WHAT?!?!

I'm sorry, but since when has the rock and roll guitar NOT been a sort of phallic extension? It just is, for pete's sake!!!! Anyone who has ever been to a rock show knows this, understands this, hell, they don't even need to mention it because it just IS. It's rock and roll!! It's a performance. It's not like he was trying to get all up on the guitar. That is just EXACTLY what ever other rock guitarist looks like when they are playing (albeit sans the "symbol" shaped guitar, but nonetheless). And after all the hoopla that went down with Janet, and then the fact that you could tell all the performers this year were all securely fastened into their not-so-revealing ensembles, they come up with this?

AND THEN, the Snickers Ad is getting all kinds of bad press. I understand this was a bit more risque, however lets be honest, it was effortlessly predictable. I think next year they should make a commerical with obviously gay actors. Then they will get all the wacky religious righters boo-hissing and it will just prove to the country again: damned if you do, damned if you don't. To me, advertising is all about stereotypes. Actually, anyone who has ever taken a basic business or marketing class should understand that as well. It's the end-all-be-all to reach your "target market" and you can only do that by stereotyping either the target group, or that group's antagonistic adversaries. Society constantly condones it...we allow ourselve to be surrounded by targeted advertising at all times. But when millions of people are all crammed around the boob-tube at the same time for a highly anticipated glut of marketing magic, well that's when things finally get noticed.

Finally, I want to briefly mention another instance of sterotyping offending the masses...the now-infamous local Barbie email forward (and it's ensuing Post-Dispatch review). It has apparently annoyed most every group it defined (although whoever was behind the Soulard Barbie needs to take a little trip to see what it's REALLY like...animal prints and nosejobs aren't quite the reality). It also proved, via the dichotomy between St. Louis and Metro-East versions, that people in St. Louis proper have little to no clue as to what life is like across the river. For the most part, it's a suburban mecca much like their own. Yet for all the complaints coming from soccer moms across the metropolitan area, the last line in the article just kills me: "The Barbie has on a sweatsuit and is driving a minivan. I was in our local paper last year, and you guessed it — I was wearing a sweatsuit. I also must admit it: I drive a minivan."

I'm moving to Switzerland. That's all I can say.