It seems innocent at first, but there are some problems here:
- When short girls complain about being picked up against their will, everyone supports their qualms (like here and here). When it happens to men, it's "just jokes bro."
- Lots of big guys get off on picking up small men to feel powerful (as seen here). Let's not promote this behavior on television and make it seem like a joke.
This ad makes it seem like it's okay to pick men up without their consent. It doesn't matter if they're actors, you have to view this from a meta-perspective. It's similar to how girls on TV are shown slapping males and kicking them in the nuts, so some do it in everyday life thinking it's okay. Men getting their testicles crushed is a common comedy trope, so people think it's funny in real life. In the same vein, many ads promote the mockery of smaller males as harmless fun. At least the DQ ad isn't as bad as this one, right?
I was fortunately born a heavy and stocky short man, so I've never had someone think they can pick me up easily. Still, I've seen instances where lighter short guys get tossed around by random strangers, and that fucking sucks. If a small man defends himself verbally or physically, he seems oversensitive and bitter. If he stays quiet and allows himself to be ragdolled, he seems weak and submissive. It's a lose/lose situation.
People try so hard to defend these portrayals, like they're holding on to their last social punching bag. We can't make minorities, homosexuals, or women seem like suckers on TV anymore, so short men have to be the jesters. Even other short men advocate these portrayals, because they think it's better to be the group clown than not be in a group at all. Sad.
