Adam Bozarth Enjoys the Internet: A Sitcom Looks Dumb?
I think a big part of the backlash to these ads (and let’s be clear, since this seems to be at least partially a response to the conversation between Halle and I that we posted to Splitsider yesterday, that we were talking about the ads and not the show itself, which neither of us has seen and I still hold out hope for) isn’t that the jokes are bad, but that they have an angle on gender relations that is like 20+ years outdated. Bad jokes are one thing, but having these jokes about how annoying women are and how dudes just wanna be left alone by their naggin’ wives is another entirely.
Yes, comedy is hard to be successful at and we should be supportive of our peers. That’s why I don’t really cover shows I don’t like on Splitsider! I try to be positive, mostly, although obviously there are some exceptions. Nobody’s perfect! But comedy being hard doesn’t mean we can’t criticize something that is gross on not a comedic level, but a human level, which I think some of these completely ubiquitous Whitney ads are.
Wait a second. I’ve been married for three years and I can tell you this: sometimes my wife annoys me, sometimes I annoy my wife, and most of the time I want to be left alone and don’t want to be nagged about my clothes on the bedroom floor, or the dishes I left in the sink, or how it’s my turn to walk the dogs and take the garbage down to the curb. THIS IS HOW MARRIED COUPLES ACTUALLY ACT!
How can you say that this angle on gender relations is outdated when you yourself are not married? You have no perspective on this subject, unless I’m wrong and you have been married before. This is how my married friends act as well.
We’re not talking about men saying women shouldn’t be allowed to vote, we’re talking about me being annoyed that MY WIFE IS TAKING UP BOTH TOWEL RACKS BECAUSE SHE NEEDS A SECOND FUCKING TOWEL FOR HER HAIR. Where my towel gonna go, Frucci? Where my towel gonna go?
I’m pretty sure the premise of Whitney is that they are unmarried and living together, which is my living situation, having lived with Sarah for 2+ years. She has never given me the “silent treatment,” nor would I see that as a good thing if she did. But the towel argument is one that I have no rebuttal to. Point, Appel.
My wife gave me the “silent treatment” even when we were just engaged. She gets very cold when she gets mad at me. Redheads.
But anyway, just because you have a progressive view on gender relations doesn’t mean that everyone sees things the same. The Appels are still cave-people, as are the writers on Whitney, I guess…and most of America.
I am friends with Whitney and think she’s very nice and super funny, but getting back to the original conversation, I agree, the billboards are a bit much. I’d guess that Whitney thinks so too. If I couldn’t walk two blocks without seeing a picture of my own face, I’d probably jump off a bridge.
Yeah, I like her standup and will definitely be watching the show. My issue is with the ads, which she probably had little to do with. But I am really looking forward to the billboards for Appel! come mid-season.
