Gay group: "Caliber" Ad is anything but cute

[Paolino]

Too true.  Sometimes I think people are just looking for a "fight"

Funny thing though, I read the headline to this post last week, but just saw the ad last night (I don't watch much tv).  My first thought when I saw the fairy was "this must be the "offensive" ad".  Honestly, if it wasn't for reading thie headline for this topic, I never would have thought anything of it.  I was with my g/f, my sister and her b/f and I mentioned this thread.  They were all confused about what the big deal was.  When we saw it run again, they could see where the offense could come from, but at a stretch.  Anyway, I hope they don't change it like the Concorde commercial from a few years ago.

I agree--I don't see any reason to change this. I don't find it in the least offensive.

[tmp]

I didn't even notice the commercial until I read people were upset. Now that I've actually paid attention to it, I find it mildly amusing. It's certainly made me pay more attention to the car. It's also made me, for the first time, use the "User Ignore" feature of this site.

In some cases, ignorance can be bliss.

[Intrepidation]

I didn't even notice the commercial until I read people were upset.  Now that I've actually paid attention to it, I find it mildly amusing.  It's certainly made me pay more attention to the car.  It's also made me, for the first time, use the "User Ignore" feature of this site. 

In some cases, ignorance can be bliss.

Well said.

[funkypunnk]

...and all of those things you just mentioned are skills acquired through the learning process.

By the way, there tend not to be priests at convents...those are just nuns.

Where did I grow up?  In a healthy, loving household.  Why do you ask?  My parents never favored anyone.  My aunts and uncles never played favorites, my friends' parents never played favorites from what I can tell and what they've told me...I think the better question is what the hell kinda place did YOU grow up?

Also in a loving family raised by liberals believe it or not. My mother clearly favored my older brother and my father clearly favored myself. By favored I don't mean that either treated any one of their five children unfairly, but it was I who helped my dad fix the car, mow the lawn, work on the house, etc. It was my brother who went shopping with my mom and did more stuff with her. All five of us were always asked to participate, but we made our choices from there and I wanted to hang with dad. My brother is now a partner in a quality control consulting firm doing alot of work with the state of California. It involves alot of politics which he is good at, a skill he learned from my mom. I deal with real people alot more than he does in my job. He has to be phony with everyone and while he is respected, they don't know the real person. I get to be genuine and usually everyone likes me. We just developed into different people due to our influences. I would bet that you can find favoritism in every multi-child family. Another name for it is "first child syndrome", "middle child syndrome", the baby getting spoiled, etc. These are all examples of one child or another needing special care or favoritism due to a misconception or receiving more than another.

I tend to live in reality, but suffer no bitterness because of it. My little sister got alot more stuff than I did, but it didn't and still doesn't bother me. Favoritism is natural and expected in my opinion. Ever heard of a teacher's pet?

[funkypunnk]

Are you serious?  You're seriously saying these things.  BEING GAY IS NOT A BELIEF!   You can choose your beliefs.  I can choose to believe in God.  I can choose not to.  I can not choose to be straight.

And having sex with a woman doesn't make me bisexual.  It means I had sex with a woman, NOTHING more.  I didn't say I had to like it.  Let me tell you... if you were raped by a man, and you couldn't stop him... does that make you bisexual?  Does that mean at that point, you will start sleeping with men as well as women?

I had a student last year who had two lesbian mothers.  One of the mothers was the biological mother--the child conceived by a donation from a heterosexual friend.  This child was loved so much by her mothers.  This child was struggling like crazy in Italian--when I started my leave replacement, the first thing I had to do was calculate averages, and his was a 54.  I spoke with his parents and we sat down to see what we could do to bring up his average.  Now, from what I understand, he had no luck in foreign languages in the 2.5 years he was in middle school.  By time the next marking period came around, his average shot up to an 84.  What happened?  His parents (both mothers), sat down with him every single night and helped him review and study.  His parents encouraged him to participate more in class.  I gave him extra help once/week.  The mothers used every ounce of free time they had to help him.

He loves his mothers.  He loves his biological father.  They mothers took him on vacations, let him have sleep overs, etc., do everything he wanted (within reason of course).  The kid felt very loved, and was in a safe, secure, caring environment.

Sounds like a damn good family to me.

As for the child only containing genetic material of one partner, of course... you can't have both.  But what is wrong with having a piece of yourself in your child as long as your partner is okay with that?  The child is truly a child of one partner.  And provided your partner cares about the child, loves them, and treats them well, I see no reason for that to not be considered a beautiful family.

