awhile. They took the ads down. They made a mistake. It's over.

[DRoseDARs]

3. Ungodly sums of money, hours upon hours of work to produce Super Bowl ads...

...and this was simply a mistake? I cringe thinking about how many people this "mistake" had to pass through in order to come to fruition. But you're right, it's over: The ads came down. The athletes went to schools across the country the next day and spoke to students about bullying. James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson all came out of the closet and apologized for all the hateful things they have said over the years. Vice-President Cheney apologized to Wolf Blitzer for biting his head off. Fred Phelps is, well, still Fred Phelps and no power on this Earth will change that.

No harm, no foul.

[Breeze54]

10. I didn't

say 'no harm, no foul'. It was a mistake and has been all over the news. That is a good thing, imho.
People are now more aware of why the ad was insulting.
Snickers Inc. should apologize, if they haven't already. I thought I read they they did apologize.
Hopefully they've had their consciousness raised. Maybe they'll hire gay consultants next time or now!
I thought the ad was pretty stupid, myself but I don't think a boycott will change anything.
People will forget not to buy their candy bars. I'm sorry you were hurt by the ad.

[DRoseDARs]

16. But the very notion that they needed to hire "gay consultants" is ridiculous

Had it just been what they played at the Super Bowl, then this would have been a boneheaded mistake, but you are aware of what they concurrently posted on the Snickers website, right? It didn't stop with the revulsion the two ad characters displayed, it went well beyond that. You honestly think they needed to hire someone to tell them the whole thing was offensive? Isn't that like saying a white guy who walks around saying nigger all the time in say New York or San Fransisco (instead of the Deep South) needs to hire someone to tell him people might take offense, else he would never realize it is offensive?

[Breeze54]

17. They did hire

gay consultants and then let them go. Apparently that was a fatal mistake.
So? yes! I think it's obvious they need help!

[DRoseDARs]

64. Well I'm going to guess you're not gay and as such can't really see it, so let's try this...

Alternative commercial:
Two guys, completely engrossed in conversation and eating Snickers bars, walk into a building believing it to be the one they had intended to enter. After a few paces inside the doors, they realize - to their horror - that they've entered a synagogue. What follows are several different endings: Them barely containing their disgust with the thought of being perceived as Jewish (cut to shots of Colts and Bears likewise being disgusted); Them slamming their heads in doorways and drinking whatever toxic chemicals they can find to eliminate the horrid thought of being Jewish (We'd rather be in pain or even DIE than risk being thought of as Jews!); Them eating as much pork as they can find to prove how much they are not Jews (because Jews don't eat pork, which makes us not Jews! Yay us, We's smart!). Vote for your favorite, the winner will be shown during the Daytona 500!

Is it offensive enough for you yet, Breeze54? We could do one involving white guys somehow discovering they have at least one black ancestor or visa versa. Would you be able to relate to that better since I'm assuming you're not gay? What scenario would it take to get you to see just how unacceptable the Snickers ad and its little web extras really were? Put yourself in another's shoes and then try a third party's shoes, and then a fourth's. You don't have to be gay, black, Jewish, or a paid consultant to know that this was offensive, to put it mildly.

[Breeze54]

69. You're condescension is offensive.

How dare you try to put words in my mouth!?

When did I say that I thought it was acceptable?

You have a huge chip on your shoulder but don't take it out on me.

Your despair isn't the only thing happening in the world today.

Not being gay doesn't mean other people don't have empathy.

Take your anger out on the Snickers company!

Who the fuck do you think you are, anyway??

I do see that this is your only cause though....how selfish!

[DRoseDARs]

72. NOW she's offended...

Go figure. :eyes:

>>>You're condescenion is offensive.
Posted by Breeze54

Condescending would be me correcting your spelling... (That's a joke, lighten up. I couldn't care less about speeling on teh Intertubezes.)

>>>How dare you try to put words in my mouth!?

Where did I put words in your mouth exactly?

>>>When did I say that I thought it was acceptable?

