It’s that time of year again…

That’s right, it’s time for the Super Bowl. Again. Although I bet the festive atmosphere will be somewhat muted by the dismal state of the economy, there will always be…the entertaining commercials. And this year, they’re gonna have to try extra hard to get what little cash or credit we have left. This can only mean two things…

1. Some amazing commercials
2. Some horrible, atrocious commercials

Marketers might just be desperate enough to tap into our basest selves to advertise product with egregious and insulting stereotypes.  Which is itself insulting to anyone who is watching.  Now I know you’re not going to just sit there and take that crap.

So why not make a drinking game out of it?  I’m not a big drinker, but that does sound like a more appealing way to keep tally than…well, tally marks.   What’s that, you say, a consciousness-raising drinking game? If your head doesn’t hurt from the cognitive dissonance, it will from the hangover!

Who says that being a responsible man can’t involve getting drunk?  It sure puts a whole ‘nother spin on the “drink responsibly” slogan!   So what are you waiting for?  Get smashed for social justice this Super Bowl Sunday…

My suggestion is simple.  Shots every time a commercial:

• depicts a woman as a sexual object
• depicts a man as brainless and sex-crazed
• depicts an ethnic, gender, racial, religious, or sexual minority as a stereotype
• glorifies or minimizes an act of violence

Here are the rules:

1. Anyone can nominate a discriminatory commercial or event
2. Only someone from the community being stereotyped can deny a commercial’s offensiveness and remove the nomination
3. Where at least one member of the community in question believes the commercial is offensive, the nomination stands

For example, if someone nominates a commercial for depicting women as brainless sex objects, only a woman can argue against.  If one woman believes it is offensive, but two other present believes it isn’t, the commercial still stands as offensive.  Shots all around.

Please someone let me know if you actually do this, and how it went, and I’ll link to the post or post the story directly on my blog!