7 Up Pulls Prison Rape Ad

[zzyzzx]

7 Up Pulls Prison Rape Ad
Fri, May 24, 2002 04:31 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - For the first time in its 73-year history, the makers of the 7 Up soft drink have pulled a TV commercial off the air based on criticisms that it contained objectionable content, reports Reuters.

The decision to yank the commercial came after complaints sprouted up from a convicts rights group which disliked the spot's allusions to jail rape.

The cancelled commercial is set in prison and features the drink's spokesman Godfrey pitching the drink to inmates. At one point, Godfrey walks down a row of cells and hands a can of the drink to each prisoner. When he accidentally drops one though, he remarks, "I'm not picking that up."

In the spot's final shot, Godfrey is shown inside a cell with a burly-looking inmate who has his arm draped around him.

"When you drink 7 Up, everyone is your friend," says Godrey, which prompts the inmate to tighten his grip.

"OK, that's enough being friends," says the comedian.

"This commercial was perpetuating the kind of callousness that allows sexual abuse to continue in so many prisons virtually unchecked," says Stop Prison Rape Executive Director Lara Stemple. "We're very glad to hear that 7 Up has decided to stop sending out the message that it's OK to laugh about rape when it involves people in prison."

The prisoner rights group says that men in women in prison are routinely raped and sexually brutalized. That causes them "serious physical and psychological injury," says Stemple. "Unfortunately, jokes about rape in prison have become alarmingly common, but sexual violence is occurring in prison right now, to real people, causing real suffering."

Philippa Dworkin, a spokeswoman for Dr. Pepper/Seven Up, which is a unit of UK-based Cadbury Schweppes, says the ad tested well with audiences and has been running for about two months with no other complaints.

"We listened to what they had to say," she says. "They had some very valid points about the ad being able to be interpreted a different way from what we intended."

[zzyzzx]

I forgot to post the URL:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?26121

[MOVIEGEEK]

"Don't do the crime if you can't do the time......don't do it".
Baretta starring Robert Blake(wonder if he was offended?)

[jeex]

hm. he's right, prison rape jokes arent that funny anymore.. that weekend update guy made them unfunny.. bastard..

[jexster]

Hey Jexx i know of something that will instill your faith in prison jokes again check out Bob and Toms prison *itch song

[marcusaxavier]

Dammit! I liked that comercial! Oh well, we have to remember the rights of criminals.

[zzyzzx]

I was watching the news over the weekend and they showed the commercial as part of the news clip. It wasn't the commercial I was thinking of but it was still hilarious. Yes, prision rape is very funny.

[zzyzzx]

[Known]

Looks like someone frequents isonews....

Getting raped in prison? I'm all for it, I think most inmates convicted of murder/rape/etc totally deserve a good hammering from a bald, fat guy named Molly..

[rayjr13]

I wasnt aware the prisoners had rights...they can't bear arms, can't vote, etc etc....so the hell with their civil liberties too..I'm never going BAKC NEVERERERERERE..R

[Tommyknocker]

What about the men and women who are wrongfully imprisoned? There are a lot more than you realize. Rape is not funny, and never will be, regardless of whom the victim is.