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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think Poundland ad is not “genius” and is actually a bit I appropriate?

773 replies

speakerwoofers · 21/12/2017 15:25

Most comments on Facebook are proclaiming it “genius.” I don’t think a sexual innuendo is that genius TBF.

Plus why is it a woman lying on her back with a t shirt saying “power” and a man standing over her dominating her. They could have at least chosen another sexual innuendo.

Also difficult to explain to kids.

Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

To think Poundland ad is not “genius” and is actually a bit I appropriate?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Pumperthepumper · 22/12/2017 20:59

Vladmirs yep, I totally agree. I also would like to point out I don’t think that one is more serious than the other, I don’t think it would be more or less offensive if it was a diffident minority group who was the butt of the joke.

That point was in reference to Elton claiming that the advert wasn’t sexist - but thought it would be racist if the doll was wearing a Black Power tshirt. Which struck me as interesting, but we didn’t get any further with the discussion, sadly.

Mightybanhammer · 22/12/2017 21:00

Gross, ghastly and inappropriate.

PumpkinSquash · 22/12/2017 21:15

Yes, I am very much into social media, don't be so patronising

Assuming all women think the same is kind of patronising too, or being told you're thick because you don't think "right."
Might see for yourself it's not exactly nice, is it.

VladmirsPoutine · 22/12/2017 21:23

Pumper I think that indeed would make for a very interesting discussion too. I was thinking about it myself earlier. I wonder if it is a case of where we are in society wrt media and globalisation.

In a rather bizarre way women are the last group, as it were, it is acceptable to ignore/blame/criticise. We have the vote, we can work and live independently so what more do we want...

You see it all the time; woman was raped but the media want to point out that she'd been staggering home drunk whilst wearing a mini-skirt and then we discover that she has somewhat of an illustrious sexual history (as if this is in any way meaningful). So the onus is placed on women to 'look after themselves'.

No-one in their right mind would place the blame on a black person for being assaulted because they are black - they wouldn't be told to be 'less black' in order to avoid being assaulted in the first place.

Perhaps these issues are so ingrained that we've come to accept them as a given and anyone saying otherwise is contemptuously branded as a 'feminazi'. Feminism is still very much a dirty word.
But like I say, an interesting discussion and but which I don't have the answers to.

Pumperthepumper · 22/12/2017 22:03

No-one in their right mind would place the blame on a black person for being assaulted because they are black - they wouldn't be told to be 'less black' in order to avoid being assaulted in the first place. No. But the Black Lives Matter campaign did highlight how easy it is to be killed for being black - for being in the wrong place, for having your hands in your pockets, for standing up too quickly etc - its another excuse for white males to kill or be violent or to dominate.

I absolutely agree that women are fair game for nonsense like this in a way that other groups are not. And I absolutely think it’s fine to not have a sense of humour about it - I don’t. I think it’s too important.

Pumperthepumper · 22/12/2017 22:05

And OH DEFINITELY YES to feminism being a dirty word. Or the ‘I’m not a feminist because I don’t hate men’ total bollocks that we get all the time.

JanesMom · 22/12/2017 22:39

Hilarious. Would never shop there but kudos to Poundland!

If you are easily offended, maybe look away?

PinkAvocado · 22/12/2017 23:12

‘Look away’ yep that’s how this sort of idea is enabled.

Justanotherlurker · 22/12/2017 23:37

You see it all the time; woman was raped but the media want to point out that she'd been staggering home drunk whilst wearing a mini-skirt and then we discover that she has somewhat of an illustrious sexual history (as if this is in any way meaningful). So the onus is placed on women to 'look after themselves'.

No they don't that is your bias reading stories as to what you want them to be, show a recent example within the last 10 years that even suggest such a thing.

No. But the Black Lives Matter campaign did highlight how easy it is to be killed for being black - for being in the wrong place, for having your hands in your pockets, for standing up too quickly etc - its another excuse for white males to kill or be violent or to dominate.