You didn't, but all your posts so far indicate that you really don't get what the fuss is about. Not your fault. Being white, I'll never fully understand what an African-American goes through when they're discriminated against.

>>>You have a huge chip on your shoulder but don't take it out on me.

I haven't, but don't let that stop you from carrying that cross on your back that you've just picked up. Put it down, I think you're getting splinters. ;)

>>>Your despair isn't the only thing happening in the world today.

Thank you, but we both already know that (our donor stars and the 5700+ posts between us would also indicate that neither of us is in the dark) so that wasn't a particularly useful comment. This thread isn't about those other things. Plus, the discrimination and hatred faced by our homosexual brethren doesn't simply go away every time the MSM moves on to another story or Bush bombs another country.

>>>Not being gay doesn't mean other people don't have empathy.

That's way I tried alternate examples to show that it wasn't just that the subtext was homophobic, but that the underlying bigotry could have been applied to any number of groups and maybe then it would click just how ugly their little "mistake" really is.

>>>Take your anger out on the Snickers company!

Erm, that's the point of this thread.

>>>Who the fuck do you think you are, anyway??

I'm fucking DRoseDARs, a fucking Taurus, a fucking Nevadan and I was fucking appalled by the Snickers ad shown during the Super Bowl and continued on the Snickers website (whose content was even worse than what was shown during the fucking game).

>>>I do see that this is your only cause though....how selfish!

Now who's putting words into another's mouth as it were? And again, this thread was not meant for other issues.

[Breeze54]

78. " I'm fucking DRoseDARs" ...WE KNOW!!!

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/condescension
Noun - 1.condescension - the trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior
disdainfulness, superciliousness arrogance, haughtiness, hauteur, highhandedness, lordliness -
overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors
2. - condescension - a communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing the recipient
disdain, patronage, derogation, disparagement, depreciation - a communication that belittles somebody or something
3. - condescension - affability to your inferiors and temporary disregard for differences of position or rank

-----------------------------

"I'm fucking DRoseDARs, a fucking Taurus, a fucking Nevadan and I was fucking appalled
by the Snickers ad shown during the Super Bowl and continued on the Snickers website
(whose content was even worse than what was shown during the fucking game)."

I used to be a Nevadan too!! :hi: neighbor!!!!

Trying to boycott the candy bar is a worthy cause but a long uphill battle.

Look at the Walmart boycott or the Coca-Cola boycott! Is there one?

Not that I've noticed but that's not from lack of trying.

It amazes me that you think you're on FR and under their type of attack though...or so it seems (to you).

You have many allies here, or didn't you know that?

Why are you alienating your supporters with your anger and nasty attitude?

Everybody here gets it! So, why are you beating your comrades over the head with it... still?

I hope you find some peace in your life and someday realize who is on your side.

It seems to me that DU does support you.

Don't throw that away with your displaced anger.

[we can do it]

34. No They Did Not Apologize. They Sent An Email Out Stating the Ads Appeal To Their Market

So since I am not their market I will never again buy any of their crap that only makes you sick and fat anyway. And the ad is still floating around on the internet, so no it didn't just go away. Screw them. They also exploit child labor, so no harm no foul there, too, I suppose. Since its not your kids anyway - same analogy as well I'm not gay so I don't see why "you people" are getting all worked up.

[Breeze54]

38. I don't like snickers bars anyway. n/t

[we can do it]

45. There Are Other Could Candies Out There - So No Big Loss

:)

[donheld]

5. yea right

We'll see if they air the ads as promised at the Daytona 500

[Cobalt Violet]

4. I quit sugar and artificial sweeteners Dec. 2 2006.

I feel so much better so I won't be eating any of their products anyway. Is that all they make is candy?

[DRoseDARs]

6. There are others and it isn't just candies they produce...

Search through their Mars Directory and select a country to see what else they make:
http://www.mars.com/global/

[Cobalt Violet]

13. Thanks,I don't consume anything they make anyway.

And I don't have a dog. And I won't start anytime soon.

