Am I being over-sensitive?

[idea_hamster]

I just saw an advertisement on OLN (TdF coverage) for "web.com" that tried to show them as an easy and inexpensive way to get online.

My issue with the ad was that it focused on a theoretical homeless man who had tried peddling 25¢ back rubs and once-bitten pasteries on the sidewalk, but eventually started a site called "eBeg" that showed a pop-up asking for spare change.

Now, I realize that not everyone has the same exposure to the homeless problem and web.com probably thinks that this is harmless, but it really irked me.

I try to understand other people. Sometimes I fail. Is this ad really just harmless fun? Or does it make light of a serious problem?

[tristan]

The ad definitely sounds insensitive to me. Kinda reminds me of those Geico ads where they say "it's so easy a caveman could do it", but now they're saying "it's so easy, a homeless guy could do it." Well, caveman are fictional and funny, whereas homeless people are real and sad.

[CanadaRAM]

Not only is it a stupid ad concept, it is peddling a myth: that anyone, with no product to sell or expertise or capital can make money on the Web simply by "becoming" a .com proprietor. Irresponsibity paired with a woeful shallowness of the spirit. Feh.

[mactastic]

I dunno... It's hard to say without seeing it, but generally poking fun at the downtrodden is frowned upon.

[iSaint]

As I've gotten older I've become more sensitive to things like that. I've found that many of my friends are less sensitive, getting caught up in their own little world. I try to teach my kids to be sensitive to others, too.

[eva01]

heh, homeless person story, in Boston there was a homeless guy that had a sign that said "Pay me a dollar and i'll let you tell me off" i thought that was great.

[idea_hamster]

and not.

Part of me is pleased that my moral sentiments are not particularly out of step with others.

Part of me was hoping that I was wrong -- that the ad seen by millions was a light-hearted farce and that I was too sensitive.

Oh, well.

Thanks all for taking time to type.

[wrc fan]

Well it's not like the homeless person is gonna see this ad now is it. While I didn't see this a, the way you describe it doesn't seem to great, specially since the homeless person starts doing pop-up ads.

[Sun Baked]

My issue with the ad was that it focused on a theoretical homeless man who had tried peddling 25¢ back rubs and once-bitten pasteries on the sidewalk, but eventually started a site called "eBeg" that showed a pop-up asking for spare change.Cyber begging has picked up popularity, though some of the stunts for money are stupid.

The cyber begging sites like, "save toby," can be quite lucrative -- and can be a windfall for the people that tug at people's hearts.

In reality, giving a quarter to an "eBeg" site for care of the homeless would be better than sending it to some lard ass who would rather beg for a video card than work for it -- like Ryan did.

[idea_hamster]

Well it's not like the homeless person is gonna see this ad now is it. While I didn't see this a, the way you describe it doesn't seem to great, specially since the homeless person starts doing pop-up ads.
Both of these things occurred to me, which is why I asked you folks about it. If I had gotten 9 of 10 earnest responses saying, "They won't see it so no harm done," then I would have re-thought my knee-jerk emotional response.

Personally, I believe that there's a sliding scale for humor. The funnier the joke, the more irreverant or insulting it can be. I guess this ad was just mediocre and the butt of the joke was society's least defended.