Gay Group Says Dodge Caliber Fairy Ad is Offensive
Friday April 7, 2006
The Commercial Closet says one of Chrysler's TV commercials for the 2007 Dodge Caliber is offensive. The commercial in question shows a fairy flying through the city transforming ordinary-looking things like buildings and trains into gingerbread houses and toy trains. As the fairy throws her fairy dust on the Caliber to change it, she's simply rejected and thrown against a wall.
The Commercial Closet reviews ads and marketing campaigns that could be offensive to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenders. The non-profit organization gave the "Too Tough" commercial a negative review, "because it directly finds humor with the term 'fairy' -- referring not just to the type that flies around with a magic wand, but also to the universally recognizable gay stereotype of an effeminate gay man."
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The Commercial Closet reviews ads and marketing campaigns that could be offensive to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenders. The non-profit organization gave the "Too Tough" commercial a negative review, "because it directly finds humor with the term 'fairy' -- referring not just to the type that flies around with a magic wand, but also to the universally recognizable gay stereotype of an effeminate gay man."
Comments
You have got to be kidding! I would have never thought of the term “fairy” as anything other than a fairy. Could we start drama somewhere else please!
I aggree with John!!! As a gay man, I did not take this commercial offensive, I thought it was kinda humorous. These offended men should not get ther panties all tied up in a bunch…..
I don’t think the offensive part is a (er, real) fairy being called a fairy, it’s that the fairy’s revenge was to turn a tough guy into a stereotypical gay man. That’s punishment?
But no one is burning down Dodge dealerships over this, just pointing out the gay baiting (even if humorous) of the ad.
Cheap shot by a cheap car builder. Is the Dodge “SS” next?
man, i thought the dude was calling the fairy a fairy..not homophobia, geeze just relax. and anyway that fairy is hot
she certainly IS hot! WHO is she? someone please find out!
If anyone pays attention to the “POINT” of the advertisement… it is about opposites….a strong, brick building turned to a gingerbread top?..a speeding train…..ok, you all know the routine….the thing is…dont people have enough problems, without people creating more?… all the people complaining about this ad are doing, is creating more hate, by making an issue of something so pointless… not to mention non-existant…….
C’mon, who’s kidding who here. All you politically-correct apologist ostriches need to pull your heads out of …. the sand.
I’m a straight middle-aged white male, and it’s blatantly obvious that the ad agency responsible for this spot knew damn well what they were doing, and Chrysler knew damn well what they got for their money.
FWIW, I’m not offended by it, but some of the more sensitive social watchdogs out there certainly - and correctly - point out that when the Pitbull-walking skinhead mocks the magical fairy, she retaliates by using her magic to turn the thug into the very antithesis of what his ilk loathe and hate the most…why else would they throw in that flaming “Ohhhhhh!” exclamation the “reconfigured” guy emits at the end?
Get a grip, people. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a freakin’ duck.
This is a boring debate and argument… but I suppose it was enough for me to offer my 2 cents. The world of advertising is full of many metaphors, what if’s, analogies… etc.
If people would stop taking everything they see and hear so literal and stop relating EVERYTHING TO RACISM & HOMOPHOBIA then MAAAYBE society could move along a little more quickly. A fairy is a fairy… a tinkerbell… a little good witch that says bibbity bopitty boo and turns metal into cookies. I mean seriously, being a member of the gay community myself, stop crying hate everytime you see something 6 degrees from a stereotype in the media.
It was probably a gay man behind this campaign anyway. The big wigs in the “good ol’ boy” Ford label aren’t always the ones making advertising decisions.
Get over it.
I meant Chrysler
If the Irish don’t mind, why should the homosexual community.
In fact, I believe we invented the wee lasses.
It never fails. Someone, some group, some sect, some faction will always read something into everything and find a war to wage. Nobody is happy unless they have something to whine about or make other people feel bad about. Everyone has this idea that the world is out to get “them”. “them” as an indivdual, “them” as a group, “them” as a self appointed deserving sub-culture that wants to be brought out into the light somehow. Imagine a world when everyone just shut up and just……lived. No matter what race, creed, etc. you are, someone always has a “cause” they think is the most crucial, because someone hurt their feelings. Its like they’re 8 years old again, tattling on their older sibling. No one cares that you’re gay until you make it an overblown issue because you want the fact of being gay to be more socially accepted by putting it in the public eye as much as possible. The same goes with ANYONE no matter what you’re sexual PREFERENCE is, or skin color, etc. People as a whole need to grow up and worry about themselves instead of their pathetic attention getting causes. This is a commercial made to advertise a car and contain some comedic entertainment. PERIOD. Stop reading and weaving your causes and social revolutions into everything. Doing that is what makes people hate others and dismiss one another. Enlighten your world with acting instead of acting out. There is a difference.
I have my Caliber R/T on order
I love that fairy, she IS HOT… homo-proof car? that’s funny… I live in SF, it’s not a freakshow, and people are people. We got better things to do than hissyfit about a car commercial.
Seriously. I noticed it more when they took it out. I would never buy a Dodge just because they took the fairy bit out to save the Brokeback Mountain crowd’s poor little feelings.
