During the past few weeks, senatorial Republican candidate Roger Wicker’s campaign has run an ad that is patently insensitive to gay people, and we believe it has further reaffirmed national stereotypes of Mississippi during an election already riddled by backwardness and negativity.
The ad depicts a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser for Ronnie Musgrove accepting donations from representatives of various interest groups. The ad ties him to “friends of Hillary Clinton,” as well as pro-abortion and pro-gay rights groups.
The representatives of the gay rights group are portrayed by four actors in full Village People garb (a cowboy, an Indian, a police officer and a construction worker). When they step into the shot, the fundraiser says, “Let me guess,” and the four men affirm they are gay.
Caricatures of political figures and their supporters are understandable and normal during an election. However, the ad isn’t simply caricaturing Musgrove or his campaign. It instead caricatures gay people and advances stereotypes, which has nothing to do with Musgrove. Furthermore, while the ad stereotypes gay people, it doesn’t attempt to stereotype the other groups portrayed in the commercial. Why isn’t the pro-abortion group represented by a doctor with scary hooks and claws?
What if the commercial portrayed an African-American with a black-faced white actor tap-dancing? It is essentially the same thing, yet we are still made to watch this commercial week after week.
We would like to point out Musgrove’s response in his own ad, which only mentioned Musgrove was staunchly against gay marriage. Unfortunately, Musgrove did not point out Wicker’s stereotype of gay people.
The rest of the country is beginning to accept gays as members of society, but one of Mississippi’s senators, a person who officially represents our state, makes Mississippi appear behind the times. Wicker’s ad is damaging to Mississippi’s already-bad reputation. Although this isn’t a national race, televisions in Mississippi aren’t limited to the privacy of people’s homes. Visitors from around the world see the ad in airports, hotels and malls, and then they leave to tell their relatives back home how ignorant Mississippians are. Stereotypes of our state take generations to overcome but only 30 seconds to be reaffirmed.
One of the most astonishing factors in all of this is that it is all for no reason. Gay marriage hasn’t been an issue in the race at any point. The main difference between Mississippi Republicans and Mississippi Democrats is a fiscal one. The race so far is nothing but a rivalry between two former college roommates.
Both Musgrove and Wicker should stop cherry-picking each other’s past votes in order to cast each other in a negative light, although now it’s getting too late. If only they had focused on their own credentials, we would be spared of needlessly insensitive ads that say little for Mississippi.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Matt Watson, news editor Carl Smith, assistant news editor Josh Starr, sports editor Brandon Wright, entertainment editor Kyle Wrather, photo editor Bud Sorey, copy editor Aubra Whitten, online editor Adam Kazery, managing editor David Breland and editor in chief Erin Kourkounis.