For what good BLM do, the stats that they use are very fudged, the stats that dispute their claims are now apparently racist as white males have the same issue, inherent racism in the US is a problem, but a lot of the BLM stuff is very murky and when objectively looked at with stats show that it is more of an issue with the actual police/economic status which then goes way back to more recently clinton but before, to try and put 3rd wave feminism into that context is just laughable.

VladmirsPoutine · 22/12/2017 23:43

Your knowledge of BLM and the use of stats seems to be wanting.
As is much of your post but there we go.

VladmirsPoutine · 22/12/2017 23:44

but a lot of the BLM stuff is very murky and when objectively looked at with stats show that it is more of an issue with the actual police/economic status which then goes way back to more recently clinton but before, to try and put 3rd wave feminism into that context is just laughable.

None of this makes sense or follows any train of thought.

VladmirsPoutine · 22/12/2017 23:49

Anyway, if you want to take the view that women aren't victim-blamed when they are subject to sexual assault that's your choice. A fundamentally astonishing one but still yours nonetheless.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 23/12/2017 00:39

What about if it had been racist?

Already answered that.^^

It's the same fucking battle, can't you see that?

No. I don't fight elves.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 23/12/2017 00:40

#elflivesmatter

pallisers · 23/12/2017 00:53

It is incredible how many posters don't grasp that images/ representations mean something. It is like they truly believe that if a shit situation is happening to cats or dolls or elves or model soldiers then it is absolutely outside the zeitgeist and irrelevant to real life. Truly weird that they don't have even the most basic grasp of art, literature, music etc. I'm inclined to think this must be a failure of the British education system.

And have a look at the thread about Princess Michael and the blackamoor broach to see how important images/representations can be.

Although tbh I think many of the "bit of a laugh/where is your sense of humour" posters on this thread might also find the blackamoor broach "just a piece of jewelry innit"

PumpkinSquash · 23/12/2017 02:21

I'm inclined to think this must be a failure of the British education system.

Lmao, keep on thinking that. I'm a university graduate..Seriously.) Crack on with your everyone is thick if you don't agree with ME point though as it just makes you look like the thick one. Smile

pallisers · 23/12/2017 03:20

I'm a university graduate.

Yes pumpkin, I'm sure you are. which is why I think the education system has failed.

falange · 23/12/2017 06:34

This whole thread is classic MN. Hilarious. Thank goodness it had someone telling us they've got a degree so we know that that person is very very clever indeed. Otherwise I'd just have thought they sounded like a pain in the arse.

Catsize · 23/12/2017 07:30

Grim. They’ve lost a customer.

notafish · 23/12/2017 07:33

@pumpkinsquash I'm someone who occasionally goes into poundland and will choose not to now. I, like many other women, wouldn't dare post that on Twitter publicly for fear of what abuse we'd receive from strangers. You've no way of knowing, by looking at social media, how well or how badly the ad campaign has been received and whether it will result in more or fewer sales.

AlexaDoTheDishes · 23/12/2017 08:07

Well I've learned what "teabagging" is Hmm

That advert is revolting.

Is it actually a real advert?! Massive fail there from Poundland if it is.

TheLuminaries · 23/12/2017 08:30

I think this will prove to be a 'jump the shark 'moment for Poundland - a bit like Ratners, if like me you are old enough to remember that. You can only insult your customers to a certain extent before they have had enough.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 23/12/2017 08:40

I'm another one who didn't understand the advert because I'd never heard of "teabagging".

Now I know what it means I agree that the advert is misogynistic and offensive. There's nothing remotely funny about it.

What on earth were Poundland and Twinings thinking, signing off an advert like that?

Piggywaspushed · 23/12/2017 10:26

emma , Twinings didn't sign it off. It seems Poundland don't need to ask them. The Twinings image has now been removed, which Poundland seem to think is hilarious : that's the most juvenile bit of the whole story to be honest.

Pumperthepumper · 23/12/2017 10:28

Longtimelurker

No they don't that is your bias reading stories as to what you want them to be, show a recent example within the last 10 years that even suggest such a thing

Ched Evans.

And the BLM stuff you’ve spouted just doesn’t make enough sense for me to be able to respond to.