They didn’t take the fairy out of the commercial. This really angers me because these Extremist idiots should know better than to say that the way someone dresses means they are gay. These people have no job, life, or significant other to occupy their time with, so they prey on any fight they can find
#s 5 and 6 are right: the fairy is really something. Who IS she?
did anyone find out who this fairy is yet? she’s hot!!! lol
I suppose I should start a complaint over this commercial because of its ‘BLATANT promotion of ‘Womanizing & Skirt-Chasing’ - considering that even I looked up info about this ad (the first time I have ever done so over a commercial) to find out WHO THAT FAIRY IS!!! - Yes, she’s a hottie! (I would still never actually buy a Dodge though)
…It would be a stretch of course, but no more than all this nonsense about its being ‘homophobic’. After all, the fairy in the ad is making everything ‘cute’… and it clearly states that the vehicle in question is supposedly ‘anything but’…
People obviously try pretty hard to READ INTO all kinds of things when it suits them to ‘have something to complain over once again’in their little lives. It never once occured to me that there was ever even a ‘gay issue’ involved with said advertisement to begin with.. until I came online to look for the identity of the ‘fairy’. (Who even really uses the term ‘fairy/faery’ anymore like that anyways? - Over-the-hill cowboys & sailors?…)
Besides, I rather like how she transformed the guy at the end myself - he was pretty ugly to begin with, so it was a huge improvement in my opinion. (Good gawd! Call the brigades - I’m making fun of brutish punk-rockerish bald people now!… Bald Punks unite!)
Don’t get me wrong.. I have many gay friends myself, and happen to like them as people as much as anyone (which in my case means - not overly much) but I’m certainly glad I’m not gay myself.. as it would apparently mean I’d have to lose my wonderfuly dryish ’sense-of-humour’ and take great efforts to make ‘whiny offense’ at every little thing I could.
Sorry, I have FAR better things to worry about (like discovering the identity of that fairy for starters! ;O)
Love the commercial! Perfect casting
of the fairy! I think the citizens
of the U.S. have more to worry about
than a fairy painting the town! Oh Please! Good Advertising if you ask me. You remembered the commercial didn’t you? I just wonder what the Queer Eye Guys thought of the makeover!
what’s funny in all of this is the fact that up until we saw the ‘edited’ version of this commercial last week, it was our favorite…not that we like the fact that we had a favorite commercial, but because we had found a little black puppy that some gem of the world abandoned near our country property during 105* weather last summer, whom we aptly named ‘gypsy,…we had been going around the house saying, “silly little gypsy” for the past month or so, ever since the commercial first aired…you would think that people could channel their energy into something that makes this country a bit more productive…
I was wondering if the ad agency that did this ad is the same as the one that has done the odd ads for the Sci-Fi channel? It had the same feeling, especially at the start and with the music used.
I’m a gay man. I like to laugh. I have a very keen sense of humor, and I can even laugh at myself. I even like poking fun at my community. But when I saw this ad for the first time (in a movie theater, where the long version is shown) I was outraged.
Those who dismiss this ad as harmless, and tell us to worry about other problems, don’t get it. But for a very good analysis of just what’s going on, those who care can check out Ad Age’s article here:
http://adage.com/columns/article?article_id=108621
I can’t believe that someone could be “outraged” by a freakin commercial….get a sense of humor for cryin out loud. When I saw it, I thought it more of a bully pushing the poor little fairy around so she made him into a nerd!!! Even most real WOMEN wouldn’t be offended by such a harmless commercial. If gays are gonna take offense to something so harmless as this, then I guess they’re better off back in the closet.
All I can say to those who are offended is….SILLY LITTLE FAIRIES!!!
GET A LIFE AND A SENSE OF HUMOR!!
Funny, clever commercial.
I got the subtle “fairy” reference the first time.
I watch it everytime it comes on, with no plans to buy a Dodge Whatever.
I don’t believe the folks who made never made the “gay” connection, as they maintain.
I just saw the edited version; no “Silly little fairy.” It’s lacking.
So, by the “outrage” im guessing that people don’t realize that the fairy was changing things into “cute” things, not “gay” things
i’m gay and i don’t find anything wrong with the ad offensive at all. Infact i find it sad that people actually do
P.S….I’m going to buy a Dodge Caliber ASAP lol
I agree with jules, SILLY LITTLE FAIRIES!!! Grow up and get over yourselve already!!!
Dodge gave into whoever “they who complain are” they have now taken out the silly little fairy line. Im getting very tired of corporations and politicians pandering to every minorities “unfounded” cause.
Maybe we should be offended that the big joke type was a sterotype - the jocks of the country should be outraged that they are being made fun of.
Of course, I’m offended by all those women in ads - how DARE they use women in such a way! And men are in ads - is this a way to “use” human beings for commercial purposes?
I thought the ad was cute!
Maybe we should never find any humor in any characteristics of anyone at all ever anyplace. Except that people are by nature pretty d*** funny! Straight, gay, black, white, green, Martians, whatever. The humor is in putting differences together, and using variations on the words (puns).
Get a life, people, you’re getting into the mainstream!
I honestly thought that the commercial could be taken that way, but I honestly didn’t care. Grow some thicker skin for G-d’s sake.
how about ’silly little muslim’? by comparison you limp wrists don’t scare any more.