After seeing that they were dead wrong, as I already blogged four days ago, Famous Players drops their pro gay-marriage ads that they were playing before their movies.
But then in a typical liberal-left political turn normally employed by the likes of liberal-left political party campaign henchmen, they re-direct the blame. They attempt to convince us (because they think we’re all idiots) that they retracted the ads not because they were wrong; but because the people complaining were a bunch of hysterical killers sending “death threats” and such and using more of that moralistic mob (and Christian mob?) (and conservative mob?) (and “homophobic” mob?) mentality to change their happy oh-so-innocent “free speech” advertising policy.
And of course we’ll soon hear that it’s about “censorship” too—not about free people voicing their concerns, in a free-speech model of consumer outrage.
Famous Players couldn’t have been simply “wrong”, and “sorry”. No—it was (once again!) all those moralistic ass-hats who literally “threatened” to “kill” them, to paraphrase my interpretation of the plot.
This is a fine example of a corporation run like a political marionette attached to set of liberal-left G-strings rather than common sense. Canadian Tire would seem to be another example as they choose to promote a TV series called “My Fabulous Gay Wedding”. Maybe they should fight the battle of their lives against encroaching American competition and offer good products, good service, and good value instead. (No—too radical.)
If they got threatening calls and emails, I hope the police are on it. I’d like to hear more about the “death threats” investigation. Death threats are a very serious crime, that should be brought out into the open. So let’s stay on this and get answers from the police when they start investigating all the “death threats”.
I’ve personally been told that death threats (against me) will be taken extremely seriously in a criminal investigation, without any question, because there are few things more serious than death threats. So lets see where their investigation takes them on this “death threats” file.
Famous Players drops same-sex advertisements
Movie chain decides on new policy after receiving threatening calls
By JAMES ADAMS
[Globe and Mail]
Saturday, February 19, 2005 – Page A10As of this weekend, Famous Players, Canada’s largest movie chain, will no longer run any “issue-driven advertising” in its 79 theatres after pre-film ads it’s been carrying in support of same-sex marriage prompted a boycott of its theatres by opposing groups.
“We were starting to get e-mails that were threatening to our staff,” Nuria Bronfman, the Toronto-based vice-president of corporate affairs for Famous Players, said yesterday.
The man who placed the ad, another Famous Players executive, said yesterday he’d received death threats.
Also, “the phone calls were starting to get abusive,” explained Ms. Bronfman, “so we thought it’s not fair for our staff to have to go through that sort of thing.”
However, one of the groups opposed to the ads, the Calgary-based Canadian Family Action Coalition, thinks that even with the new policy, the boycott should continue at least until Famous Players agrees to run an anti-same-sex marriage ad “similar to what they ran for the other side.”
Famous Players has been showing two 15-second slide ads, sponsored by Canadians for Equal Marriage, in its theatres since late January. They came to the end of their natural cycle yesterday, Ms. Bronfman said, and won’t be shown again.
She said that Salah Bachir, president of Famous Players Media, a division of Famous Players Inc., paid as an individual for the slides, which cost close to $15,000.
One slide said: ” ‘I do’ means the same thing, whether you’re straight or gay. Let your MP know you support our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” The other: “Marriage is a fundamental human right, whether you’re straight or gay . . .”
Ms. Bronfman said it would be erroneous to say the slides are being pulled because of the boycott or of the opposition. The ads “aren’t offensive or obscene, and it is legal to advertise in this country.”
At the same time, “we’ve definitely had some learnings from this situation and others,” she said, noting that patrons have also complained about pre-film anti-smoking messages and ads for furriers. “We’ve definitely learned that people have definite opinions about their movie-going experience and what they want and don’t want and we’ve heard it loud and clear.”
As a result, pre-film advertising “will focus on consumer products and services and stay out of issue-driven advertising altogether,” whether it’s a paid pitch or a public service announcement, she said.
However, Brian Rushfeldt, executive director for the Family Action Coalition, said he isn’t satisfied. “As a matter of fact, this whole scam they’re pulling is ludicrous. They run the ads they want until it’s passed its buy cycle, then they run out and change their policy. It’s an intentional ploy on their part.”
He said Famous Players should have dropped the ads when people first started to complain or given the other side equal time.
Ms. Bronfman said initially some of these organizations thought the pre-film slides were free public service notices and “they were asking for free airtime in return. When we told them this wasn’t the case, they said they’d consider buying an ad—but no one pulled out a chequebook.”
While there were indications in the past seven days that an anti-same-sex marriage group might buy an ad, “by then we’d already decided to streamline our policy.”
Asked if the new policy prevents employees or management of Famous Players companies from advertising in the theatres as individuals, Mr. Bronfman replied: “It’s kind of a grey area. There’s just so many fine lines. We haven’t put that down in stone.”
Contacted in New York yesterday, Mr. Bachir was unrepentant. “It’s a straight issue of equality and minority rights. . . . I would have not done a single thing differently. I’ve done a lot like that before and I’ll do more. That kind of reaction the ad got only serves to strengthen me further. In fact, I sent a cheque yesterday to Egale [a national organization supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-identified people],” he declared, adding that the fuss marks the start of his campaign to become Canada’s vice-regal representative.
“It’s about time we had a gay Arab Governor-General,” he said, laughing. […]
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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