• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Margie ClaymanMargie Clayman

Marietta, OH

  • About Me
  • Marketing
  • Librarianship
  • Random Musings
  • Contact Me

Dear @DirecTV – Your Randy Moss Ad is HORRIBLY Offensive

September 13, 2015 by Margie Clayman 4 Comments

IMG_3152

This is a post I would have hoped I would not have to write. Unfortunately, it seems that insensitivity still rules the roost.

If you watch much TV you have probably seen the series of Direct TV ads that feature athletes talking about all of the games they can access with Direct TV. The lesser version of these athletes as presented in the ads just has cable. There is also a version of the ad for regular Direct TV versus cable that features Rob Lowe. Today, however, while already being offended by how putrid my Cleveland Browns were playing, I saw this:

There are two primary issues I have with this ad. The lesser of the two issues is towards the end when “petite Randy Moss” is shown trying to reach something on a top shelf at a grocery store. This may seem funny to some folks, but as a person who has to scale the shelves for pretty much everything I want, I can tell you it is certainly not funny to me. It’s probably also not funny for people who are shorter than me, as many people with achondroplasia are. People in wheelchairs probably don’t find it funny either.

The greater concern I have, however, is the overriding sentiment of the ad. It presents the message that a “petite” version of a person is lesser than a regular-sized person or a tall person like the real Randy Moss. Super-imposing “Don’t be like this me” as they show the petite Randy Moss trying to reach something on the shelf sends the distinct message that little people are a) laughable b) inferior c) something you don’t want to be.

I do not share these concerns on my own behalf. My ultimate worry is for young people who are probably dealing with bullying at school already, just like I did. They may be dealing with self-confidence and self-image issues, just like I did. For boys especially, this ad says that it’s ok to make fun of short people, not to mention Little People, because a celebrity is participating in the joke.

That is what makes this ad unforgivable to me.

It’s easy to make fun of Little People for some reason. Somehow it does not occur to people that dwarf jokes and things like this ad are actually really offensive to people who just might be, well, little. This ad is not ok. It is insensitive, inappropriate, gratuitously foolish, and potentially harmful.

Please join me in asking Direct TV to take this commercial off the air and to apologize for the insensitivity they have shown. Imagine if another minority was portrayed as lesser in such a brazen fashion. The outcry would be palpable. This is not, or should not, be an exception.

Filed Under: Musings

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TomRedwine says

    September 13, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    Ye gods. You may also might want to complain to AT&T, since they own DirecTV.

    Reply
  2. margieclayman says

    September 13, 2015 at 7:07 pm

    TomRedwine Good idea, although these ads predate the deal, so it might be a firm just tied to the old Direct TV entity.

    Reply
  3. 2069354830 says

    September 2, 2016 at 11:22 pm

    As the name suggests, The Daredevil is http://www.redwoodfurniture.co.uk http://www.bestukwatches.co.uk fearless, apparently to the point of absurdity. No claiming is too http://watches.rolexreplicauk.co.uk threatening, no accident too great. Hang http://www.toprolexsreplicauk.co.uk gliding, surfing, off-roading, snowboarding – anticipate Tom Cruise bedrock aggressive at the aperture of Mission Impossible 2.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Short Fuse – Thoughts on #DwarfismAwarenessMonth says:
    October 4, 2015 at 12:17 am

    […] Fourth, and based on the most recent factor, Direct TV recently ran an ad on television featuring Randy Moss. The commercial featured a “petite” Randy Moss who just had cable, and at the end of the commercial Randy Moss says, “Don’t be like that Randy Moss,” as they show the “petite” version trying to reach something on a high grocery shelf. The fact that people would a) think this ad is acceptable and b) run it with no qualms is highly disturbing to me. You can read more about that here. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Post: « Hamlet at the Barbican – Reimagined was fine with me
Next Post: #passionplayers – Molly Cantrell-Kraig »

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Book Review: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
  • Book Review: Land of Lincoln, by Andrew Ferguson
  • The portrayal of the infertile woman in entertainment
  • Chapter 3: A Weird Thing Happened Today
  • Chapter 2: The First Fixings

Recent Comments

  • Delores Baskerville on Are you locking out blog subscribers?
  • frank c tripoli on Book Review: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
  • Lyv on #30Thursday number 10 (we’re in the double digits?!?)
  • Fitoru on New Recipes, 2013
  • Anna Wyatt on Help me petition to deactivate driver-side airbags for Little People

Archives

  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2017
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • February 2014
  • December 2013
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • June 2007
  • April 2007

Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Crafts and Charity
  • Gardening for Renters
  • Marketing Talk
  • Molly Maggie McGuire
  • Musings
  • PassionPlayers
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Footer

marjorie.clayman@gmail.com

   

Margie Clayman © 2021