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Mr T's Snickers advert axed after US human rights groups complain of homophobia
Updated 02:16am on 29 Jul 2008
A chocolate bar advertisement featuring Mr T has been taken off the air after accusations that it is ‘homophobic’.
In the Snickers commercial, Mr T – who played BA Baracus in the 1980s show The A Team – pulls up in a truck alongside a man exercising in tight yellow shorts and shouts: ‘Speed walking. I pity you fool. You are a disgrace to the man race. It’s time to run like a real man.’
He then forces the man to break into a sprint by taking pot shots at him with a Snickers machine gun. The commercial ends with Mr T uttering the slogan to the current Snickers campaign – ‘Get some nuts’.
Mr T spies a speed walker in the latest Snickers ad
The commercial, which premiered in the UK on July 13, was made by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO – the same agency responsible for a Heinz Deli Mayo advert withdrawn last month after showing two men kissing.
That commercial prompted 200 complaints. In contrast, the Advertising Standards Authority has received only two complaints about the Snickers advert.
However, it prompted strong protests from the U.S. – even though it was never shown on American television.
Mr T forces the man to break into a sprint by taking pot shots at him with a Snickers machine gun
The U.S. lobby group Human Rights Campaign criticised Mars – which makes Snickers – for condoning ‘the notion that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is a group of second class citizens and that violence against GLBT people is not only acceptable but humorous’.
A spokesman for Mars said: ‘This ad is the second in a series of UK Snickers ads featuring Mr T, which are meant to be fun and have been positively received in the UK.
‘However, we understand that humour is highly subjective, and it is never our intention to cause offence. Accordingly, we have pulled the Mr T speedwalker ad globally.’
Mars said the advert was intended to be humorous but has terminated the campaign
The workplace director of Human Rights Campaign Daryl Herrschaft said: 'HRC applauds Mars for taking swift and appropriate action.'
Meanwhile reaction in the UK was mixed amongst the gay community concerning the ban.
Website comments regarding the controversy in the UK suggested that complaints from the US should not impact on what is shown here.
Reaction to the ban in the UK gay community has been mixed
One wrote: 'As a (British) gay man myself, I am fed up with the ultra-politically correct stance of organisations such as yours seeking out homophobia in places where none clearly exists.
'Your entire approach actually damages the efforts of those of us who live in the real world to make any kind of headway in the fight against real homophobia - you know, the one that's responsible for people being kicked unconscious outside nightclubs, or driven to suicide through bullying.'
Another said: 'I'm gay and I found the ad hilarious. If you make the connection speed walking and homosexuality then you just perpetuating the stereotypes about gay men.
'And it sad to see that gay people start to take themselves too seriously, and why do Americans feel to complain on what's is on TV on this side of the pond?
'And why people haven't anything better to do in their life than sending complaint emails?'
Reader views (15)
It was definitely a very queer advert!
- Rj, NOTTS, 29/07/2008 23:57
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So the HRC are saying that all speed walkers must be gay - surely that's a bit discriminatory in itself?! Mars really messed up by listening to these guys and American HRC, please get your own house in order before you start censoring another country.
- Isabel, woking, 29/07/2008 15:40
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Could I just point out that the ad company has a reputation of pulling stunts like this - where the ad suddenly becomes controversial and is pulled off air to much wailing of hands and debate amongst us ordinary folk.
- Flo, Bath, 29/07/2008 14:43
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My dictionary says gay means "happy, full of fun", but it seems that the 'gay' community has very little sense of humour again. I seriously doubt anybody is going to take any message from this silly little advert.
- Mark, London, UK, 29/07/2008 13:12
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By taking up causes such as this, the HRC succeeds only in perverting interests in matters of genuine concerns. Many of these "humanitarian" organisations are significant contributors to the almost fascistic trend for silencing and stamping on any expression of view that does not accord with their own.
- Helen, London, UK, 29/07/2008 13:05
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Weddigen's crass comment is highly offensive to all civilized people and should not appear.
- Derek, London, 29/07/2008 12:51
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Good to see our gays are more mellow than their gays. Let's face it Americans probably don't know what speed walking is anyway.
- Squiz, Islington, 29/07/2008 12:50
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I'm with Weddigen. They are a pervert minority and no amount of conditioning is ever going to change my mind.
- Jimbob, Kensington, 29/07/2008 12:42
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I think it should be banned, it's highly insensitive to speedwalkers, they already put up with enough abuse with their high speed mincing techniques, this would only serve to brand them as even bigger laughing stocks.
- John Inman, London, 29/07/2008 12:41
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I don't see any reference to homosexuality in this ad. Most of the guys running (or walking) around in lycra, it seems to me, are husbands with young families, desperate to escape from looking after the baby for an hour.
- Blackstone, London, 29/07/2008 12:26
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Human Rights Campaign are a bunch of bigots and their opinions DO NOT represent gays and bisexuals in the slightest. Stuff like this does indeed perpetuate hate towards gays because we heterosexuals become VERY angry when gay groups try and tell us what to do.
It's the advertisers fault though as they are all weak and will pull an ad at the slightest provocation even from a hate group like HRC.
- Pm, London UK, 29/07/2008 11:26
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I agreed that removing the ad was silly but, Weddigen, its your views that are perverted.
- Lisa, London, 29/07/2008 11:01
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I agree that the ad is funny and that those complaining appear to be hypersensitive - but Weddigen, are you actually labelling the group Human Right Campaign a "pervert minority", and their members' feelings as invalid? This attitude is a far more disturbing and unacceptable illustration of homophobia than anything to be found in a Snickers ad.
- Alexandra, London, 29/07/2008 10:33
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Dare one say it... T He!
- 6t, London, 29/07/2008 10:25
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After reading the article, I watched it on YouTube and found it quite funny.
It is unacceptable that a vast majority has to pander to the "feelings" of a minority.
- Weddigen, London SW, 29/07/2008 09:39
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