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[Sickboy007]

Rome, September 26 - The president of Barilla, the world's biggest pasta maker, said Thursday he would never make ads that portrayed gay families. "I would never make a spot with a homosexual family. Not out of a lack of respect but because I don't see it like they do. (My idea of) family is a classic family where the woman has a fundamental role," said Guido Barilla on Italian radio program La Zanzara. "We have a different concept with regard to the gay family. For us, the concept of the sacred family remains a fundamental value of the company". Show hosts responded that gay people also eat pasta. "That's fine if they like our pasta and our communication, they can eat them. Otherwise they can eat another pasta. You can't always please everyone," said Barilla, one of three brothers who control the privately held company. "I respect everyone who does what they want to do without bothering others. I'm also in favor of gay marriage. But not adoption in gay families. "As a father of multiple children, I believe it's very hard to raise kids in a same-sex couple".

Italian activists and politicians launched a boycott of products from Barilla, the world's largest pasta producer, shortly after company president Guido Barilla said Thursday he would never show gay families in advertisements. "We accept his invitation to not eat his pasta," said Aurelio Mancuso, president of gay-rights group Equality Italia, in response to Barilla's remarks that gays could eat another pasta if they didn't like his message. Barilla made his statements on the Italian morning radio program La Zanzara. By midday, the hashtag #boicottabarilla (boycottbarilla) was trending on Twitter, thanks in part to outrage voiced by some Italian politicians. "Here we have another example of homophobia, Italian style," said Alessandro Zan, an MP with the left-wing SEL party. "I'm boycotting Barilla and I invite other MPs...to do the same. I've already changed pasta brands. Barilla is terrible quality". Barilla, whose company also has a large line of sauces and other jarred foods, also had his supporters. "Solidarity with Guido Barilla (amid these) attacks on civil liberties," said Maria Rita Munizzi, president of the Italian Parents Movement (Moige). "We appreciate the choice to showcase his products with the natural family".

http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/english/2013/09/26/Barilla-president-says-won-ever-use-gay-families-ads_9363911.html
http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/63061/Barilla-boycott-launched-over-president-s-gay-family-remarks.html

 

[Dany]

Women makes the pasta and gays don't exist.


Well fuck him.

 

[CrocMother]

I finally have some guidance when choosing pasta sauce and spaghetti.

 

[Phat Michael]

Why did he bother even saying that? If he doesn't want to portray gay families well that's up to him, but why bother specifying what you WONT do?

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Good thing I already found a nice new brand.

 

[freenudemacusers]

hey hey he's all for gay marriage guys he just said so. he just has different values. don't be intolerant of his intolerance. two wrongs don't make a right. tip your waitress.

 

[alfredofroylan]

a, in response to Barilla's remarks that gays could eat another pasta if they didn't like his message. Barilla made his statements on the Italian morning radio program La Zanzara.

Usually companies release those canned responses in this kind of situations, I wasn't expected this.

 

[Dark Octave]

At least he's for gay marriage?

...Progress?

 

[Red Liquorice]

How does he know how hard it is or not for same sex couples to raise children, what experience does he have of this. Silly man.

 

[Sickboy007]

Why did he bother even saying that? If he doesn't want to portray gay families well that's up to him, but why bother specifying what you WONT do?

He was asked about this directly in a radio program, it all started with a question about women's role in Barilla's spots after the Speaker of the House Boldrini said that many spots play into the stereotypical role of the mother as a "house servant". He criticized Boldrini saying her remarks were "pathetic", and that "caretaker activities ennoble the role of women".

He was then asked about gay families in spots and that's what he answered.

 

[TCRS]

Does anyone even check the brand of pasta they're buying. I just buy the cheapest one that is not a value brand. Good enough for me.

 

[freenudemacusers]

Does anyone even check the brand of pasta they're buying. I just buy the cheapest one that is not a value brand. Good enough for me.

cheapest non-generic/house brand is probably barilla

 

[fluffydelusions]

I finally have some guidance when choosing pasta sauce and spaghetti.

Pro tip: canned/jar sauce is shit regardless

 

[Phat Michael]

He was asked about this directly in a radio program, it all started with a question about women's role in Barilla's spots after the Speaker of the House Boldrini said that many spots play into the stereotypical role of the mother as a "house servant". He criticized Boldrini saying her remarks were "pathetic", and that "caretaker activities ennoble the role of women".

He was then asked about gay families in spots and that's what he answered.

Ah fair enough. That is pretty stupid then.

 

[Frost_Ace]

lol fuck him.

Barilla pasta sucks anyway...

 

[Koomaster]

How does he know how hard it is or not for same sex couples to raise children, what experience does he have of this. Silly man.

Exactly. It would be just as wrong for me to spout how hard I believe it must be for Italians to raise children. I'm not Italian, how the fuck would I know. Same with this dude; how would he know/believe it's harder for same sex couples to raise kids.

 

[Camwi]

But not adoption in gay families. "As a father of multiple children, I believe it's very hard to raise kids in a same-sex couple".

That's the real gem right there. Who needs logic when you can just believe?

