Outbreak of common sense?
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Nandos 'village bike' ad not sexist, rules ASA
Referring to the village bike or asking to borrow a friend's girlfriend is not sexist, offensive or derogatory to women, the ASA has ruled, as long as it is done in a comical Portuguese accent. The Advertising Standards Authority made the ruling in response to a series of complaints about adverts for Nandos, the periperi …
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 12:13 GMT Anonymous Coward
Benny Hill a TV classic?
But you've (all) missed the point.
You know when you go to a Jim Davidson gig, that it's going to be sexist, racist crap, and presumably you're going there because that's the sort of unfunnies you like.
Bit of a difference between that and having to walk past posters of Chalky White on every street corner.
I look forward to the day when every other advert features a nine inch man handle and you all slowly start to understand that feminism might have a point.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 13:10 GMT Anonymous Coward
nine inch man handles
Do you honestly think that adverts featuring nine inch man handles are going to teach sexist men a lesson? I think you'll find women objecting to such ads in the name of "feminism" while the men jeer and laugh.
Anyway, these are all trivial issues. A more serious issue is that it is still extremely difficult in this country for a woman to have children and a career in most professions. Censoring language in advertisements isn't going to solve that problem.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 13:52 GMT Bassey
Re: A more serious issue
> Anyway, these are all trivial issues. A more serious issue is that it is still extremely
> difficult in this country for a woman to have children and a career in most professions
Really? I know loads of women with children who also have successful careers. What is nigh-on impossible is for a man to stay at home and look after his children. Women get statutory maternity leave. Men do not.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 13:57 GMT Sarah Bee
Re: Re: A more serious issue
Well, just because you know 'loads' of women who manage this it doesn't effectively negate the other commenter's point - that's not how anecdotal evidence works.
But I'm really not getting involved. It's depressing how the most frivolous story that is even vaguely gender-related provokes this kind of discussion and it always ends badly with nothing resolved and lots of shouting and a fair portion of nastiness. Can't we just... not? Look outside, it's a beautiful day. Enough.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 23:55 GMT Cheshire Cat
Move to New Zealand
We (men) get equal rights to women here in New Zealand! Same statutory *paid* maternity and paternity leave for us all.
This is really good as (1) it makes it easier for parents, and (2) eliminates all the complaints about 'women take time off for babies but men dont so its harder for them to get hired', 'men dont help out with kids because they cant take time off', etc etc.
If the other countries followed suit (Scandinavia is already there I believe) then it would be better all round.
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Thursday 2nd September 2010 09:46 GMT Andrew Meredith
White^H^H^H^H^HGirl Power !
"Really? I know loads of women with children who also have successful careers. What is nigh-on impossible is for a man to stay at home and look after his children. Women get statutory maternity leave. Men do not."
Now try taking the little'un to baby groups. Once or twice and you're an interesting novelty. "Oh it's so nice you got the time off. It's so rare that we see the fathers caring for their children" (complete with subtextual pat on the head)
However, if you are the primary carer and dare to bring them along regularly, you will be horrified by the reaction you get. Womens libers as were, have now shifted right and become Female Supremacists. They no longer want equality, they want to rule want they see as their domain and resist any intruders with some quite nasty tactics at times.
... and yes, this *is* first hand experience.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 23:53 GMT Anonymous Coward
Why the AC?
> Do you honestly think that adverts featuring nine inch man handles are going to teach sexist men
> a lesson?
No.
> I think you'll find women objecting to such ads in the name of "feminism" while the men jeer and
> laugh.
All of which is nothing more than a little window into your view of feminism. And nothing more.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 13:25 GMT Greg J Preece
The really stupid part is...
"I look forward to the day when every other advert features a nine inch man handle and you all slowly start to understand that feminism might have a point."
The really stupid part is that most *men* wish they weren't like that. I, for one, am sick of being advertised to as if I were a knuckle-dragging ape, or ten years old. Look at any Gillette advert - they talk to men as if we're all one step above protoplasm.
Ug. Me man. Me want shag woman. Me buy razor. Ug ug oooh, aaagh!
Most guys (or at least most guys I know) wish advertisers would stop with this crap. Oh look, tits, yes very good. I have seen those before, you know...
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 12:13 GMT Dave Cradle
Self-inflicted
A fair request, but mix these three ingredients in any measure you like and what would you imagine the result would be?
i) The usual level of comment for a bootnotes article
ii) An article about double-entendre and sexual inuendo...
iii) ...and the people that complain about such things.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 13:12 GMT Anonymous Coward
@ John Dee
I rather think that whatever woman you've got up on that pedestal (it's not your mother is it? Please, tell me it's not your mother?!) is so high up that she's got no chance of seeing anything you might show her either.
Lighten up.
Men like adverts that show women as attractive
Women like adverts that show men are incapable of cleaning the house/looking after the kids/breathing - or adverts about women in white trousers who jump out out of aeroplanes cause they are wearing a sanitary towel.
It's a bit of fun, no one is suggesting anything other than that, but you're over-reacting.
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Thursday 2nd September 2010 00:15 GMT Anonymous Coward
Try Again
> I rather think that whatever woman you've got up on that pedestal (it's not your mother is it?
> Please, tell me it's not your mother?!) is so high up that she's got no chance of seeing anything
> you might show her either.
