In this case, you have violated Rule 11, which states:

We have enough people telling us to “grow a thicker skin” when we object to offensive jokes, or telling us “it’s just a game/tv show/movie/etc!” when we try to discuss the connections between oppression and culture, or having them tell us to stop saying women are oppressed because “men have it bad, too” or “not all women would agree”, and it will not be tolerated on a space that’s specifically for discussing our opinions on the world. If you disagree with a point, you can say so without negating that point as a valid argument.

The commercial is too ridiculous to be taken seriously. You pointed out a lot of good things, but did you consider that it’s men dancing in a street and singing a song? So just laugh with it and don’t think it deliberately degrades men. It merely reinforces stereotypes (like all ads) and appeals to the male brain at the most basic of levels: eat.

I didn’t get to see the commercial (looks like YouTube yanked the vid)

I updated it with a working link.

And about the homoeroticism… I didn’t get to see the commercial (looks like YouTube yanked the vid), so I’m going off your description and screengrabs, but I see it more as narcissism. Men who prefer socializing with (or watching on screen) other men are not necessarily sexually motivated: it’s often that they feel the other men reflect them and validate them. And they need the women to symbolize an emasculating enemy force not so much because they hate women as because the easiest way for terrifically insecure people to feel more sure of themselves is to unite against a common enemy.

Basically, however you slice it, the ad is appealing to some really sad male insecurities, and should be offending people for that reason, if not all the others.

Alternatively, it is directed at less “manly” men, neatly conflating homosexuality, submission, femininity and out-group status. …It *does* strike me as slightly weird that the marketing pitch, in the latter case, is “eat my man-meat or be a cock-sucker” …six of one, half a dozen of the other? >.<; (I’m actually trying to write a paper for a “masculinity in english literature” class about how men use feminizing terms on other men to sexually/socially/politically dominate them. But your darn blog keeps distracting me!)

