Ad homophobia, courtesy of Me
Well, at least the old-ass Hancock ad was just a waste of space. The above ad is either offensive or laughable, depending on your generosity of spirit. It’s not quite as obnoxious as the Mitchum ad I saw a few years ago, but it’s clearly in that same vein, given that it’s meant to hang in above-urinal ad frames.
What makes it funny is what bathroom it was in. I took this picture in the bathroom of Freddie’s, the Arlington gay bar that my darling fiancée accurately describes as looking “like South Beach threw up.” A more appropriate ad would say “Don’t step on that dude’s boa.”
ZoomMedia, the organization credited blamed on the bottom of the frame, has this bit of comedy on their website: “ZOOM MEDIA & MARKETING is the leader in targeted out-of-home solutions efficiently delivering distinct demographic and psychographic niches in consumer lifestyle destination to our advertisers.”
Yes, they bolded targeted and demographic. I do not think those words mean what you think they mean…
Well I used to say something in my profile about not quite being a “tinker, tailor, soldier, or spy” but Tom stole that for our about us page, so I guess I’ll have to find another way to express that I am a man of many interests.
Hmm, guess I just did.
My tastes run the gamut from sophomoric to Shakespeare and in my “professional” life I’ve sold things, served beer, written software, and carried heavy objects… sometimes at the same place. It’s that range of loves and activities that makes it so easy for me to love DC – we’ve got it all.
Is this really homophobia? I feel like this is just general bathroom etiquette at urinals.
Homophobia is probably a strong word for it, but I think “no small talk” pushed it over the line from etiquette into “be careful how you behave in the john, weirdo.”
No small talk in the restroom stems more from accepted standards of etiquette than from homophobia. Restroom use is private behavior. For practical reasons, a public restroom does not afford the same level of privacy as the restroom in your home, and so the correct way to behave in one is by allowing co-occupants to maintain the polite fiction of privacy, and NOT TALKING TO THEM while they are engaging in this private behavior.
I HATE having people talk to me while I’m in the stall. Conversation time is over as soon as the door closes. Continuing to chat while I’m in there just reinforces the uncomfortable truth that I’ve got mah pants down while there are other people in the room. Ew.