And that CONTEXT is the important part. It’s not that they were doing it because they hate queers, they were doing it because the very idea of being queer in their feeble minds drove them to stupidity.

People can be mad at what they deem to be insensitive, I won’t begrudge anyone that. What bothers me is when they start a crusade against the company and blow the whole situation beyond what it was intended to be. Mars was not advocating hate crimes, they were trying to make a joke about a pair of dumbasses overreacting to looking a little gay. Maybe it was in poor taste, but that was all they were going for.

Dan, I think you should have written the article instead of me, that was a perfectly concise way of putting it.

Not that! Anything but that!

What a way to sell food – make a portion of your audience gag when they see an ad for your product.

Sometimes cutting edge should end up on the cutting room floor.

Anyway, the reason this commercial (and even the version with the violence) is harmless is that the two men aren’t actually gay. They’re straight buffoons, who, like most straight guys, are grossed out by the idea of kissing another guy- just as my gay pals are grossed out by the idea of kissing women. The commercial is not saying, “Look at these two gross fags who kissed and feel compelled to beat on each other because of their self-hatred and shame.” And even if you accept the notion that boneheads everywhere will get the wrong message and assume it’s okay to to be homophobic because Snickers says so, which I don’t, then wouldn’t you have to also accept that they’re going to get the wrong message no matter WHAT you try to tell them? They’re boneheads! They probably think being gay is a choice. Snickers isn’t going to win or lose that battle, I promise you.