Chocolate is bad for you, anyway

Bean over at Alas writes today about a few shockingly offensive and sexist ad campaigns for chocolate bars in the UK. The most horrible included a "top ten" list of things women can't do.

Top Ten Things Women Can't Do:
-Make a Decision.
-Watch Football Without Talking.
-Drive in a Straight Line.
-Use Ten Words When a Hundred Will Do.
-Open a Can Unaided.
-Use a Urinal.
-Own a Pet Spider.
-Speak on the Phone for Less than 15 Minutes.
-Understand Cricket.
-Buy a Yorkie.

A "Yorkie", by the way, is the chocolate bar being advertised here. Before I go off on my rant, let me just add that no one understands Cricket. That said, this list is incredibly offensive for obvious reasons, but also the first item on the list is the most incorrect! Men are much worse at making decisons than women. I don't know how many times I've had one variant or another on this conversation with my husband...

Me: "So, what movie do you want to see?"

Him: "Uhh, I dunno, whatever you want."

Me: "Action, comedy, drama?"

Him: "I don't care."

Me: "Let's go see The Pianist."

Him: "No, not that, too depressing."

Me: "Okay, so what do you want to see?"

Him: "I don't care, whatever you want to see."

Seriously, make a decision occasionally boys! It's very annoying! (Yes, I know the irony of complaining about the stereotypical assigning of traits to women, and then turning right around and assigning those traits to men, but I wasn't being that serious.)

But really, that is a very offensive ad campaign. I'd like to think if it were happening in the States there would be a huge outcry, but on the way to work every day I pass a huge billboard that says "Here's to Twins!!!" and pictures two identical women snuggling very close together.

Ugh, really makes me want to put up a huge billboard with a giant closeup of a male crotch in a bananna sling that says "Here's to Franks and Beans" and see how they like that one...but no one appreciates good vigilante justice anymore.

Actually, maybe they do. Ampersand read my response to this situation in his comments and pointed me toward this article about Operation T.I.T.S.

Shortly after the twins campaign began, a group of activists formed an organization known as "Operation TITS (Tactical Interventions Targeting System)." Last week, TITS operatives scaled two Coors billboards--one on Southwest Arthur and the other on Southeast 11th Avenue--and modified them with posters and paint to read, "Here's Sexism."

Bless them, really.

Note: this post appeared in its original form as a comment on Alas, a Blog.