This isn't what I ordered.

I give mad props to McDonalds for reaching out to the gay community. And they did it in a tasteful way. I'm glad that they scrapped my idea of having a Big Mac strapped in a leather harness dancing to "Sandstorm" because that would've just been silly. However, I can't help but feel that this ad campaign is ham-handed. I think there are a lot more subtle, classy ways of marketing McDonalds to gays.

Before I get into anything else, I need to say something directly to McDonalds: "You're fighting a lost cause. No, gay rights is not a lost cause, but thinking gays will eat McDonalds at all is just a pipe dream. We know you're trying really hard to impress us, but it is just not going to work out. You can sit with us at the lunch table, but you can't speak to us. You just have way to many carbs and saturated fats to be our friend."

Phew. I'm glad that awkward conversation is over. Back to my criticism of the commercial, I just think it could've been done differently. Maybe its because I had it relatively easy in terms of coming out. My Mom has always been incredibly supportive, there was no rift created when I came out, and I felt secure about my sexuality. There was never a "I'm straight, but maybe I'm gay" moment. I always knew I liked boys. The turning point came when I found out that liking boys was frowned upon, and that was when I went in the closet. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm over it. I'm over the media dramatizing the "coming out" moment or the "not telling" moments that come with being gay. Its as if the world thinks that's all gay people do with their time: coming out to their family members and complaining about being discriminated against. If McDonalds really wants to get progressive with gay audiences, they need to do what "Modern Family" and "Caprica" are doing. Number 1, they're showing gay FAMILIES. Number 2, they're showing gay people in situations that aren't defined by their gayness. Its like the test that lesbian made up in the 70s to see if a movie is progressive towards women; not feminist, just progressive. John August mentioned it on his blog recently. It says that the movie needs to star at least two women, those two women need to have spoken to one another, and what they spoke of needs to be something other than a man. Like how movies tend to make female characters driven by the needs of men, movies/TV have tended to make gay characters driven by the needs of sex or acceptance.

Also, just from a narrative stand point, this commercial is just CLUNKY. Why does the guy have a class picture out at McDonalds? Is this 8x10 just something he carries around with him when he goes to McDonalds with his Dad? Also, how does the Dad go from grabbing his french fries to talking about his "glory days" as a ladies man and how HE could've been a ladies man if only he hadn't gone to an all boys school? Its just an inorganic twist and I don't like it. I'm more geared to hate on the commercial for its clunky dialogue than its clunky concept. For a gay FRENCH commericial you'd think it'd at least be witty. But no.