[we can do it]

44. So What Was Uncle Ben's Converted Rice Before It Converted?

[karlrschneider]

53. Maggots.

:evilgrin:

[shance]

25. That's terrific Cobalt. What do you do if and/or when you have a sweet tooth?

n/t

[Cobalt Violet]

35. Raw sugar snap peas are very sweet.

Baby carrots are sweet too. I eat a lot of fruit too. But the sugar snap peas are my favorite.

The more time I go without sugary sweet, the fewer cravings I get. It's just getting through those first few days and weeks that can be tough.



I eat them whole. They are good cooked too.

[shance]

46. Thats a great point. I love them too.

Thanks for the reminder.

[Cobalt Violet]

62. Costco sells them in pretty big bags.

And they are a lot money there than grocery stores.

[we can do it]

37. That's Great - I Hope To Keep My Sugar Consumption Very Low

I'm curious, do you think you crave sweets less as time goes by? I have noticed that after a few days without sugar, you stop craving it. I quit pop more than 10 years ago, I was over it in a month. My waitress refilled my water glass the other day with Sprite or something like that, I just about gagged when I got a mouthful of that crap. YUK

[Cobalt Violet]

61. Yes much less.

I don't crave sweets most times of the months at all anymore.

[terrya]

7. Thank you.

This is a great post. I interpreted it as a nasty slur against gay men. And to use such something like that to sell candy bars....and to have, on their website, football players validating this crap....it was cynical, disgusting and wrong.

I, too, will never, ever buy any of their products ever again. Fuck em'

[RandiFan1290]

8. Don't forget the NFL

and the players that took part in this disgusting campaign.

[LoZoccolo]

33. And the network that aired it.

And everyone who laughed.

[BuyingThyme]

50. And the discussion forum that allows debate on it.

[we can do it]

43. Screw Them Too, I Am Sick Of Hearing the Oversized Asswipes Spewing Their Bigotry

[acmejack]

9. Don't forget the Mars Family is among the evil Eighteen!

If you care about such things. The Eighteen super wealthy families who spent millions to kill the the " Death Tax" to protect their Billion Dollar Estates! If you happen to care about such things, that is. I realize circumstances may dictate that you have to shop at Walmart, but rarely do you have to eat Mars Candy...

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2182

[electprogdems]

18. Thank you for pointing out the REAL

reason Mars is just wrong. Encouraging the masses to hate gays is just one of their tools.

[mopinko]

21. they have always been evil, afaik

my mom worked for them here in chicago back in the day. they made her quit when she got married!

[soothsayer]

11. Do they make Alpo? I remember a worker of theirs having to eat

it (perhaps that's an industry standard, that you have human taste-testers of dog food), in a fascinating WP story on the kooky Mars family (they're locals, still living in their tiny little houses in the Arlington, VA area, despite their billions, cuz their dad was a totally controlling whacko. Anyway, lots more to boycott, if that's yer route.

[GOPBasher]

12. Good idea, and besides, your body will thank you! n/t

[Roland99]

14. Oy vey. I'll keep chomping on my favorite candy bar in the world: Snickers!!!

I swear. Shit like this just marginalizes the left ever more.

Find something REAL to be outraged over!!!

[NaturalHigh]

30. You've missed the point...

You are supposed to be outraged over EVERYTHING! EVERYONE is a victim. You are not allowed to enjoy anything; you are to be pissed off about something all the time. That's what I have learned from these Snickers threads.

BTW, this is all sarcasm, for those among us who are slow to comprehend. I personally could not possibly care less about the Snickers commercials.

[Roland99]

39. The whole "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention" crap.

:)

[blonndee]

54. Oh okay, since you say so...

:eyes:

At least you don't even bother TRYING to appear compassionate. I'm sick of your insensitive, hateful comments, needling, ridicule, and general nastiness that I'd expect to find elsewhere, not here. You're going on Ignore, because you contribute absolutely NOTHING but what I just descibed. The DU community is worse off for your presence.

Bye!

