Let me begin by saying that I am not someone who is easily offended. Maybe we all think that about ourselves, but in my case, I swear it is the truth. Some of my favorite TV shows include It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Absolutely Fabulous, Arrested Development, Family Guy, South Park, Tosh.0, Louie, and anything by Ricky Gervais. I can genuinely appreciate crass, offensive humor when done intelligently. And okay, I can agree that Tosh.0 may not be considered intelligent, but I still laugh very loudly and uncomfortably when I watch the program, offensive humor, grotesque internet clips, et al.
That being said, THIS is not humor in any way. It's not even clever.
The offense in question (pictured right) is a Belvedere Vodka advertisement the company tweeted last week that directly compares their product to an unwilling sex act - to sexual assault. With the tag line, "Unlike some people, Belvedere always goes down smoothly," and a photograph of a frightened female trying to remove herself from the grasps of a man, this advertisement is very clearly making light of a woman being forced to perform oral sex, as if it is a totally socially acceptable occurrence. And well, maybe it is often accepted behind closed doors and even sometimes in public spaces, but that is the PROBLEM we need to correct. Not promote.
This ad is reprehensible and grossly irresponsible. It is also an insult to the customers of this brand of liquor. Not to mention an insult to victims of sexual assault everywhere. I think I find it particularly disturbing because it makes light of rape between friends or acquaintances, or even lovers. Too many of us know that being raped by someone you are supposed to trust is possibly the hardest type of rape to report, or hell, to even admit to or discuss. And for this reason, this ad makes me physically ill.
Belvedere Vodka has issued two apologies: one, incredibly insincere, the second, slightly more sincere, paired with a donation to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network), but still completely inadequate in my mind. You can read the full apology here at Business Insider.
Why is Belvedere's apology inadequate? Sure, the president of the company has said of the ad that it shouldn't have happened and that he will make it sure it never happens again. But it did happen. And where is the accountability if every time a corporation or public figure that causes a gross offense can simply issue an apology and write a tax-exempt check? No, I'm sorry but that is not good enough for me. Even if they now regret it, the company did create and distribute this advertisement. It happened. And there should be repercussions.
I understand that Belvedere Vodka is not going to publicly name and fire the group of individuals who created and distributed the advertisement, and nor should they. To do so would be foolish and irresponsible, as it could put those individuals in personal danger - and while I think they are probably a big group of a**holes, I don't wish them physical harm. And I don't want Belvedere Vodka to be able to use the limited actions of their creative ad team as a scapegoat because ultimately Belvedere Vodka, in its fullest and grandest sense, is the guilty party. And a five sentence apology and donation doesn't make the wrong they committed right.
And so I will boycott Belvedere Vodka for the foreseeable future in the hopes that the company experiences a very real backlash in the way of financial agony. I will continue to spread the word and encourage others to discontinue any future ties with the vodka company. I hope you agree with me and join in sending a meaningful message to Belvedere Vodka that we will not accept their promotion of a rape culture. Rape and sexual assault of any kind are never okay. Let's take a stand.
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The offense in question (pictured right) is a Belvedere Vodka advertisement the company tweeted last week that directly compares their product to an unwilling sex act - to sexual assault. With the tag line, "Unlike some people, Belvedere always goes down smoothly," and a photograph of a frightened female trying to remove herself from the grasps of a man, this advertisement is very clearly making light of a woman being forced to perform oral sex, as if it is a totally socially acceptable occurrence. And well, maybe it is often accepted behind closed doors and even sometimes in public spaces, but that is the PROBLEM we need to correct. Not promote.
This ad is reprehensible and grossly irresponsible. It is also an insult to the customers of this brand of liquor. Not to mention an insult to victims of sexual assault everywhere. I think I find it particularly disturbing because it makes light of rape between friends or acquaintances, or even lovers. Too many of us know that being raped by someone you are supposed to trust is possibly the hardest type of rape to report, or hell, to even admit to or discuss. And for this reason, this ad makes me physically ill.
Belvedere Vodka has issued two apologies: one, incredibly insincere, the second, slightly more sincere, paired with a donation to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network), but still completely inadequate in my mind. You can read the full apology here at Business Insider.
Why is Belvedere's apology inadequate? Sure, the president of the company has said of the ad that it shouldn't have happened and that he will make it sure it never happens again. But it did happen. And where is the accountability if every time a corporation or public figure that causes a gross offense can simply issue an apology and write a tax-exempt check? No, I'm sorry but that is not good enough for me. Even if they now regret it, the company did create and distribute this advertisement. It happened. And there should be repercussions.
I understand that Belvedere Vodka is not going to publicly name and fire the group of individuals who created and distributed the advertisement, and nor should they. To do so would be foolish and irresponsible, as it could put those individuals in personal danger - and while I think they are probably a big group of a**holes, I don't wish them physical harm. And I don't want Belvedere Vodka to be able to use the limited actions of their creative ad team as a scapegoat because ultimately Belvedere Vodka, in its fullest and grandest sense, is the guilty party. And a five sentence apology and donation doesn't make the wrong they committed right.
And so I will boycott Belvedere Vodka for the foreseeable future in the hopes that the company experiences a very real backlash in the way of financial agony. I will continue to spread the word and encourage others to discontinue any future ties with the vodka company. I hope you agree with me and join in sending a meaningful message to Belvedere Vodka that we will not accept their promotion of a rape culture. Rape and sexual assault of any kind are never okay. Let's take a stand.
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