Red Lobster and Olive Garden support the B word

By: American Decency Staff

Recently we specifically targeted Darden Restaurants – Red Lobster and Olive Garden – because of their frequent sponsorship of shows such as “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23â€Â and “GCB.â€ÂÂ  After withdrawing for one week, Red Lobster was back on this week’s episode of “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23.â€ÂÂ  Also returning was regular sponsor PepsiCo – this time advertising their Sierra Mist and Gatorade products.  Additional repeat offenders include Old Navy, Mazda, Honda, and AT&T. These corporations need to hear from you! Take Action! Click here to send a message to all the advertisers empowering this offensive show. Remember not that many years ago when most men had a gentlemanly regard for women?  Men would be careful of their language around women, treat them with respect, and actually even refer to them as ladies.  A far cry from where we are today as a society. Now we have the “Bâ€Â word – which, of course, is a highly derogatory reference to women – becoming especially widely used on network television.  And not only within shows, but also in titles as ABC arrogantly does with the “Bâ€Â word referenced in the title of “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23â€Â and also in “GCB.â€Â As a writer for the LA Times opined:  “What does it mean that … the word "b–ch" is suddenly everyone's go-to joke?â€Â This same writer also stated:  “The vast majority of writers, directors and television executives — in other words, those writing and approving the use of the word — are still men.â€Â And while women may no longer be treated as ladies by network television, the female characters are also not acting like them.  This week's episode of “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23â€Â depicts the female lead characters going on drinking binges, using “un-lady-likeâ€Â references to male genitalia, and making claims of having sex with 300 men. The show’s creator, who is openly gay herself, stated:  "I think (gay women) would really like the women behaving badly thing — doing something at first that doesn't seem great and certainly not typical.  Just doing something different and not just the stereotypical way things are seen." And the actress who plays the lead character, Chloe, describes the part this way:  "My character is so free.  She's not defined by one sexuality at all so that's a fun thing to play with. My character has no ties to anything. She doesn't like to be categorized and she's totally free and I think that comes out in many story-lines, not just about her sexuality. …â€Â While this actress may think its “so freeâ€Â to throw out any standards of morality, shows such as “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23â€Â that normalize not only the “Bâ€Â word, but also the illicit behavior depicted, don’t empower women, but only degrade them – and the rest of our culture at the same time. Take Action! Click here to send a message to all the advertisers empowering this offensive show. ========================================================== To support our efforts please click here or mail your gift to American Decency Association (ADA), PO Box 202, Fremont, MI 49412. American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

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