 

[Jackpot]

Funny how he seems to focus entirely on gay men and forgets there are such things as gay women.

 

[_Ryo_]

So he's not only sort of homophobic but also sexist... great.

 

[Sickboy007]

His rationale seems to be that since there are no women to "ennoble with caretaker activities", gay couples can't raise kids. I wonder if a lesbian couple would work out for him, it's two moms instead of one!

 

[rezuth]

Does anyone even check the brand of pasta they're buying. I just buy the cheapest one that is not a value brand. Good enough for me.

God yes! Pasta taste so much different from brand to brand. Barilla makes okay pasta, theyre the McDonalds of the pasta world.

 

[Escape Goat]

Don't buy barillla pasta. Gotcha.

 

[soundscream]

Damn, I like their no boil lasagna

 

[Sickboy007]

Damn, I like their no boil lasagna

I'll miss the Pan di Stelle

Don't know if you guys have Mulino Bianco products, but they're Barilla as well.

edit: shit, Pavesi too? This will be harder than expected

 

[Escape Goat]

OP, you forgot your source. Shame on you.

 

[Hitokage]

At least Barilla isn't funneling money into all-out hate groups like Chick-Fil-A.

Or are they?

 

[T.O.P]

I'll miss the Pan di Stelle

Don't know if you guys have Mulino Bianco products, but they're Barilla as well.

edit: shit, Pavesi too? This will be harder than expected

dafaq, Pavesi too?


welp gonna write down a list of what i won't buy anymore

 

[dapperbandit]

So wait...all the fuss because he said he wouldn't make an advert with a gay couple/family in it?

So what?

It'd be strange to be watching TV and see an advert for pasta that had a gay family in it. I mean, the way Italy tends to sell food products is by communicating a kind of homemade, traditional, rustic feel so the consumer views the product as traditional and genuinely Italian, and therefore of high quality. You see this sort of thing in adverts for Pizza and things like Dolmio cooking sauces.

Having a gay couple/family in the advert would clash with that marketing strategy.

Of course to declare that you aren't going to do it paints you as a homophobe but to be honest I understand. Any advert where you're looking at a a gay family while being told to buy a product is more likely to leave you thinking: "Why was that a gay couple in this advert?" than "That product sounds good, I'll go get it."

 

[soundscream]

So wait...all the fuss because he said he wouldn't make an advert with a gay couple/family in it?

So what?

It'd be strange to be watching TV and see an advert for pasta that had a gay family in it. I mean, the way Italy tends to sell food products is by communicating a kind of homemade, traditional, rustic feel so the consumer views the product as traditional and genuinely Italian, and therefore of high quality. You see this sort of thing in adverts for Pizza and things like Dolmio cooking sauces.

Having a gay couple/family in the advert would clash with that marketing strategy.

Of course to declare that you aren't going to do it paints you as a homophobe but to be honest I understand. Any advert where you're looking at a a gay family while being told to buy a product is more likely to leave you thinking: "Why was that a gay couple in this advert?" than "That product sounds good, I'll go get it."

Because I dont want to support backwards thinking. If he said he would never make a commercial with an interracial couple because he felt everyone should stick to there own I would feel the same way.

 

[Alucrid]

Show hosts responded that gay people also eat pasta.

wat

 

[rocketknight]

Any advert where you're looking at a a gay family while being told to buy a product is more likely to leave you thinking: "Why was that a gay couple in this advert?" than "That product sounds good, I'll go get it."

Maybe this is the case for you, but you're absolutely wrong to generalize. I don't care if his ads have gay people in them or not, I care that assholes like this always seem to feel a need to reveal their bigotry out of nowhere, and that the rest of what he said is just terrible.

 

[TheGravemind]

I'll miss the Pan di Stelle

Don't know if you guys have Mulino Bianco products, but they're Barilla as well.

edit: shit, Pavesi too? This will be harder than expected

I miss the baiocchi ( old version) :-( *tears

 

[Partial Gamification]

So wait...all the fuss because he said he wouldn't make an advert with a gay couple/family in it?

So what?

It'd be strange to be watching TV and see an advert for pasta that had a gay family in it. I mean, the way Italy tends to sell food products is by communicating a kind of homemade, traditional, rustic feel so the consumer views the product as traditional and genuinely Italian, and therefore of high quality. You see this sort of thing in adverts for Pizza and things like Dolmio cooking sauces.

Having a gay couple/family in the advert would clash with that marketing strategy.

Of course to declare that you aren't going to do it paints you as a homophobe but to be honest I understand. Any advert where you're looking at a a gay family while being told to buy a product is more likely to leave you thinking: "Why was that a gay couple in this advert?" than "That product sounds good, I'll go get it."

Not challlenging a biased status quo is one thing, perpetuating bigotry is another. Its like the association with homosexuals is taboo, and acceptable; I don't agree with that.

I currently have 6 boxes of their pasta, a product I will buy in bulk no more.

 

[freenudemacusers]

wat

It was my understanding that gays did not eat carbohydrates. is this untrue?

 

[Sickboy007]

OP, you forgot your source. Shame on you.