Sorry? I'm less than comfortable with the sea of tits and ass that is modern culture and that means means I have mother issues? Perhaps, I'm just not built like you are, and value the opinions and feelings of most of the women I know over my own petty urge to empty my nuts and tell the word about it.
> Men like adverts that show women as attractive
Don't point your "men" at me. Perhaps jiggling boobs help you decide whether you want to buy something or not. How's that working out for you?
>Women like adverts that show ...
People like adverts? Yeah, your entire argument is kinda flawed isn't it.
> It's a bit of fun, no one is suggesting anything other than that, but you're over-reacting.
Er ... lots of people suggest it is something other than that. Just not most commentards, who, I might add, get noticeably sweaty and pointless the moment breasts or lesbians are mentioned. And how can a comment on El Reg be considered overreacting to anything? I'm writing this response whilst waiting for the ads to finish ...
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Thursday 2nd September 2010 00:17 GMT Cheshire Cat
Advertisers use what generally works
Advertisers will use whatever tricks they can get away with, if they work.
Since women are responsible for 70%+ (I think) of purchase decisions you'll get the 'men have difficulty cleaning/breathing' adverts more now as they appear to go down well with the women. Razor and Car adverts are aimed at men because they ar emore likely to make the purchase decision, and since sex sells (to men, in general) they use this.
If these tactics didnt work then advertisers wouldn't use them, as they wouldnt result in increased sales and they'd get fired.
If talking about 9" man-handles encouraged women to buy a differrent brand of breakfast cereal, you can bet that Kellogs would be doing it even as we type - but it seems it doesn't.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 23:51 GMT Trevor_Pott
Special Treatment
@Sarah: Very nearly everyone seems to demand special treatment at some point. Individually or as part of various groups.
@Entire world: If you get uppity when one specific group (we'll say Women as is the topical case,) ask for special treatment but not others, then yes, you are a racist/sexist/other flavour of bigot. The measure of a society isn't or group isn't in how many or which groups ask for special treatment, but how we balance the instinctual desires that everyone has to be treated better than others against the needs of all people to be treated as equally as circumstances allow.
To ask for special treatment is normal and human. To actually treat one group or individual as superior to others is unconscionable, regardless of which group or individual it is.
Also: Asking not to be treated like a disposable piece of meat is not asking for special treatment. It’s asking for a minimum standard of common courtesy and respect. So shoo and vamoose to all the haters and the griefers.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 12:03 GMT Ian Ferguson
Non-story
Like any ASA investigation, if they had been found in breach of the advertising code, they'd just have been told "not to run the advertisment again in its current form."
Seeing as almost all ads are investigated after they've finished running, this is always a non-existent penalty, and only manages to give the offender even more publicity.
Until the ASA has actual teeth, stories like this will continue to be pointless :(
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 12:14 GMT Naughtyhorse
hang on...
who cares about the racist/sexist overtones of the ad, what about the truth?
succulent spicy flame grilled chicken?
you ever been there?
rancid peppery sparrow filets is a bit more like it.
I dont have ant perticular objection to peri-peri chicken, just put it over there, away from the food.
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 13:22 GMT peyton?
Confusing ad
Even after figuring out the Brit slang part, he later refers to borrowing a girlfriend - it's almost like they are trying to explain the earlier 'joke' - sort of ruining the already lousy attempt at humour. Makes you want to go "yes, i GET it"
Oh well - I don't think I could eat there anyway. In the movie "The Leech Woman" the Nandos are an ancient African tribe that includes pineal-gland eating women. Not appetizing. (btw that film is lousy as a movie, but awesome as Mystery Science Theater" fodder).
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Wednesday 1st September 2010 23:51 GMT Trevor_Pott
@Richard Jukes
Bridge too far man. That lady puts up with assloads of crap from all across the internet and deserves way more respect than that. Yes, Sarah is a remarkably attractive woman. No, that doesn't mean you get to objectify her. I am not exactly a flame-breathing feminist, but I'd GLADLY make you eat that request sir.
For shame.
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Thursday 2nd September 2010 13:01 GMT Gianni Straniero
Nandos
I thought the ad was in mildly poor taste, not because of any supposed sexism, but because it implies that anyone with an amusing Mediterranean accent is some kind of moustachioed lothario who does little else but grope women, or daydream about doing so. Same with that "Juan Sheet" bullshit advert for kitchen paper. But hey, it's probably just me, and I didn't run screaming to the ASA...
P.S. I love the "some of my best friends are women" comments in here. You're all so full of shit.
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Thursday 2nd September 2010 14:20 GMT Anonymous Coward
Well
I complained to the ASA about that horrendous and blatantly sexist advert for "Oven Pride" brand oven cleaner - their tagline being 'So easy a man could do it!' which I found extremely offensive. I didn't even get a proper response from them. How long will this insult to men continue unabated? It's sickening.
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Thursday 2nd September 2010 15:43 GMT Gianni Straniero
Re: Well
The Oven Pride controversy is by no means an isolated phenomenon. A huge number of TV adverts in the UK have the recurring stereotype of "idiot Dad", who fucks up the DIY, knocks over the telly, or puts red knickers in the wash with the whites. Cue pubescent daughter rolling her eyes skyward, and Mum shaking her head ruefully, yet indulgently. "Silly old Dad," they think.
Today, the 40-something white middle class male is the only demographic you can get away with belittling on TV. I feel for them, I really do, because as a group, 40-something white middle class men are among the least privileged members of our society.
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