i like your interpretation,i just like to say that this ad is really cool,although i have never been to a burger king and never will go. i think the reason why men pick up this lifestyle that is proposed, is that they want to be part of the horde(where they need to know their role,alphamale, or protector of the groupe,worker, etc),represented at the end of the ad by the guys on the bridge(the horde). But i dont see the ad in a bad perspective because it just shows how you will develope if you join that horde of unhealthy people considering the fitness in terms of looks of the guy at the start compared to that fat b****** at the end who is in a way adicted to that junkburger. it set a common value of an unmade groupe doesnt it;”eat this meat” and you will be part of the horde….
i think you have a point about the marketing people of this hating men because in a way a primitive man defines his status and importance in a group by the number of chicks he has to his disposal and we all know that girls like healthy good looking guys and not fat greasy stinking pigs(dont you think the guy who is going to eat off the spade of the girl at the end represents a pig,they are fed that way arent they…).
so as those who are intelligent and live a healthy lifestyle stay on a same level,those eating those burgers for every meal have a deficiancy in certain foodgroups and dont develop well(store up excess food groups that their body doesnt need in those vast quantities),i guess you know what i mean,if you like for example only eat carbohydrates and little fat and little quantities of proteins you will be skinny…so ultimatively these “unintelligent” people only eating burgers will become less desirable for women…also women are taught a healthier lifestyle through this clip as you say because, what is the point of a man being more attractive in relative terms,if women become unattractive as well as th majority of men through this lifestyle… so you have to also consider that females,at least in wildlife get banged by the alphamale of the group,so their babies will be the best possible combination of “genes” or something like that,biologically it is selfexplicable why all women should be fit and only have relations to the alphamale,because one male can be father of 100s of kids every year whereas women can only give birth once every 9months in human cases….
but still the ad is cool but you have to be already pretty low in selfestime if you are gonna fall for this as an adult,the main consern lies with kids because when they grow up in front of tv,they do not always know that ads and tv programs only reflect an idea or phantasie,…why do you think girls all what to be size 0,well because all girls on tv look that way,it is crazy in a way how complicated cildrens programs are in terms of understanding,i mean do kids really understand what is going on or what cartoons are trying to bring over(working and harvesting so you have something when winter comes 4example),just look at batman of the future,i mean what is going on,there is a crime and then the hero steps up to the challenge and destroys the bady,so kids do actually think that beating up someone who has done wrong is right,they dont know that selfjustice is considered wrong when they are like 10years do they?i grew up with tv,and looking back at what i was watching i was never understanding the messages it worries me if people still think that educational childrens programs are doing what they are supposed to do. but then again i think kids should be taught by their parents what is right and what is wrong and especially what worries me is why do kids worry about their future at the age of 12, i mean they seriously take school so serious that they learn everything and know nothing when they are finished,and they cheat to achieve their goals dont they,beacause they dont want to accept that not everyone can be the best.i think instead of learning 8hours a day they should have social contacts,because what is happening with all these fat kids in germany and the UK is that they have no friends and they become frustrated with everything,and whilst they believe that they are becoming more and more intelligent they cant see the truth. that full focus on work as a lifestyle is basically slavery,just look at all those rich and wealthy people who dont work and own capital that is being increased by financial experts working for them,seems to me that although we are a overproducing society globaly,it still isnt possible for everybody to work less because gouvernments have these crazy targets of keeping inflation down and employment high(basically if inflation went up rich people would lose money in real terms and poor people who work and are paid in realtion to the index in certain countries like luxembourg become wealthier,ultimatly destroying the status quo of higher classes to lower classes based on gender and class not on achievement/merit,so poor people can become welthy through work instead of working and stayong poor like it is actually…). i mean what is the point of the population working in all these services that are consumed mainly by the higher classes.
jee this has become political but life is a complex thing isnt it,just think about it,their is a relation between the ad i commented and the economical comment on society if you are able to guide people in a way that no matter what they do makes them worse than you then you are beating them and gaining more and more advantages,i mean do we seriously think that when a guy like that sainsburyguy giving a few million to charity is a true gesture of charity and generosity,NO! i dont because if a persons pays himself something like 200million a year,whilst he is cutting down his employees wages then that is exactly what i was talking about, isnt it!In relation to 200millions,5million for charity is nothing isn’t if its like one of his employees who earns like 1000pounds a months giving 25pounds to charity, so why say wow 5 million,that’s generous, SURE! Its like Schumacher giving 10million for the tsunami,when his is like in switzerland saving about 50% of his wage in terms of taxes, pfff…it is about time for some new system that will deal with this injustice, or someone to cause inflation to go up like it has been in argentina, so once money is worth nothing people will have to start over again from nothing, this will destroy those who have achieve wealth through heritage or lottery, etc… people who don’t know what work is, or how it is written! Alternatively part time with equal pay would be a good solution, just cut Sainsbury and Schumachers wages by 99.9% they don’t even deserve that 200K for what they do, I mean for 200million I think you should like work 9000hours a day! The problem in capitalism is that money is a right to consume, and that liberty is defined by the possibility to consume, so those who are wealthy are truly free like in medieval times where the noblemen did not work! Society is something that doesn’t change does it,and yes you are right I do believe in communism, and that argument that it didn’t work is rubbish,it couldn’t compete because Russia and east Europe started at nothing,imagine how western Europe would have done without materialistic supply from the US whose production system was still intact, basically what wasn’t good in communism is linked to human behaviour, the roles that are never equal(alpha male…),people try to gain power over others, principal of leadership and followers,like in every ad, they always use a good looking person people look up to don’t they,so people think that by adopting their lifestyles they will achieve the same good looks,attraction,ect…this is what every ad uses to make people consume their goods,set a reference person that people look up to,so never forget,you can only improve by adopting real peoples lifestyle, not tv personalities whose lifestyles are “shown” in 5minutes or in programs for half an hour…