Sauce Source added.

 

[Escape Goat]

It was my understanding that gays did not eat carbohydrates. is this untrue?

Honey, you know we don't. Carbs are the enemy. High protein, high volume foods.

 

[Derwind]

I have Barilla spaghettini in my drawer. Welp, not going to waste it as money is tight but not going to enjoy eating it. Might as well switch brands wile I'm at it, a brand that won't make me feel guilty and dirty.

Oh and the president can fuck right off, shitty PR move buddy.

 

[Darklord]

An Italian being homophobic? No way!

 

[dapperbandit]

Maybe this is the case for you, but you're absolutely wrong to generalize. I don't care if his ads have gay people in them or not, I care that assholes like this always seem to feel a need to reveal their bigotry out of nowhere, and that the rest of what he said is just terrible.

I don't think it's a generalisation to suggest that mainstream TV audiences aren't as super-tolerant as the liberal progressive Utopia that is Neogaf Off-Topic. Why potentially upset your audience (read: prospective customers) or confuse them into thinking, consciously or sub-consciously, that this product is for gay people and not them?

 

[Kai Dracon]

To be honest he sounds like a silly old sexist more than specifically homophobic. His remarks about gays stems from the sexism.

People like this speak more out of ignorance than anything else.

 

[Hitokage]

Given how Italy had been in Berlusconi's grip in some form or another for decades, I'd imagine that bright spots in social progress would be difficult to find in general. :/

 

[Sickboy007]

An Italian being homophobic? No way!

I'd say that, notwithstanding our horrible legislative situation, Italy has more of a sexist problem than a homophobic one. His twisted remarks curiously seem to suggest this as well.

 

[RM8]

I want to make a joke about penne but it's not funny in English

 

[Karkador]

It'd be strange to be watching TV and see an advert for pasta that had a gay family in it. I mean, the way Italy tends to sell food products is by communicating a kind of homemade, traditional, rustic feel so the consumer views the product as traditional and genuinely Italian, and therefore of high quality. You see this sort of thing in adverts for Pizza and things like Dolmio cooking sauces.

Having a gay couple/family in the advert would clash with that marketing strategy.

Because gay people don't know how to cook or be Italian or something?

 

[dapperbandit]

I want to make a joke about penne but it's not funny in English

 

[chaostrophy]

I mean, the way Italy tends to sell food products is by communicating a kind of homemade, traditional, rustic feel so the consumer views the product as traditional and genuinely Italian, and therefore of high quality. You see this sort of thing in adverts for Pizza and things like Dolmio cooking sauces.

Having a gay couple/family in the advert would clash with that marketing strategy.

Huh? So gay people can't live in rustic settings, or prepare traditional homemade Italian meals? It only clashes if you have stereoyped views on how gay people live. The whole "gay lifestyle" thing that luckily more and more people are moving past.

 

[Partial Gamification]

I don't think it's a generalisation to suggest that mainstream TV audiences aren't as super-tolerant as the liberal progressive Utopia that is Neogaf Off-Topic. Why potentially upset your audience (read: prospective customers) or confuse them into thinking, consciously or sub-consciously, that this product is for gay people and not them?

Because a very controversal statement has been made. Its an issue of corporate social responsiblity, to now advertise "those people" not representing family is to dehumanize at worse and belittle without malice at best; people are people and families are not uniformly produced in a pasta press.

In general:
(Money > Responsiblity) => "fuck the people"

 

[dapperbandit]

Because gay people don't know how to cook or be Italian or something?

It's an image that is received by an audience, it's not supposed to be a realistic portrayal of Italy, italians or Italian lifestyle, I don't know why anybody would think this.

Stereotypes, positive or negative, are kinds of mental shortcuts that means that anyone watching is on the same page in terms of what the advert is trying to convey. Adverts do this all the time; if the general preconception is that Italy is known for pasta and pizza, and that the best pizza/pasta is made to traditional recipes etc etc, marketers are going to take advatage of that and use it in the advert.

An advert for pasta with a gay couple in it doesn't do this.

 

[Sickboy007]

It's an image that is received by an audience, it's not supposed to be a realistic portrayal of Italy, italians or Italian lifestyle, I don't know why anybody would think this.

Stereotypes, positive or negative, are kinds of mental shortcuts that means that anyone watching is on the same page in terms of what the advert is trying to convey. Adverts do this all the time; if the general preconception is that Italy is known for pasta and pizza, and that the best pizza/pasta is made to traditional recipes etc etc, marketers are going to take advatage of that and use it in the advert.

An advert for pasta with a gay couple in it doesn't do this.

You do know that this is about spots airing in Italy, right? We don't need anyone selling the Italian stereotype to us. Does this mean they shouldn't use people of different races in their spots because Italy is predominantly white?

 

[Mt Heart Attack]

Italy doesn't have any sort of legal recognition of civil unions, same-sex or not. That's what should be on the headlines, who cares about some guy's opinion on the matter, he was just rather dumb to actually answer the question, he should have known better. Being in favour of gay marriage, he's probably more open-minded than a big chunk of Italians anyway.