Did any of you see the commercial for some cell phone friends and family minutes plan that featured a family with a really stupid hibilly accent and paroding the Hatfield & Mccoy feud?
I was so angry by the end of it I didn’t catch which company it was that had the poor taste to do it so now I can’t even share my opinion with them.
If any of you saw it and know what company it was can you let me know. Private message would be OK if you didn’t want to add here.
As a male from Kentucky (I’d like to think of myself as a Southern Gentleman) it never ceases to amaze me how freely companies can make fun of hillbillies and keep sterotypes of us alive. Yes, I am a hillbilly and I’m very proud of it. My family has been in Kentucky since the 1790’s and our area of the world has a very rich heritage and culture.
They would not have a negative sterotype of an Aferican American family in their advertisement (or Hispanic, Asian, Arab American, or any other group) so why is it OK to do that with people from the South?
OK, rant off. If anyone saw that and wants to let me know who the company was, I’d like to know.
Jeff,
I’m a short, overweight, Irish Catholic & I LOVE getting fun poked at me!..I’d BETTER, it sure happens enough!! It won’t happen unless 1) you’re liked/admired & 2) folks know you can take it. Admittedly, I “sometimes” dish abuse out :rolleyes:, but bottom line is that the poking fun at “hillbillies” is actually throwing out a compliment to them for their good humor & friendly nature. Try to look at it in a positive way. NOT being “teased” is, imho, NOT a good thing.
BTW, I haven’t yet seen the commercial to which you refer.
Mike
OK, Jeff Start listing’ NO? OK I will
Blue Grass
Horses that know how to really run their a#$ off
Good fishing
Great hunting
Best fishing
Bourbon ( the good stuff)
Great fishing
Wonderful scenery
ect…
You really missed it man. You forgot the beautiful women.
Most of my relatives live in the south. I was born and raised in Wisconsin. When I go to the family reunions, I’m “that damn yankee” I’m also the guy that talks funny
Last point is that it is cool to proud of your heritage. You would make Momma smile, probably Daddy too.
Don’t worry too much about it, because it probably won’t be around very long. Some loser will take offense, get an out-of-work, low-life, bottom-feeding, skum-sucking, last-in-his/her-class lawyer to represent them in a class action suit on behalf of all the other losers who are suffering emotional distress and are no longer able to procreate or have normal conjugal relations with their close relatives , at which time and the wimpy corporate types will bend to the wishes the toothless third grade educated loser and pull the commercial, publish a public apology, pay the $65 in attorney’s fees (did I mention the lawer was lousy at math?) and send $4 million to the children’s relief fund of Appalachia for counseling to relieve the mental anguish suffered from the commercial that was meant to be funny, not serious.
Joe
P.S. I hope I didn’t offend anyone during my response…
SPECIAL NOTICE:
THE ABOVE STATEMENT(S) WERE MADE IN A FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO BE FUNNY, AND WERE ON NO WAY MEANT TO OFFEND ANY PERSON, STATE, ETHNIC, REGIONAL, COHABITATIVE OR RELIGIOUS GROUP, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT GATHERS TOGETHER FOR NO APPARENT REASON OTHER THAN TO GATHER TOGETHER, AND ARE NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, FIGURATIVELY OR LITERALLY OR ANY OTHER LY. PERSONAL INTERPRETATION OF THE ABOVE REMARKS SHOULD NOT BE MADE WITH A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL HUMOR COACH IN YOUR PRESENCE, AND THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PHYSICAL, MENTAL OR SEXUAL ANGUISH SUFFERED BY THOSE TOO STOOPID TO REALIZE THAT THIS IS HUMOR, AND NOT REALITY. GO BACK AND FINISH SIXTH GRADE. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO TAKE THIS STUFF SERIOUSLY… JUST ASK THE SHORT, FAT, IRISH DORK FROM CANTON, OHIO IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME
Reminds me of when I said on this board that Alaska was the land of depression and alcoholism.
An Alaskan was seriously offended!
Being from ND, probably the most joked about state in the nation, I probably didn’t have the
intellect needed to understand his indignation.
Guys,
It’s not a racist thing or a “white” thing and it has nothing to do with thick or thin skin or a sense of humor.
I don’t mind people poking fun at me as a person, especially friends. Heck that’s part of life.
I get tired of the double standard. It’s OK for advertisers and media to paint my ethnic group in a very negative stereotypical light and we’re supposed to just laugh it off. However if one were to paint other ethnic / religious groups in a similar negative stereotypical light, there would be a strong price to pay.
I’m not saying it’s OK to make fun of anyone for things they cannot help.
If you’ve never been on the receiving end of it you’ll just never understand.
MtSkibum, yours was perhaps one of the most uninformed and callas statements I’ve ever read on FAOL. This is typically a very friendly place and I just don’t see any place here for that type of comment.
I think if I were you and I had nothing legitimate to add to the conversation, I’d remain silent and be thought a fool than open my mouth and remove all doubt. You added noting of value to the discussion and your response had nothing to do with my original question - thank you for your concern all the same.
Anyway, I’m just a dumb Aussie. You ever seen what “The Simpsons” do to us??? You hillbillies get it easy. The Brits used to lay it in to us pretty hard but then they discovered that we had jobs and sunshine and most of them moved down here. Then we joined forces to poke fun at the Kiwis but they have great fishing so we had to stop in case they put their prices up.
We’d start on you guys but we love Cabelas and BassPro too much. This global economy is making the pecking order really difficult.
I don’t know too much about those drunk Alaskans, as an Ozzie we probably would never notice they were disenfranchised and blotto. Most of us are too. I actually quite like them hillbillies.
I stand by my statement, get a sense of humor, or grow a thicker skin. If my statement or a harmless advertisement offends you, you obviously need a thicker skin.
You are complaining about your region getting made fun of, grow a sense of humor, or get a thicker skin, those are the 2 options. Nothing uniformed about that, i stand by my statement.
I have no concern whatsoever about this, i was saying how wrong you are to take offense over a simple advertisement, that pokes fun at a region.
Now guys, lets not fight here! While I joke a lot & also GET joked about, I can also see Jeff’s point. I think “stereotype humor” can be hilarious, yet there are groups such as he mentioned that would SUE or get the ACLU involved if said commercial poked fun at or laughed about their race, religion, gender, nationality, etc. & their perceived behaviors. I agree that a level playing surface would be nice. The REAL “thin skins” are the groups who are unable to see THEIR group & THEIR stereotypical behaviors in a humorous light, yet it’s OK to cast “hillbillies” in a humorous light.
I often think most of the world needs to lighten up a bit.
The only adequate response to your comments would get me banned from this forum, therefore, I will refrain from saying what I really think. Should I ever have the misfortune to meet you on a stream, I will gladly share my opinion of your statements.
My mother is from Kentucky… Dad was born in Tennessee, I was born, hatched, found under a rock, in the Island Nation of OHIO so I don’t stand stand a chance, here! Bring it on!
