Estro-Maxx Ad on Saturday Night Live

[melts]

somebody please post it when it's available -- just watched it on SNL. Offensive.

[spacepilot]

Wow. I'm watching Saturday Night Live on Hulu right now and I just saw the bit. I'm so disappointed with SNL... I've loved this show for years and now this? I immediately searched SNL over her just to see if anyone else had caught the skit and was as pissed off as I am. No part of that was funny and I don't understand how they could get away with that... so much for including the "T" in media's LGBTQ non-discrimination efforts.

I was so angry I teared up a little. 

[Dana Lane]

Please do something about it! Please help it only takes a moment.

http://transgenderhate.blogspot.com/2011/01/nbc-snl-skit-incredibly-offensive.html

[JaimeJJ]

Wow.. I can't believe they took it so far! That goes beyond a joke.

[alexia elliot]

Once again I am feeling somewhat confused with my own reaction. I laughed yet I felt this skit bite into my psyche. I feel that even though it is offensive, like most of the jokes on SNL, it feels offensive because we are on the other side of this joke!
I relentlessly believe that if something is made fun of, poked at, it most definitely becomes everyday topic and subject which became mainstream occurance. And I am not talking The Joke but the substance, the core subject, which is ->-bleeped-<-. When Polish people immigrated to America in thousands pre II worldwar Polish jokes tore into polish psyche, painting a picture of stupidity and yet when you think of Apple computers as ingenious and Steve Wozniak (Polak) as Genius, you see my point.  Same goes for Irish, Protestants, Catholics and so on and then we arrive at present day and emergence of ->-bleeped-<-. Oh yes, bring it on, how many transsexuals does it take to change the bulb.......................I do want to see those jokes because their emergence signals emergence of us as new, valid social group.

[melts]

alexia -- understood, but there was also the necessity of telling people the polish jokes were in bad taste.

"Hello,

I know I'm supposed to tune in to SNL with full possession of my sense of humor, but all I can say is I was well-offended last night by the Estro-Maxx ad.

I'm certain 20 years from now this segment will play like a race film, and be akin to performing in blackface, but in the meantime it takes some marginalized human beings like me to remind you cultural influencers when you are obliviously repugnant. Last night was one occasion for sure.

sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX

[AweSAM!]

The only real issues I have is what any transfolk with low self-esteem would do when they see this. Also, I am wondering if this skit will just propagate misunderstanding about transsexuals amongst American society, which is generally behind the times when it comes to being accepting.

[Nilisa]

Once again I am feeling somewhat confused with my own reaction. I laughed yet I felt this skit bite into my psyche. I feel that even though it is offensive, like most of the jokes on SNL, it feels offensive because we are on the other side of this joke!
I relentlessly believe that if something is made fun of, poked at, it most definitely becomes everyday topic and subject which became mainstream occurance. And I am not talking The Joke but the substance, the core subject, which is ->-bleeped-<-. When Polish people immigrated to America in thousands pre II worldwar Polish jokes tore into polish psyche, painting a picture of stupidity and yet when you think of Apple computers as ingenious and Steve Wozniak (Polak) as Genius, you see my point.  Same goes for Irish, Protestants, Catholics and so on and then we arrive at present day and emergence of ->-bleeped-<-. Oh yes, bring it on, how many transsexuals does it take to change the bulb.......................I do want to see those jokes because their emergence signals emergence of us as new, valid social group.

I... I kinda agree, because it's getting the issue out there.

I, personally, sit in the 'Not Offended' pool. I think nothing should be exempt from comedy, and let's be frank, Saturday Night Live isn't very subtle. Everything I've seen of it is controversial and 'attacks' issues. How many people who were offended by that sketch laughed at songs like 'Jizz In My Pants', a song about premature ejaculation? I know I sure did. Or let's even widen the pool - How many people offended by that laugh at racist or sexist jokes? At jokes about people from other countries? SNL doesn't, from my experience, single anyone out. Like a lot of controversial comedies or sketch shows, it goes after anything and everything.

