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  • FRIDAY MARCH 10 2006 9:55 PM

Fast Times at Misogyny High

Submitted by Rahodeb

Edited by Rahodeb

Welcome, class. Please take out your textbooks and turn to the chapter on Media, Society and Politics. As you’ll see, today’s lesson focuses on the cultural intersection between two seemingly disparate topics: The new series of VW television ads, and South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds’s recent signing of a bill that bans nearly all abortions in his state. “What on God’s green earth is the connection?” You might be asking. Well, dear students—I’ll tell you. The latest television adverts for VW, which introduce the redesigned GTI, attempt to reinstate the sports car’s long lost cult following. And how do they attempt this feat? Why, they do it in large part by tapping in to the inherent misogyny of America’s fine young men, of course!

The spots are driven (so to speak) by an evil-looking totem: a little black monster called simply "Fast." The icon serves as the intended personification of young American men’s insatiable desire for speed (velocity, not meth) and freedom. We’ll call it speedom. In any case, the formula is this: a young buck, itching for speedom at the wheel of his shiny new GTI, treats his girlfriend like crap. For example, in one ad, a young woman—her hair flapping about her face as her boyfriend races down his own private Autobahn—asks sweetly if they might roll the windows up a tad. At the frightening behest of his “Fast,” he tells her no, ultimately shutting her up with the statement, “It’s really hard to enjoy the sound of the engine with all that yakking.” Another ad features a young man who locks his girlfriend out of the car as he prepares to leave on an errand, telling her that he’d “rather not carry the extra weight.”

It’s one thing to appeal to men under the age of 25—it’s another thing to do it by encouraging misogyny. And how does this have anything to do with Monday’s signing of a bill that denies women the right to their own bodies (even bodies that have been assaulted by rape or incest); a bill that aims to ultimately chip away at Roe V. Wade? Simple. The VW ads present and promote a society in which women are second-class citizens. VW holds up a mirror, and it reflects a country in which treating women with disrespect is considered acceptable and even amusing. Misogyny becomes a sales pitch, a marketing tactic. And it shows us why legislation like the bill signed this week in South Dakota needs to be regarded as a direct and very serious attack on the rights of every woman in this country. In a country that still hasn’t passed the Equal Rights Amendment, and in a country where women are increasingly denied the right to choose, there can be no room for complacency, passivity, or patience. American women have to act, and they have to act “Fast.”

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Comments
Jack_Straw

Jack_Straw

Fairbanks, AK
December 2004

MAR 11, 2006 05:25 PM

Plus, and I hate to bring this up, but from an outside perspective (we all know better) we are debating mysogny on a "porn" site

SirPsychoSexy

SirPsychoSexy

Ridgewood, NJ
January 2004

MAR 11, 2006 05:43 PM

People should stop thinking it is funny to point out a man being mean to a woman, when they stop laughing at a football in the groin joke. Being mean and stupid makes some people laugh, and others write articles about misogyny. surreal

football in the groin!
football in the groin!

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

MAR 11, 2006 05:45 PM

Jack_Straw said:
a "porn" site


That's up for debate.

[Edited on Mar 11, 2006 by Clov]

SirPsychoSexy

SirPsychoSexy

Ridgewood, NJ
January 2004

MAR 11, 2006 05:48 PM

Cgiacobone said:

PixieDuzt said:
where is that guy in the commerials from?! the unpimp your auto ones....he is so familair but i can't place him....he kinda creeps me out lol



well, he's the "we'll cut off your johnson" guy from the big lebowski...


His name is Peter Stormare.
He is also the creepy Ex-con doctor in minority report, and he played satan for like 2 minutes in Constantine. a
creepy guy in other movies as well I presume.
Edit:
Dude! He also played Slippery Pete the electrician in Seinfield who tried to help George move his pizza parlor frogger video arcade machine with the high score. biggrin
..and the crazy Russian Cosmonaut guy who blew up the Mir space station in Armageddon

[Edited on Mar 11, 2006 by SirPsychoSexy]

Andvari

Andvari

Calgary, AB
April 2005

MAR 11, 2006 05:59 PM

Jack_Straw said:
Plus, and I hate to bring this up, but from an outside perspective (we all know better) we are debating mysogny on a "porn" site



Insert standard:

"THERE's PORN????"

joke here.

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

MAR 11, 2006 06:01 PM

Andvari said:

Jack_Straw said:
Plus, and I hate to bring this up, but from an outside perspective (we all know better) we are debating mysogny on a "porn" site



Insert standard:

"THERE's PORN????"

joke here.


I read it for the articles. wink

mattbavougian

mattbavougian

Lincoln, NE
June 2003

MAR 11, 2006 06:05 PM

I do feel that the FAST commercials are sexist. I feel the same way about the beer ads with the women wrestling in the water fountain.
I don’t like the fact that men always seem to be portrayed as easily controlled lecherous sex fiends that think of nothing but carnal pleasures such as sex, food, alcohol and thrill rides

These types of ads to reek of sexism, I just think the word that should be used is misandry.


