Is the new ad for Dodge Caliber homophobic?

Have you seen this ad yet?  It played a few times yesterday during Desperate Housewives.  Check it out:

Was I the only one concerned?  It appears a "fairy" is trying to give a queer eye to the tough car, and the fairy is bumped to the sidewalk for trying to do so.  Even language is used, a guy points to the fairy and laughs: "You silly little fairy!"  Not nice.  The fairy turns him gay as a revenge I guess.

UPDATE ON APRIL 2, 2006:  This post has been referenced in a few sites now.  You guys have got to check out the amazing comments made on Pam, Pandagon and BigBrass.  Lesbians rule!

UPDATE ON APRIL 6, 2006: Towle just added his thoughts on the issue.  So have a gay group, the commercial closet and The Advocate.  They all agree with me more or less.  I still think the ad is homophobic.

I would like to note Dodge's reaction to the stir they caused with the ad.  Suraya Bliss, from Dodge, reportedly told the Detroit News: "We were pretty surprised that there are individuals that are making the conclusion that sexual orientation can be determined by the type of clothes you wear and the type of dog that you're walking (...) "Are they suggesting that men that wear colored shirts are gay … or that all gay men dress alike? What we would ask someone to do is look at the ad for what it is."

Dodge, come on!  That is the whole point of using stereotypes, isn't it?  Lame Lame Lame.  And the added cruelty? People, especially gay people, might think the ad plays both to homophobes and gays alike.  Pleasing homophobes and gays at the same time?  How?  I will follow Dodge's advice.  I'll look at the ad for what it is, homophobic.

UPDATE ON APRIL 7, 2006: Just to be clear.  I have absolutely no problem with using positive stereotypes in movies, ads, etc.  I said that repeatedly here.  I love queens and fairies.  We need the visibility queens and fairies bring to us.  My problem with the Dodge Caliber ad is threefold:

1. The fairy tries to gay up everything (all phallic symbols, but I am not going there).  By trying to gay up the car, she gets kicked to the curb.  I don't think gays should go around trying to hit on straight people or recruit them.  We don't need recruiting, I really believe nature takes care of that.  But when that does happen (gays hitting on straighties), what is the problem with a simple no?  Like Rob Estes did here.  We don't need to get kicked to the curbed by a reflection of our own spell.  Get it?  I do know it's a little bit of a stretch, it's not all clearly stated in the ad, but it's a reasonable assessment to me.  Oh, and fairy is a symbol for gays.  Come. On.
2. A butch guy makes fun of the fairy after she is down at the curb.  "You silly little fairy."  Now, if the butch guy were gay, his name calling would be less of a problem, but we just don't know that, do we?
3. Finally, the punishment for the butch guy?  Turning him gay.  Turning someone gay should not be a punishment.  A part of me thought that was funny, turning him gay, but in the end, I don't think the message is too nice.  One of the best lights possible on this last point would be: don't make fun of gay people or they'll make you gay.  As a punishment.  I can kind of take it, especially if you consider that homophobes (the butch guy with the name calling could, and please, just could, be a homophobe) are probably gays with internalized homophobia.  Now, if you don't think the butch guy is turned into a gay guy at the end, you have a serious problem with your gaydar.  You should have your license to practice suspended, and your gaydar should be fixed at your earliest convenience, you are probably missing out on a lot.

Comments

[Dan]

Seems like the tag line is really "anything but gay." May seem harmless to some to use a gay caricature as a negative image but ultimatley the goal is to sell cars using homphobia (assuring buyers they are the opposite of gay). Pretty lame attempt I agree, but not fair to let them get away with it either.

[jimbo]

Up until the last scene, the fairy was pretty much in-line with what fairies do - causing trouble, being whimsical and casting spells. I've played Dungeons and Dragons for over 20 years, so I'm highly qualified to comment on fairy behavior.

As for the last scene, the tough guy was just calling the fairy out as a fairy until she turned him preppy. I don't know a whole lot of gay men who dress like he does post-transmutation. Plus you have to notice that he's wearing WHITE shorts after the enchantment is cast - and it's not even Memorial Day yet. Truly a most horrible curse to be transformed into a poorly-coordinated pre-80s preppy guy. The joke is on him, as gay men know it's a poor outfit.

[beautifulatrocities]

Actually, I enjoyed that commercial when i saw it, it's a clever piece of imagination. I think gays need to ramp down; everything isn't always about them

[KCMO]

I predict that history will view the ad as explicitly, and notoriously, homophobic. Dodge (DaimlerChrysler) had the gall to air it during "Will and Grace" last week. Between "Will and Grace" and "Desperate Housewives," it seems like they trying to pseudo-appeal to gay men. Like, ha ha we're in on the joke, too. But we are being bashed in this joke. It's like Andrew Dice Clay (an evil man) saying "Oh, I'm just a guy who tells jokes." I found nothing funny about the gratuitous homophobia of this commercial. The Tinkerbell character tells the he-man into a silly little fairy. How explicit can this be? As far as I'm concerned, Suraya Bliss is basically a liar. I don't know how Suraya Bliss sleeps at night.

