CBS Crunches on ManCrunch

CBS' handling of the advertising portion of this year's Super Bowl is turning into a bigger fiasco than Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction. For weeks, CBS has taken heat from activists for arbitrarily changing their advertising policy to accept a Super Bowl advertisement from Focus on the Family. You know, Focus on the Family, as in the organization that calls queer people perverts, gay marriage evil, and says that girls shouldn't learn sex education because it strips them of their modesty.

In past years CBS wouldn't accept advertisements from progressive advocacy groups, like the kind that called for an end to the Iraq war, or the kind that called for people of all races, genders, and sexual orientations to be welcome in church. But conservative ads, like the one Focus plans to air that will likely deliver an anti-reproductive rights message (and perhaps be entirely based on a lie)? Those get a free pass from the CBS censors.

If all of that weren't aggravating enough, CBS also pulled the plug today on a proposed advertisement from ManCrunch, a gay dating Web site. The network said their ad was too controversial, because it featured two dudes watching football and engaging in a kiss.

So for those keeping score: CBS has said that inclusive churches are bad, anti-war activists are bad, and gay men kissing are bad. But ads that lie about abortion laws in the Philippines and attack constitutional rights? Well, those are just fine. In fact, they're so fine, CBS is going to allow them to run during the Super Bowl twice.

In denying the advertisement from ManCrunch, CBS said that the ad was too risque for a Super Bowl audience.

"CBS said in its rejection that the [ManCrunch ad] 'is not within the network's broadcast standards for Super Bowl Sunday,'" CNBC reports. CBS also said that they could verify ManCrunch's credit status, which shouldn't really matter, since ManCrunch volunteered to pay in cash.

But what's so wrong with two guys kissing? Snickers ran an ad a few years back during the Super Bowl where two dudes made out. Of course, that ad featured two men kissing as a homophobic punchline (folks start throwing up in the commercial at the thought of men kissing). But it was allowed on the air.

Maybe the difference is this. CBS thinks that when two dudes kiss for love, well now, that's disgusting. But when two dudes kiss so that a stereotype of gay people inducing sickness can be furthered, well then, that's OK.

What a mess, CBS. All the more reason to keep the letters pouring into CBS, to join with the global chorus of voices calling CBS out for this ridiculous move. It's bad enough they accept an advertisement from one of the most rabidly hateful organizations in the country. But to then nix an advertisement where two dudes kiss?

Well, like their programming, clearly CBS is stuck in last century.