As one wise man I knew had in his signature; "If you can't laugh at yourself, you might just be missing the biggest joke of all".

Sorry, ladies, but I'm not offended. I support you all reporting it if you're offended, though.

P.S. Yes, I'm aware my views are controversial themselves.

[long.897]

Free speech is free speech.  I personally didn't find the skit funny, but some people might, and they should have the right to say what they please. 

[Janet_Girl]

I just sent emails to NBC and SNL.  I did not find the commercial funny in the least bit.

And as to free speech, it falls under the category of hate speech.  If they were showing a Black man changing into a White man, they would be shut down by the FCC and banned from ever being shown.

Your right to free speech ENDS at my ears.

[azSam]

For anyone who wants to see it. I am just now watching it for the first time.

Edit: Sorry Jennifer beat me to it, I guess it didn't load before. Or I'm just blind, which is extremely plausible.

[azSam]

Wow, yup, pretty damned offensive.

[KillBelle]

That made me laugh my ass off. So offensive in so many ways though...us tgs dont even look like that!!!

[Kaelleria]

It's stuff like this that keeps the general opinions of TG people low...

Jerry Springer is bad enough, now SNL is spreading this crap....

[japple]

If they were showing a Black man changing into a White man, they would be shut down by the FCC and banned from ever being shown.

Actually Eddie Murphy did this skit.

[spacepilot]

@japple/janet lynn

Yes, Eddie Murphy did appear in that skit.

I think this case is different because there were no actual MtF's that consented to appearing in the skit. It was just a direct attack by sources that had no experience of what it's like to be trans, instead of someone choosing to make fun of the group they actually did represent and knew something about.

[Michelle.]

I didn't realize SNL was still on air. I would rate that a 5/10. It was mediocre at being funny/offensive.

In the first airing of SNL after 9/11 Rudy Giuliani answers, "why start now?" After Lorne Michaels asks, "is it okay to be funny?"

[long.897]

I just sent emails to NBC and SNL.  I did not find the commercial funny in the least bit.

And as to free speech, it falls under the category of hate speech.  If they were showing a Black man changing into a White man, they would be shut down by the FCC and banned from ever being shown.

Your right to free speech ENDS at my ears.

,
Hate speech is protected under the first amendment, as long as it doesn't incite imminent lawless action (Brandenburg v. Ohio,)  As it should be, in my opinion.  Western culture is built on the bedrock of free thought and speech, and to censor someone for saying something that rubs us the wrong way is morally incontrovertible.  To quote Noam Chomsky, "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all."

[japple]

I think this case is different because there were no actual MtF's that consented to appearing in the skit. It was just a direct attack by sources that had no experience of what it's like to be trans...

How do we know if none of those actors or writers are trans?

I replied in one of the other couple threads started about this.  Good satire has a hint of truth, and people need to see that they were making fun of M2F HRT using some correct terminology. Kind of amazing.  It's a fake ad for a fake product.  Like Jewish Jeans or Mom Jeans.  They showed their male actors as M2F parodies, pre-op changing their bodies with hormones.  That's pretty remarkable.  A mainstreaming of transsexuality.  They treated cross gender hormones with the same tongue and cheek approach that they'd talk about cellulite, Viagra, or sagging butts.

Does this make late transitioning M2F transsexuals feel uncomfortable?  Of course, but culturally it's disarming.  Humor is great. 

[Dana Lane]

What does the public see at the end of this skit? What is their thoughts on transsexual women now? Men in skirts. Dramatizing the facial hair at the end was what did it for me. What they are saying here is that no matter what transsexuals do they are just men in skirts. I am very deeply offended by that. If they ended it better it might have actually been okay.

So, after something like this will it be more likely to get a trans-inclusive ENDA passed in the U.S. or maybe harder? Or maybe trans-inclusion just gets ripped out because the public doesn't want men with beards and skirts in the women's bathrooms.