LAJ

I have been watching this thing spin up. I say we all take a step back, and think about the next post. If you need to edit an existing post, that may also be an idea.

308jerry

Well if a Peloton can't be a girl's best friend. What are the opinions here on diamonds being a girl's best friend? Just curious, I don't watch TV or listen to commercials on the radio. So maybe those condensending commercials have already been discussed.

Metieval

Diamonds are so yesterday

today that best Friend is a 600+ calorie starbucks creation.

LAJ

And the keys to a shopping scooter.

Metieval

Uhhh
Pedal powered passenger scooters? I am in, move over rickshaws!!

LAJ

Sadly, no. 600 calorie Starbucks drink fit's nicely in the cup holder provided in those nice electric scooters.

Flip Flop Rider

regardless of the commercial, "Peloton" is a great name, especially when Phil says it

Paul Barnard

Every time I read the word, it sounds like him in my mind's ear.

livedarklions

Diamonds are the most amazing case of artificial scarcity, price fixing and marketing imaginable, but this will go wildly off-topic really fast.

livedarklions

So much for "it's the thought that counts."

Yeah, the idea that we give gifts to express our feelings about people, real radical stuff.

Happy Feet

When one is evaluating one has to consider ones own built in bias. From a middle aged or older males POV, probably someone who likes to buy their wives gifts with good intentions, the ad looks like that is what is being done. But from an educated independent females perspective it has a lot of subliminal and well established innuendo in it. Her hesitancy, his making a decision for her, her thanking him for changing her...

It doesn't mean ones right and the others wrong necessarily, just that the older male can't really judge what the educated female should feel about it.

If we look at the sarcastic, judgemental and opinionated reactions to the reaction to the article by the crowd here we can perhaps understand how another crowd might react to the actual ad. We have our perspective on an issue, they have theirs. They are just opinions.

The only difference is that, as noted, most of the users here aren't even the target market for the product so the opinions aren't really based on anything they themselves may feel - other than a general unease at the notion that other people can be offended by something, which has been met predictably with great offense.

It's funny if you reread this thread with the lens of seeing how offended people are at other people being offended. Pot meet kettle.

DrIsotope

I'm not entirely sure as to what to classify it as, but the fact that the company's stock is taking as big a hit over lowering it's own subscription prices as it did from the weekend ad backlash is... amusing?

Either way, I doubt this one will last the week. Stock will stabilize and the perpetually-offended will have moved on to the next thing. Like that . Ooof.

When you've got downvotes to upvotes 50:1, you know you've nailed it. Even the (apparently) reviled Peloton ad is only ~2:1 in the negative.

livedarklions

I really don't relate to any of the people in the ad, but I think if I were a young woman and this was supposed to represent me, that cult-like raving she's doing would be pretty disturbing.

OBoile

IIRC, she recognizes immediately that it is a Peloton and not some generic exercise bike which (making the rather large assumption that the writers actually thought this through at this level) would mean she likely was interested. Perhaps she said she'd really like one, but is surprised because she didn't think her husband would buy it for her.

In a somewhat similar situation, I've expressed interest in a new bike. My wife knows I'd like to get it. But I'd guess there's a < 1% chance I'll see it under the tree this year. I would be quite pleasantly surprised if it was.

Milton Keynes

This is why my wife would like to get an exercise bike. If I could afford a Peloton, I'd get one for her.

Maybe that's one reason I think the manufactured outrage over the commercial is just plain stupid. For one thing, it's just a commercial. Secondly, we don't know the backstory. Maybe she wanted an exercise bike for Christmas in order to stay in shape, discussed it with her husband/SO, and was surprised he got her a Peloton since it's a higher-end piece of equipment.

I'm firmly convinced that the people complaining about this commercial are likely the potato-chip eating couch riders who hate to see anyone lose weight or exercise. There's a lot of that coming from the HAES community.

If the commercial has any rightly deserved criticism, it's that anyone thinks they have to vlog their daily activity and make a year-end video out of it. I mean, come on, just go on with your life and don't think you have to share every single little thing you do.

indyfabz

+1. Putting aside whether the question of whether the company should have foreseen the negative reaction, reading stuff into or out of the story is just plain stupid. What I find even more insane is the claim that there is body shaming going on because she already looks trim. I know plenty of trim people who would have trouble riding a bike one mile. If we are going to make up back stories, here is mine: She researched the product and service components, decided that she wanted one to up her game, dropped hints to hubby and he bought her one to encourage her pursuit. What a horrible story.

And as I touched on earlier in this thread, are we to assume that the company is only targeting Christians because of its Christmas morning workout commercial? I mean, where is the first day of Chanukah commercial? The first day of Kwanza commercial?

OBoile

Yeah. That's exactly what I think. I've seen (on other boards) over and over again comments like: She's thin, why would she need this?
Some people, specifically those that don't exercise IMO, seem unable to realize that:
1. People exercise for more reasons than losing weight.
and
2. Part of the reason thin people stay thin is exercise.
People who are active, and not potato-chip eating couch riders already know this.

Milton Keynes

This, definitely. What people don't seem to understand is that exercise is for far more than weight loss. In fact, those of us here seem to realize that exercise is not really for weight loss at all, it's for maintaining your health. If you want to lose weight, change your eating habits. Want to stay healthy? Get exercise. Obviously someone who's dedicated to exercise is going to be about fitness, and likely will have a fit body. Which is why I say the people complaining about fat shaming in the commercial are likely not Peloton's target market. I don't want to get political in here but I suspect a lot of it comes from HAES and the fat acceptance movement, many of whom see any form of exercising as evil and oppressive, even if it's being done by fit people. Or it possibly comes from people who aren't necessarily overweight, but just hate exercise.

Milton Keynes

My thoughts exactly, as seen in my previous post ^^^ .

ThermionicScott 

You think only Christians celebrate $mas?

livedarklions

Well, me and my people get Chinese food, but I'm not exactly celebrating the holiday, just enjoying a day off.

Paul Barnard

I wouldn't presume to speak for any group as a whole. Especially as if the thoughts within that group are monolithic. That kind of stereotyping is the basis for bigotry.


That aside, do you really think the intent was to send subliminal offensive messages?

livedarklions

I don't think all women would find it offensive, but having seen the ad, I think it's entirely surprising that someone didn't notice the tone is at least a bit off, and that women might be put off by her reaction.

badger1

This.

Paul Barnard

As a follow on to my previous comments, I'll offer the thoughts of these educated independent females.


Crazy that a middle aged redneck male can think the same way an educated independent female can huh?