I swear, people on the comm are deeply uncurious and in denial about basic facts. The ad was unquestionably promoting eugenics in a silly tongue and cheek way 🤪. We live in a fascist state where people and companies feel more bold in coming out of the closet as evil; how is it so hard to believe that they’d run an ad like that?

I doubt it’s just this comm though. Americans in general are as in denial about the state of things as the 1930s Germans before them. Things are more outrageous than they feel comfortable with, so to maintain their view of a just world, they just become further detached from reality. It’s easier to think the ground under you is stable than scramble to deal with the quicksand.

  • gmtom@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    This is manufactured outrage. Either by the company themselves to get more attention or by right wing media to paint leftists in a bad light to their audience. The best thing you can do either way is to just ignore it.

    • TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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      3 days ago

      Intentionally stoked outrage for profit? Yes. Manufactured outrage? No, I genuinely get very pissed whenever evil fuckers try to push eugenics, something that always happens every few years in the scientific community and needs to get shot down every time lest people think the ideas hold any validity.

      It’s not about the ad, it’s the normalization of a very cruel and dangerous ideology. Ignoring it is just letting it fester and become normal. I would understand if you personally didn’t care, but the hostility is really frustrating. This post even got a troll who got removed by mods, so it’s not like these ideas have no power for fascists.

          • gmtom@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            So occams razor you think someone at a jeans company trying to covertly push the idea of eugenics is more likely than someone making a pun about genes sounding like jeans?

            • TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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              2 days ago

              That’s the rub; it is in fact a pun and a joke. It’s a joke rooted in ideas that they’re reinforcing. Jokes can be quite powerful in shaping norms simply because people think they’re harmless. Humor works to disarm tension one might otherwise feel when having a normative viewpoint presented to them.

              Minstrel shows were literally funny to both proud racists and people who simply weren’t the targets of racism. They would find humor in black caricatures behaving like they weren’t inherently inferior to white people, because the prevailing perspective was that they were inferior. People who didn’t understand the humor could even laugh along, not knowing explicitly what they were laughing at, but absorbing the viewpoints all the same.

              Not every example is so obvious, especially when crypto fascists are involved. The alt-right were masters at double layered jokes that work on both an offensive and non offensive level. I spent a lot of my teen years lurking in alt-right spaces on reddit, and it was enlightening how often some people missed the fact that they were in a fascist space. They were simply there for the normie humor; the jokes where the punchline wasn’t just racism, but puns, social cringe, and dark humor.

              So yes, the simplest answer isn’t that the American Eagle advert accidentally looks like alt right humor.

              • gmtom@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                Lmao, no that absolutely is not the simplist answer.

                Like for example if people at American Eagle were trying to push Eugenics, why wouldbt they have done so before? Is there litterally any other evidence they support Eugenics? Have any of them made any of other comments that are dog whistles? Have any of the execs donated to pro eugenjcs groups? Anything at all? Because otherwise the only thing you have a case for is some slight racism/bias about white people being the standard for beauty.

                I genuinely dont mean this as an insult, but i think youre spending too much time in online leftist spaces and got a bit too caught up in the idea that everything is out to get you. I know what its like ive been there a few times and its disconnected me from reality a bit. Maybe now is a good time to take a break from social media/internet in general and recenter yourself. Living in this world is exhausting, especially when youre innsoaces that dont shy away from all the negativity in life.

                • TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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                  2 days ago

                  why wouldbt they have done so before?

                  Does a political climate of concentration camps sponsored by Logitech mean nothing to you? Do you really think nothing big has changed in American politics in the past year?

                  I won’t bother trying to convince you anymore because it’s clear you’ll never change your mind. Your faux concern “touch grass” bs is genuinely more annoying than the pro eugenics troll. At least that fucker had their eyes more open to how things actually are. You’re just a useful fool for fascist tools.

                  • gmtom@lemmy.world
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                    1 day ago

                    Because thats not how evidence works, were not talking about Logitec were talking about American Eagle. If you want to make a big claim like “American Eagle is intentionally pushing Eugenics” then you need something to back it up other than vague statements about the political climate and a pun.

                    Despite what you may feel my concern is genuine. Like i said ive been there. When you spend too much time in circles that talk about all the negstive things going on in the world all the time you get conditioned to think that bad stuff is everywhere and you start jumping at shadows, especially when other people are jumping at them too. Ive made my fair share of accusation that i looked back on and realised werent warrented, simply because i was in spaces that made me feel like the entire world was full of nothing but shitty people. And honestly its just really difficult living like that.

                    Too much social media is never good for you and IMO one of the most difficult parts of the modern wolrd is setting heslthy boundaries with the internet and having the self dicipline to stick to it. Honestly even if you dont change your mind about this, which is totally within your right, i really do encourage you to try tasking yourself with taking a break from socials for a week or more, I really do think it will make you feel less stressed. :)