As far as these ads having a connection with recent laws is more than stretching for a correlation

MeghAnd

MeghAnd

USA
October 2004

MAR 12, 2006 08:44 PM


Just a thought: the commercial and the abortion legislature are described as two extremes of the symptoms of our mysoginistic culture? Has this been addressed?

*angry lady grumbles*

[Edited on Mar 12, 2006 8:50PM]

crispy

crispy

NEWSWIRE

Philadelphia, PA

MAR 12, 2006 09:01 PM

The supposed correlation between a borderline sexist commercial and South Dakota's choice to ban abortion is beyond ridiculous.

What about all of the ads (and there are a million of them) where the man can't collapse the stroller, or rearrange the mini-van, or cook the dinner, or clean the house, etc. without a woman's help?

Seriously ... the original post might just be the most asinine thing I've ever read.

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

MAR 12, 2006 09:04 PM

crispy said:
The supposed correlation between a borderline sexist commercial and South Dakota's choice to ban abortion is beyond ridiculous.

What about all of the ads (and there are a million of them) where the man can't collapse the stroller, or rearrange the mini-van, or cook the dinner, or clean the house, etc. without a woman's help?

Seriously ... the original post might just be the most asinine thing I've ever read.


Except that men still pretty much control everything everywhere.

crispy

crispy

NEWSWIRE

Philadelphia, PA

MAR 12, 2006 09:08 PM

Clov said:

crispy said:
The supposed correlation between a borderline sexist commercial and South Dakota's choice to ban abortion is beyond ridiculous.

What about all of the ads (and there are a million of them) where the man can't collapse the stroller, or rearrange the mini-van, or cook the dinner, or clean the house, etc. without a woman's help?

Seriously ... the original post might just be the most asinine thing I've ever read.


Except that men still pretty much control everything everywhere.


So it's okay to make them look like buffoons, but if you even HINT at making a woman look weak, it means that they're selling misogyny (as well as the new VW!!)?

I'm sorry, but no.
It's ADVERTISING!

Jeff_Fries

Jeff_Fries

Humptulips, WA
September 2003

MAR 12, 2006 09:10 PM

Clov said:
Except that men still pretty much control everything everywhere.


Also, that Trix are for kids.

crispy

crispy

NEWSWIRE

Philadelphia, PA

MAR 12, 2006 09:16 PM

Let's flash back about fifty years or so when Mr. Clean came on the scene.

[Interior ... suburban kitchen]
Frustrated housewife: "How will I ever get this floor clean?!?"
*magical genie appears in the form of a muscular bald man (with an earring)*
Mr. Clean: "I can help!"
Frustrated housewife: "Oh, thank you Mr. Clean!"

I think the real message there was that women can't possibly clean the floor to their liking without the help of a magical genie, or clean their toilets without some little guy in a boat.

Don't even get me started on "Scrubbing Bubbles".

[Edited on Mar 13, 2006 by crispy]

Hooraydiation

Hooraydiation

Boston, MA
October 2005

MAR 12, 2006 09:17 PM

crispy said:
The supposed correlation between a borderline sexist commercial and South Dakota's choice to ban abortion is beyond ridiculous.

What about all of the ads (and there are a million of them) where the man can't collapse the stroller, or rearrange the mini-van, or cook the dinner, or clean the house, etc. without a woman's help?

Seriously ... the original post might just be the most asinine thing I've ever read.


Didn't you notice that those were all domestic activities? All that does is reinforce the notion that it's a woman's duty to care for the kids, clean up the car and house, and make sure dinner's ready. Honestly, even if those commercials are just as insulting to men as commercials like the fast ones are to women (and I don't consider them to be), the commercials that insult men still send harmful messages about females as well. Even if you don't think they have an effect on us, they're still shit.

crispy

crispy

NEWSWIRE

Philadelphia, PA

MAR 12, 2006 09:20 PM

Hooraydiation said:

crispy said:
The supposed correlation between a borderline sexist commercial and South Dakota's choice to ban abortion is beyond ridiculous.

What about all of the ads (and there are a million of them) where the man can't collapse the stroller, or rearrange the mini-van, or cook the dinner, or clean the house, etc. without a woman's help?

Seriously ... the original post might just be the most asinine thing I've ever read.


Didn't you notice that those were all domestic activities? All that does is reinforce the notion that it's a woman's duty to care for the kids, clean up the car and house, and make sure dinner's ready. Honestly, even if those commercials are just as insulting to men as commercials like the fast ones are to women (and I don't consider them to be), the commercials that insult men still send harmful messages about females as well. Even if you don't think they have an effect on us, they're still shit.


How do they send "harmful messages" about women? That they're more competent than men? That's not quite harmful.

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