UK TV ads getting better?

[paul parmenter]

Here is a question for British readers. Is it my imagination, or have the ads on British TV recently become a lot more male-friendly? That's how it seems to me. I have just seen an ad by an organisation called Not On The High Street which is selling father's day gifts. It features a child saying all kinds of nice things about her dad; and here's the rub - that is all there is. No snide little put-down or counter-view having a dig at men. No superior woman fixing the mess that numbskull dad has just made of a routine task, or reminding us just how stupid men really are, or that fathers are the second class parent behind who-know-who. Just a simple appreciation of how good dads are. I looked at their website http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/themes/fast-delivery-gifts-for-fathers-day and the gifts there are very much in line with the ad - a refreshing absence of "dad is an idiot" letter openers, "she's the boss" T-shirts or knife blocks with blades stuck in men's heads or genitals. Dads are, instead, described as heroes to their kids. Looks like somebody has got it right at last.

A number of other ads too seem to have become very "blokey" of late and designed to appeal to men. So what could be the cause of this sudden change? I don't think that's too difficult to see. The UK is going through a summer of intense sporting activity. We are in the middle of Euro 2012, the European national football championships, and England are one of the competing teams. We will shortly be embarking on the Olympic Games in London. There are all the usual summer sports going on too, like tennis at Wimbledon. In other words, the media and the corporates who rely on parting us from our money have woken up to the fact that sport is set to dominate the airwaves; and that men take a far greater interest in sport than women. So the usual gynocentric order in the MSM is having to be suspended for a while; and male-bashing is not going to get any traction. It may be temporary, but enjoy it while it lasts. By the autumn, who wants to bet that we won't be back to the same old?

[Popadibs]

That's strange though. Even though more women watch the superbowl than any american championship in sports men still watch the superbowl more than women do and misandric ads still show.

[Duran]

People still watch TV? The fuck.

[paul parmenter]

People still watch TV? The fuck.

It's an education. Not in increasing any useful knowledge, because there is precious little of that anywhere on the box. But in finding out just how much crap is getting into the heads of people who soak it up, and just how far the programmers and advertisers will go to hold their memerised audiences.

[Andy Man]

Funny you should say that. I don't watch TV, but I did visit my parents recently and didn't notice any misandric ads on TV. It didn't used to be like that.

However, I caught an episode of "Death in Paradise" recently (The BBC - booo!) which was pretty intense and deliberate in its male bashing.

[paul parmenter]

Funny you should say that. I don't watch TV, but I did visit my parents recently and didn't notice any misandric ads on TV. It didn't used to be like that.

However, I caught an episode of "Death in Paradise" recently (The BBC - booo!) which was pretty intense and deliberate in its male bashing.

The BBC. What else did you expect?

[Andy Man]

The BBC. What else did you expect?

I do expect that. That's why I stopped paying a TV license, and stopped watching broadcast TV. (I am actually legal - you don't need a TV license if your TV is de-tuned and not capable of receiving live broadcasts).

[Marx]

I too legally do not pay a license fee. In fact, my TV is tuned (it's automatic) but I simply leave the aerial unplugged. There is a page on the BBC site where you fill in your details and explain you only use the TV for DVD's, gaming, streaming TV and so on.

[Andy Man]

There is a page on the BBC site where you fill in your details and explain you only use the TV for DVD's, gaming, streaming TV and so on.

I prefer to fend off the inspectors.

[byslexic_danana]

Interesting that this should be said, because, having started watching a little bit more television, over the last few months, I genuinely don't seem to be seeing anywhere near as many misandric advertisments, as I did some ten years ago. No scenarios portrayed, of men being physically abused, and not-too-many of men being outsmarted by women (still a few, but still). I think I might make a point of examining numerous ad breaks, to see if I can come back and post anything more conclusive......

[Yan Yan]

Just came back from a month in the UK.

I didn't see too many misandric ads either. But 'victim culture' abounds. The US style ambulance-chaser lawyer is the latest advertising star.
"Were you mis-sold a pension plan? We can get you compensation."
"Did you have an accident where, 'Sorry' is not good enough? Call us now!"

The sitcoms featured highly dysfunctional folk, both male and female.
I did note that the powerful ageing females wore heavy make-up.
In the script, they were more than a match for the token men in their use of obscenities. That must mean they're empowered.

Several UK channels were broadcasting repeats of "Men Behaving Badly".
When I flew back to the Far East, via an Arab airline, that same male-demeaning crap was offered up as great entertainment for their western passengers.

How sad is that?

[Celtic Druid]

Sure Paul, I appreciate your optimism, but how does that factor into the hundreds of ads which portray the contrary?

Perspective?

Optimism?

last-minute gifts for Father's Day | notonthehighstreet.com

Sure if for no other reason than profiting than the suckers we are, starved of praise, we will agree with anything


And secondly, like paying taxes, you are not legally obligated to pay the tv licence fee Bribery, Corruption and Fraud at the BBC - Stop paying your TV Licence fee NOW! | www.tpuc.org

[felixblue]

100 channels to choose from and still a gent cannot find anything worth watching..

It is hard to understand why anyone still bothers with the TV when the web seems to allow one to choose at leisure..

[FloatyBoaty]

100 channels to choose from and still a gent cannot find anything worth watching..

It is hard to understand why anyone still bothers with the TV when the web seems to allow one to choose at leisure..

I don't think I'll ever bother with tv again.