Ad watchdog clears ‘offensive’ Meat & Livestock Australia ad of being ‘racist’ and ‘homophobic’
The advertising watchdog has cleared Meat & Livestock Australia’s political musical Summer Lamb campaign of vilifying a person or being discriminatory.
MLA’s Summer Lamb campaign, which turned the wars between Australia’s left and right into a ‘satirical’ West Side Story-style musical, was labelled in a complaint as “offensive”, “outdated, racist” and “homophobic”.
I find it interesting, that an industry that claims to being socially progressive and inclusive, still reverts to out-dated stereotypes when portraying gays in advertising. Even ANZ’s much-lauded GayTM’s campaign, despite the cover of Mardi Gras, seems hell-bent on perpetuating the myth that all gay men fit somewhere between Liberace and Dick Emery when the truth is 99% of the gay community want nothing more than to lead normal, happy lives, doing normal jobs, building normal loving relationships and live in the same communities as you and I.
For me the ad wasn’t too offensive, just deeply uncomfortable and frankly not very inspiring work, until the line “there’s no right or wrong”.
There is enough scientific evidence of global warming to say that denying climate change is demonstrably wrong. And although right now society sees opposition to marriage equality/LGBTIQA+ rights and respect as a matter of political opinion it will go down in history similarly to opposing interracial marriage or women’s rights.
It’s maybe not offensive enough to need the ad watchdog to step in but overall it is an uncomfortable and uninteresting ad to watch, much like the religious-themed campaign last year. It feels like an attempt at controversy without much substance.
I look forward to seeing better work from them in future.
I don’t find it offensive.
I merely wanted to die of cringe.
Whichever way you look at it, i’s a crap ad.
The only thing I want to know if it was the ‘lefties’ or the ‘righties’ that complained about it.
Although TBH I think we already know the answer.