[Roland99]

67. Woo hoo! I'm on ignore! WHEEE!!!

[Darkhawk32]

73. Roland, I think you need a good spanking! We all need a good spanking!!! n/t

[twilight_sailing]

15. I can do that.

Thanks.

[Mabus]

19. I got a response to my e-mail from Mars, here it is:

In response to your email regarding SNICKERS BRAND .

As with all of our SNICKERS Brand advertising, our goal was to capture the attention of our core SNICKERS consumer.

Feedback from our target consumers has been positive. In addition, many media and website commentators of this year's Super Bowl commercial line-up ranked the commercial among this year's top ten best. USA Today ranked it #9 of its top ten pick.

We know that humor is highly subjective and understand that some people may have found the ad offensive. Clearly that was not our intent. Consequently, we do not plan to continue to air the ad on television or on our SNICKERS Brand website.

Please be assured that we appreciate your feedback and value you as a consumer. We will continue to forward your comments on to our Marketing Managers.

Sincerely,

Consumer Care
Masterfoods USA
A Division of Mars, Incorporated

MM/GEV010052469A

I, and this hurts, will not buy any Mars candy again.

[Lex]

26. So their ad was only for their "core SNICKERS consumer"???

First of all :wtf:

And second of all, why wouldn't they try to get new consumers and not just their loyal customers to buy Snickers?

[Mabus]

28. That's what struck me

and that's why I italicized it (which, in all honesty I should have mentioned when I posted it).

I guess they're very happy with the consumer base and don't feel a need to change it. On the other hand, I do not think I'm a member of their core consumer base so, I no longer feel that I should buy their products, so it works out. They've basically told me to go fuck off, so I will treat them the same way.

[ColdboyinStPaul]

76. I don't eat them anyway...but

I probably won't take the time to boycott them. If they are the only thing left on the counter come Halloween and once again I wait until the last minute...snickers it will be.

I boycot CITGO and Blockbuster only. I can keep them straight and it's pretty easy to follow.

[HuffleClaw]

20. M&Ms ?

not my precious almond M&Ms.

[Fla Dem]

49. Darn, I'm sitting here eating my M&M's.

I'm not condemning a company for making one stupid mistake. Aside from it being an offensive commercial, it was just plain STUPID! The snickers bar was an after thought. Lost in the stupidity of the crotch scratching, nose picking, snorting, apeiness of the ad. IT DID NOT SELL ANYTHING!!!!

Some clown in advertising thought this was funny and got some other clowns to agree with him, they then sold it to higher up clowns who were too busy to think beyond the crotch jock mentality of the supposed audience.

People rightfully so have brought their insensitivity to their attention. They've pulled the ad. I am sure someone will get SOME heat for it, but in the end everyone will forget about it. So unless MARS does something that reinforces the idea they are homophobic pricks, I'm not giving up my M&M's.

[sakabatou]

22. Then Hershey's it is!

[Bethany Rockafella]

23. It won't be hard for me to give up those candies.

I don't buy either one of them. I'm not a kid anymore. :)

[shance]

24. Oh MAN......Twix is a Mars product too????

That's just painful news.

x(

[ProfessorGAC]

36. Yeah That Bums Me Out Too

That and Skittles. Darn it. However, it's not that big a sacrifice. I don't really eat that much candy.
The Professor

[northernsoul]

60. No! Not Twix!

Anything else on that list I'd never give a second thought to.. but Twix! Dammit!

I guess I'll always have Gummi Bears (one of my ultimate weak spots!)

[shance]

27. I wonder if this boycott has anything to do with why Mars candies are on sale right now?

A pretty huge sale at that.

Here in Los Angeles.

[jgraz]

29. most definitely -- time to move on. and up.

http://www.scharffenberger.com

http://www.vosgeschocolate.com

http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.com

[malta blue]

31. Vosges is the end-all, be-all of

chocolate....

Thanks

[jgraz]

32. Especially this one

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[malta blue]

40. That sounds good too!

I am partial to this one (even if it is milk chocolate)
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/naga_exotic_candy_bar/exotic_candy_bars/

[rucky]

41. No Problem!

There are better sweets out there.

