If you’re not already familiar with the razor blade manufacturer’s stance on woke values, Gillette is a brand whose parent company, Procter & Gamble, tests products on animals and produces a pink, female-marketed version of a razor blade that costs three times the price of the male-marketed version. And, thanks to a new advertisement, "We Believe: The Best Men Can Be," which uses a bizarre jambalaya of audio clips about bullying and sexual assault, juxtaposed against men in various situations who are being asked to re-evaluate if they are "the best a man can get," the company has won the hearts of feminists and the scorn of men’s rights activists (MRAs) almost overnight.
The summary, for those who don’t want to watch the video, is as follows: bullying and sexism are bad, so buy expensive razor blades, unless you support violence and misogyny. After the video went viral, people reacted—some men appeared to take issue with the "if you don’t buy our razor blade, you’re probably a rapist" approach on Gillette’s part. On the other hand, several social media posts by ultra-feminist bloggers and their allies rejoiced, as Gillette had "pissed off the MRAs and neckbeards." Sure, neckbeards boycotting shaving products is akin to vegans refusing to support a steakhouse, but that doesn’t matter...what matters is that the pink tax—a phenomenon in which women (the primary spenders in our economy) are charged exponentially more than a man for the same product?—is now being fully supported by the same demographic that typically takes issue with capitalism and socioeconomic inequality. And the only "risk" Gillette had to take, was alienating neckbeards—the only other demographic (aside from radical feminists) that is known for not shaving (and even has a group title to prove it).
Well done, Gillette. Capitalism wins again.
Am I, as a male who is comfortable in his own skin, offended in any way by the ad? Well, yes and no. No, I’m not in any way offended that Gillette is (and, I emphasize the quotes here) "attacking men." I’m actually surprised that the ad was so tame—there’s a flower company in my town that advertises using a cartoon of a man in a doghouse and it sits under a billboard for a plastic surgeon that offers "vaginal tightening" services for "aging women." Casual sexism (of all varieties) and commercialism are old buddies. Who cares? But, what does offend me, is that we’re reaching the most disgusting and vile phase of a social movement, which is what I will call "moral capitulation"—the era when brands begin cashing out all invested stock their company may have in an otherwise noble—and often vital?—?social movement.
For the duration of this article, put aside any doubt you may have about the #MeToo or anti-bullying movements, supporters of said movements or tangential issues affecting men. For once, left and right, SJW and MRA, capitalist and socialist, we will all agree on the bottom line: a company is trying to use an emotional response to this phenomenon, in order to sell a product—this is what should offend people. I’m guessing we’re only a few months away from a Marlboro "tobacco won’t assume your gender" advertisement or a McDonald’s "hands up, buy a grape soda" campaign.
Let me make one thing clear: Gillette does not care about bullying or assault. Gillette is not attempting to "attack men." Gillette is not promoting a "feminist agenda." Occam’s razor—a principle that states that "one should not make more assumptions than the minimum needed"?—can answer why the company is doing this: to make money. And, in my opinion, money made by exploiting trauma, tragedy or social struggle is the lowest form of capitalism. Profiting from a rape-related hashtag is just that. Much like how REI used the bodies of dead teenagers to sell sleeping bags (if you don’t recall, the company took a "brave" stance against assault rifles, but simply stopped carrying backpacks by a supplier that was associated with an assault rifle company—as REI has always carried the same amount of AR-15s as Bed Bath & Beyond), Gillette is now using the presence of rape and bullying to sell razor blades. Gillette will forever be known as the company that convinced feminists to shave their legs using a razor that costs three times what a man pays, at the risk of losing a demographic known as "neckbeards." That’s the equivalent of selling Swastika-shaped ice cubes to a family of Jewish Eskimos.
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