[Northeast Libertarian]

"Bashed in an ad?"

What melodramatic hokey.

I'm a gay man and there's nothing gay or gay-negative about this ad, other than PC busybodies and the professionally offended who are OUTRAGED at what is an obvious message -- the car isn't a cute little Tinkerbell-mobile.

Good Lord, with all the important gay issues out there, you would think people would focus on that rather than trying to be offended by misconstruing a stupid car advertisement.

[chris]

I don't understand why the way a person dresses is supposed to make them gay, secondly the theme of the commercial is anything but CUTE, are you saying that the next time a mother calls her son cute she is calling him gay? And if you think that question is stupid, so is this problem with the commercial. Stop looking for problems you ruin things for everyone else

[Tom]

First thing, I do not see this as any stereo type or play on gay. I am not gay, and after reading a few replys I think you guys need to lighten up a little and quit trying to make this something it isn't. Its not about you, its about a car with an attitude. I think it is geared more towards the muscle car theme which is returning. I am straight but I do have quite a few gay friends so dont think I am knocking anyone I am just trying to keep it real.

[Dan]

Tom, you are not gay. I understand that this may seem like a small matter, and I acknowledge it is. But it is simply an example of how in some circles it is still ok to use homophobia to achieve your ends, whether it be Dodge or Senator Santorum. Lighten up? Ok that may be fair, but in an environment where it is still ok to discriminate against gays, it is something to consider. You can't be fired, evicted or denied visitation to your spouse because of who you are. I can be. My spouse can't live legally in my country because of the discrimination that exists in our laws. So all of these little things add up and contribute to the environment of discrimination. I will laugh it off when I have the same rights that you do. No hard feelings--I respect your right to disagree, but please understand the position of others who might be offended.

[Liposuction]

I think we'd get a lot further in these discussions if someone would PLEASE help the world decipher if being "gay" is a genetic condition (medical disfunction for lack of species propagation) or a lifestyle choice.

I don't have a problem with either but freaking decide which it is. I'm not going to vote for laws or pass judgement on anything until the "gay" community decides which. If you're born that way and it's genetic, awesome; you fall under the ADA. And you SHOULD be protected from discrimination.

As for the ad? I thought it was rather stupid and didn't think anything of it, with regards to it being homophobic or anything else, until I read this site.

[Adam]

excuse me, liposuction? gay people would fall under the american's with DISABILITIES act? what the fuck is disabled about being gay?

[ryan]

man he didnt turn gay. it turn him into a prep. dumbass.

[Lance E Sloan]

I've seen this ad on TV before. Here's my impression:

1. The fairy is not trying to give a "queer eye" to anything. The fairy is trying to make things magical. Like what would look good in a children's story or a fantasy.

2. The fairy wasn't unable to change the Dodge because it was tough. It was because the Dodge is so good it's already "magical".

3. The fairy didn't turn the dog-walking man gay. The fairy turned him into a poorly-dressed preppy guy.

[Queer Beacon]

Hey Lance, interesting points (1 and 2, but not 3 ;-)

[Tara]

The commercial simply demostrates how the Caliber is anything but cute. By throwing the fairy into the wall it is repelling against being a cute car. and by changing what the male was wearing did not mean the fairy made him "gay" but simply changed him from rugged, to cute. This is not a question of sexual orientation but rather the difference between 'cute' and 'rugged'.

[Dave]

Of all the things to piss and moan about. Do you think whining about a TV ad will make it go away? Do you think that will make the gay movement suddenly be universally accepted ? If every straight person petitioned of whined about Bareback Mountain do you think they would have stopped it from being shown? Seriously, learn when someone is actually taking something away from you, and when they are saying something you don't like. But worst of all you are complaining about what you THINK they meant from that ad. People who are trying to make this a problem are the people that are the problem. Inserting their own stereotypes into another person's idea, then claiming they are some type of immoral person. Seriously if you think that guy was gay after being changed ( how can you tell ? ), that's the problem. I personally seen the commercial as saying, the Dodge was a tough car with attitude. The guy walking the dogs had meaner breeds of dogs and looked tough, after laughing at the fairies dismay, he was turned into a goodie to-shoes. To show that the fairy can turn tough things into something that isn't mean anymore. I guess what you take away from the commercial will tell you alot about yourself.