[TommyO]

42. Expand your list a little bit

Mars is responsible for the following:

http://www.mars.com/global/Mars+Directory/United+States/Company+Search+Results.htm

Following is a list of Mars business units that operate in the country you have selected. Click on the business unit name to see information about the business unit and links to web sites for brands that it sells.

Note: this list is not intended to be a complete list of all brands manufactured or available in this country.
Masterfoods USA
Flavia Beverage Systems
Information Services International
Masterfoods USA
Click here to see information about this company.
Following are web sites for brands sold by this company: (category and websites snipped for legibility)

Brand
FLAVIA
MASTERFOODSERVICES
UNCLE BEN'S
CESAR
PEDIGREE
SHEBA
WALTHAM
WHISKAS
BUCKEYE
3 MUSKETEERS
CELEBRATIONS
COMBOS
COOKIES&
DOVE
ETHEL-M
KUDOS
M&M'S
M&M'S
M&M'S
MILKY WAY
SKITTLES
SNICKERS
STARBURST
TWIX

[EdwardM]

47. That's insane.

We got a war going on, we got 40 million people without health insurance, we got genocides around the coutnry our country refuses to address, we got massive starvation problems, and we even have real discrimination against homosexuals, and you are worried about some pointless commercial? I'm sure you can find something better to boycott a company over. I do not see how that ad was "hate filled." I'm sure they meant no harm by the commercial. If this counts as gay bashing then now, I guess its time to boycott every company, because Im sure if you'd look hard enough, you could find stuff far worse than this.

[deaniac21]

48. Do you think NASA should send a manned mission to there?

[mockmonkey]

56. No intelligent life at Mars Inc. n/t

[deaniac21]

63. I was just thinking of the samples they'd bring back.

[karlrschneider]

51. Count me in. Or out, to put it another way.

:D

[Hippo_Tron]

52. If that's what you believe in then you should go for it

I'm not going to try and stop you and neither should anyone else.

Personally I'm not boycotting and I have my own theories about what the real intent of the ad campaign was, but most people here think my theories are bogus, so I won't bother sharing them.

[BuyingThyme]

55. Don't let people bully you out of speaking truth.

Let's hear it.

[Hippo_Tron]

57. I've posted a thread on this, I think the whole intent of the ad campaign was to create controversy

I don't believe that advertising execs are idiots, I think that they planned this whole thing. They posted the offensive alternative endings and then quickly pulled them to stir controversy so that this would be written about all over the internet and be all over the news. This is the perfect segment for lazy excuse for journalism shows like Bill O'Reilly and Hannity and Colmes.

As far as I'm concerned $2.6 million didn't just buy Snickers a 30 second spot at the Superbowl, it bought them a free week or two of "was the ad homophobic?" stories and every time one of those stories is run, the word "Snickers" is mentioned about 20 times.

This is nothing more than a way for Snickers to get free advertising as far as I'm concerned.

[BuyingThyme]

58. Thanks.

:)

[ScreamingMeemie]

59. Advertising for people to not buy their products.

Great idea. :thumbsup:

[Hippo_Tron]

66. If America was like DU then yes

But DU is full of activists and America is not. When most Americans see this story on the news their responses will be a combination of... "Oh well they apologized and pulled the offensive ads from their website, I forgive them", "I'm gonna go buy a Snickers bar to spite those gay groups that will complain about anything", and "Mmmmm Snickers".

[DRoseDARs]

74. So if they had gone with my Jewish scenario in post#64, that'd still be ok? Just slick marketing?

No, seriously. I'm asking if you think they could have gone that route and if the response would be the same. This line-of-thought intrigues me, though I don't agree with it (or really care as I mentioned in the OP) since it seems they thought going the gay route was a "safe" choice as opposed to just running a different, obscenely expensive ad.