I actually had first typed culture, but then changed it to belief. I think it is a grey area somewhere in between. I acknowledge that you can be just as loving a parent as anyone although I dispute how normal a child will feel when he or she finds out he has two dads or two moms while everyone else has one of each. How can you teach a child about love when he was conceived between a woman and a man through a plutonic joining of sexual organs.

"Mom, so let me get this right, you are a lesbian but you screwed dad because you wanted a child but then you went back to living with mom#2. My father didn't want me? He just made me to help you two out? The guy who gave me half of who I am merely was satisfying an emotional need for a friend? Thanks so much, no wonder the kids make fun of me."

Really reinforces good values, doesn't it?

Any good parent is great in my book no matter what the living situation, but if given a choice I will always wish that kids could be raised under a traditional familial relationship.

If I am ever raped by a man, one of us will be dead at the end. I will kill him or die trying. Strong words, I know, but then again that is why I live where I do. Great gun laws, any citizen who is felony free and not insane can get a concealed carry permit. I also think that my military training would help, and if he was still strong enough to overpower me and take what he wants by force, he would have to kill me to be able to walk away. If he did succeed I would not be gay as it was not my choice. You would have chosen to have sex with a woman, so in my book that makes you bisexual. If you were raped by a woman then that would not be true.

Edited April 9, 2006 by funkypunnk

[prinzSD]

To tell you the truth, and maybe I'm naive (probably not since I'm fairly open minded, and almost 30), but I didn't even think of a gay slant to this commercial until I read this article.

I never thought that the "biker type" guy was transformed into a gay guy.  I took it that he was transfomed into a rich, pretty-boy, country club type of guy.  In fact, I wouldn't even consider that look to be gay stereotype.

The dogs however.......they were gay!

I have to agree as well. As I was typing this reply , my wife came in and I showed her the add and did not mention anything about the so called "gay angle", and she did not noitce it either. She saw the same as most people; a fairy whose magic failed and she was angry and turned the guy into some sort of preppy thing. By the way, in my early twenties I wore pink, lavender polos so I was sort of a preppy guy, just one of my many fashion transformations. And while a number of men tried to pick me up, I in no way associated it with my style of dress.

[ocnblu]

Agreed. More than likely, it's your nice package that lured them in.

[regfootball]

Agreed.  More than likely, it's your nice package that lured them in.

as a straight guy, it would be next to impossible for me to pick out a 'large package' in public. I would in no way know what to look for. Yet, a 'camel toe' is all to obvious and being able to tell if a woman has a thong or any underwear at all on is a split second glance kind of thing. And of course, the headlights on thing is always an immediate notice sort of thing.

[ocnblu]

In public? So... you'd ask that hot dude to follow you into the locker room or something so you could check his jock strap?

I'm sorry I just have to attempt to shut down all this philosophical talk and maybe kill the thread in the process.

There's nothing "gay" about the damn commercial. It's "PC" run amok that's ruining this country.

I am sure Dodge Caliber will have a sizable gay following though, because it's a macho, versatile little cruiser.

[Cory Wolfe]

Funnkypunk, whether you choose to believe it or not, homosexuality is not a choice. That is the last time I am going to say is. I, as well as others, have first hand experience. Do you? No, so you cannot possibly justify saying that is a choice. I never chose to be gay and nothing influenced me. I was born that way, just as every other homosexual male was. I'm not saying it's genetic either. I truly don't know. However, I do know whether I chose this or not. I didn't. I am gay and I've had to accept that. Let's not agree to disagree... It's agree with that and accept that you are wrong. There are no other choices. Thank you for your agreeing.

[prinzSD]

Agreed.  More than likely, it's your nice package that lured them in.

lol...I wish.

[Camino LS6]

OK, I think we've beaten this particular dead horse so long it is now a fossil. So, after I make one final post here I'll be closing this thread.

Let's all cut Funkypunk a break, he maintained civility under a barrage of derision sent at him. Despite every type of argument, including some that crossed the line a bit, he has held onto his beliefs in a steadfast fashion. That is his right as well as anyone else's and deserves respect.

Again, I have to say that I am proud of all who paticipated in this debate for keeping the personal attacks to a minor whimper. However, I feel the need to use this smiley for the first time and shut this one down.

One parting thought:

A very wise woman once told me "People aren't homosexual or heterosexual, they're just sexual".

Just something to think about.