The Gillette "Toxic Masculinity" Commercial, unpacked:
(1) Intro (0:00-0:09): Pictures of men looking down and depressed, like they know that's what coming is sad and that they're personally to blame. Subconsciously, this sets the expected tone for everyone watching. Notice also the words used right at the start: "Bullying. The #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. Toxic Masculinity." That right there is what the whole ad is about. Combined with the body language of the actors shown here, this sets the tone for the whole first part of the video. (2) Bullying (0:10-0:18) Some kids running around, some of them busting through a random piece of paper, others running through a house, not doing anything discernibly wrong at all. Some words flash on the screen from a text message, with the implication that only boys say those things, not girls. They show a mother embracing a son, as if those boys running "through the house" necessarily picked on him, as if all those text messages were sent to him by those boys. (And is if girls never pick on girls at that age, as if only "masculinity" is the problem, as opposed to the sin nature of ALL people.) (3) Sexual Harassment (0:19-0:28) Now we transition from bullying to sexual harassment, as if this also only goes one way. I've heard women talk. Y'all are dirtier than I ever was, even at my non-Christian worst. And to act as if a girl never pinched a guy's butt and giggled about it -- in fact, this happens MUCH MORE than the reverse, just because women know they can get away with it socially, whereas men know they can't. You also have the inevitable reference to Hollywood, and the women in bikinis who are freely objectifying themselves by how they dance. Then you finally flash to the boys on the couch, once again sitting there all dour and depressed -- subconsciously telling you exactly how to think and especially feel in that moment -- and who to blame, once again, as if only men behave in this manner, as if the problem is "masculinity" rather than the "sin" nature of ALL people. (4) The Glass Ceiling & Second Wave Feminism (0:29-0:32). Now we're in a boardroom, with one woman "working her way to the top." And then of course we see the male Executive "mansplaining" something (another leftwing, feminist concept) that the woman said, with a bunch of other guys sitting there looking on. First of all, I've been in professional environments almost my entire adult life, and I've never ONCE seen this happen in real life. Secondly, for those who think this video is somehow God-honoring, please go read Titus 2. So again, the man in a leadership position is evil and "toxic," but the woman is doing nothing wrong, once again implying that the problem is men (specifically, men in leadership positions) and "masculinity," rather than the sin nature that's in ALL people. (5) "Boys Will Be Boys" (0:33-0:38). The words "same old excuses" are being said in the background as we transition to two boys playfully wrestling on the ground. I'd remind you that God sent an angel to spend a whole night wrestling with Jacob, and then naming the entire country of God's chosen people after him -- Israel. Meanwhile, the men (who actually look masculine, for the most part) all stand by passively echoing the same words as everyone else. (6) The #MeToo Movement. (0:39-0:48). As if all men are responsible for the evil in Hollywood, which is celebrated by the Left but overwhelmingly abhorred by most conservatives. And then of course, a bunch of "news" stations chime in, all repeating the same word, which is hard to hear until you listen a few times, but the phrase they're subconsciously driving home here is this: "Toxic Masculinity. Toxic Masculinity. Toxic Masculinity." Don't believe me? Go listen for yourself. (7) Clean Cut "Good Guys" (0:49-0:53) Now we switch to some super clean cut, completely non-rugged, leaning-towards-effeminate males. These are the "good guys." Funny, I remember Jesus being a carpenter's son and not having a place to lay his head at night; and John the Baptist, who Jesus said was "the greatest man ever born of woman," living in the wilderness like a wild man, wearing clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and surviving off locust and honey. But I digress. Notice also that, in stark contrast to the first group of men in the intro, these men are subtly smiling -- once again, telling you how should feel at this point, changing your emotions from sad and guilty, to smiling and "this is how you should live," in response to what's coming next in this video. (8) The one good guy standing up against all the bad ones, time and again. (0:54-1:14) Now finally we switch to some select manly-looking men doing the right thing, even while the mass of men do the wrong thing. The implication is clear here. And of course, the only people to blame are the men -- always the men, never the women -- with the implication again being that "toxic masculinity" is the problem (and by subconscious extension, that "masculinity" is "toxic"), rather than the sin nature that is in ALL people. BTW, the implication here is that men become virtuous by defending the "oppressed" rather than by putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and living to serve and worship Him. This is Cultural Marxism 101. (9) The good dad. (1:15-1:16) Amen to this. (10) The fat white dad breaking up the playful wrestling match. (1:17-1:19) Heck, the kid on the bottom is actually smiling. This is ridiculous, and is subtly promoting passivity and effeminateness over masculinity and good-natured boyhood. We might as well ban wrestling and football next, and just stick the boys in tutus and drag. Oh wait, the Left has already done that . . . (never see any "videos" I mean "commercials" criticizing THAT, though) (11) More of #8. (1:20-1:26) (12) "The Boys Watching Today, Will Be the Men of Tomorrow." (1:27-1:35) The statement is true in and of itself, but I'm terrified for what "the boys watching today" will think manhood is about when they grow up. (13) Closing (1:36-1:48) "It's ONLY by challenging ourselves to do more that we can get closer to our best." This is Leftist Humanism at it's peak. Do better. Be a better version of yourself. Here's the truth: We are all vile sinners who deserve nothing but the wrath of God, at least apart from the blood of Jesus Christ. Even our "best" works are like filthy menstrual rags (Isaiah 64:6) before a holy and righteous God. Even our "best" falls woefully short. The problem we ALL face is sin -- NOT "toxic masculinity" -- and the solution is not becoming more passive or effeminate or even "challenging ourselves to do more," but rather the solution -- the only solution for ALL of mankind, male and female alike, passive and aggressive alike, rapist or model citizen alike -- the ONLY solution for all of mankind is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit that is an absolutely necessary part of genuine Biblical salvation. And if you don't get the things in that last sentence, then you don't get anything worth getting.
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