[Hippo_Tron]

79. That exact scenario wouldn't work, but they could absolutely play off of anti-semitism

The reason is that part of the gimmick requires them to play off of the "manly men" commercial that most people saw. The "manly men" commercial wasn't nearly as easy to interpret as homophobic as the ones on the website and far more people have seen or heard about the commercial that was aired during the Super Bowl and not the ones aired on the website.

The Jewish commercial wouldn't work because it's not believable and therefore not funny. But people can believe the idea of dumb men pulling out their chest hair because the accidentally kissed. And again, most people won't see the ad of dumb men drinking motor fluid because they accidentally kissed.

But since you mention antisemitism here's an example of what I was talking about. I remember at services one time and the Rabbi was giving a sermon about how the Passion of the Christ is anti-semitic. The whole time I was thinking to myself "tons of people are now going to see the movie now just because it's controversial." And lets face it, the Passion of the Christ did incredibly well at the box office despite the attacks that it was anti-semitic.

Going this route wasn't necessarily "safe" by any means but it has the potential for great returns on their investment.

[jgraz]

80. You're absolutely right -- and it makes them even bigger scumbags

My bro is in advertising and he backs you up. These guys weren't just insensitive clowns. They knew exactly what they were doing and they were hoping to play on the controversy for more exposure. Why you would need more exposure for freaking SNICKERS is beyond me.

Ironically, their scumbaggery has also given a bunch of exposure to homophobia. At the end of the day, this may turn out to be a good thing for the GLBT community if we can use it to raise consciousness about the issue.

[Hippo_Tron]

82. Maybe, but I don't think the GLBT community has much chance in this media climate

I think the exposure was two fold. One, they were trying to get homophobic people to buy Snickers to spite the gay groups when they saw the story on shows like Hannity and Colmes, which are never going to be favorable to the GLBT representative, always to the people who say they are over-reacting. The second aspect is just getting the word Snickers said as many times on TV as possible because it affects the subconscious.

Again, I don't think the GLBT community can use this to help their cause because the media isn't going to favor them. So strategically I don't think it's a good idea to make a big deal about this. That being said, I don't have any right to tell anyone what their priorities should be and if GLBT activists want to take this on then they have every right to and I hope that they succeed.

BTW, I'm glad your brother backs me up. I might go into advertising one day although I plan to do mostly political and charitable work.

[meow mix]

65. im with ya, not 1 M&M will i ever touch, ever again.

whats a good and blue-friendly choclate to get anyways. nestle is a republican donar i thought..

[gravity]

68. I think this boycott is stupid

Snickers was just trying to make a funny commerical.

They did not purposely try to promote violence towards gays. It makes me go insane when people say that, because it clearly was not the point of it. If you say that snickers made an insensitive towards gays, or showed homosexuality in negative light, you could have a point. Sinckers admitted their mistake, apologized and removed the commerical, which is arguably the reasonable thing to do.

This whole promoting violence thing is just crazy though. It makes it seem like you are out of touch with reality, and make you lose credibility.

[DRoseDARs]

70. You seem to be unaware of the alternative endings Snickers had on their website...

...which were rather violent (with the implication that one should endure great pain, even life-threatening poison, before one should be gay) or the non-apology they emailed back to someone who replied to this thread which was the "We were targeting a particular demographic with this ad" excuse. How again is THAT an apology?

[gravity]

77. I am aware of it

In one of the ads, a third guy want to join in the kiss which in no way suggest to violence. It was just suppose to be funny.

The other commericials show the two guys doing "manly" things. It was overly exagerated to make it funny, thats it. It wasn't implying that one should do it. Lots of people do incredibily stupid things on TV, but it doesn't imply that others should do it. It's just suppose to make the character look incredibly foolish.

[GoneOffShore]

71. I stopped buying Mars products a long time ago

BECAUSE THEIR CHOCOLATE SUCKS. No other reason.

[citizen snips]

75. Any publicity is good publicity.

and that was the entire point of the ad was to create controversy so they could get more attention.

[drbtg1]

81. Plus, you've become one step closer to avoid seeing me.

...or, at least, my dental practice.

;)