GiggleTV – your sexist jokes are not making me laugh

This might seem pretty small in the scheme of things, but I want to draw your attention to something that’s been upsetting me for a while. It’s called “GiggleTV.”

GiggleTV is an advertising channel. It runs on over 400 screens in 8 areas in New Zealand. I came across it because it plays in my local doctor’s surgery and at my pharmacy.

Its M.O is advertising for local businesses to a captive audience, which is kind of disgusting in itself. I’d far prefer not to have to see advertising when I’m waiting for my doctor but I guess I accept that.

What I do not accept is the other M.O of GiggleTV – the supposed “giggle.”. What they like to do is mix the advertising with so-called funny memes and jokes.

Many of the jokes are sexist, racist, or classist. They’re extremely offensive. And on their website, GiggleTV claim to carry only “G-rated” humour. I guess that is code for “family-friendly.” Ok. Here’s a few examples that I don’t think quite fit that bill.

GiggleTVFive

Reminder, this is in a doctor’s surgery.

GiggleTVfour

I don’t even know what’s supposed to be going on here but it makes me vastly uncomfortable.

GiggleTVone

This is G-rated how? It’s misogynistic, sexist, and awful.

GiggleTVsix

GiggleTvSevenComment as above.

GiggleTVthree

Yay more misogyny. GiggleTVtwo

And again! Lucky us!

Keep in mind that these people literally sell their product by telling advertisers that they can guarantee them a “captive audience.” I have to go to my doctor and my pharmacy pretty damn often. I’m being sold to advertisers.

And this sort of “socially acceptable” misogyny is the start of rape culture. It feeds into a collective pysche of women as objects and sex objects. If we don’t fight the apparently “small stuff” like this, then we accept that it’s ok to have half-naked women on screens in waiting rooms as jokes. And where do we go from there?

Please, if you see this channel in any of your local businesses, tell them you object to it. Tell them if they advertise on it, you won’t buy their products or use their services.

I will certainly be telling people here.

11 Replies to “GiggleTV – your sexist jokes are not making me laugh”

  1. Ruth

    Hi Sarah

    I’ve found the solution to this annoying situation, although depending on the layout of the particular waiting area it may or may not work for you.
    Position yourself comfortably in a seat with your back to the offending screen and open up the book of your choice (that you will have brought with you as the reading material available is often crap as well.)

    Reply
  2. Kim

    Did you contact the business that makes these ads? There’s one at my hairdresser and I’d like to know if they’ll change them.

    Reply
    1. writehandedgirl Post author

      Hi Kim – I didn’t contact GiggleTV directly. I did let local businesses know (like my doctor) and I think they removed it from their waiting room. I encourage other people to contact GTV, I just don’t have the energy, with my illness right now, to fight them myself.

      Reply
  3. Pingback: A response from GiggleTV | Writehanded

  4. charlie

    Hi sarah.
    We live by the sea and see women in their bikinis everyday of the summer and do not find that offensive, the picture itself is not insulting to women in any way, it simply shows canada being attractive.
    As for the third wheeler picture, have we not all been a third wheeler at one stage?.
    To me and i would believe a lot of people we do not find any of this offensive, sometimes one or two dry jokes but never offensive. If you dont like watching Giggletv turn your back or put your nose in a book.

    Reply
    1. writehandedgirl Post author

      Yeah you basically just parrotted exactly what they said to me. Here is their reply: http://www.writehanded.org/blog/2014/08/03/a-response-from-giggletv/

      I give this about as much credence as I do yours. Honestly: “I do not find something offensive, therefore it is not” is not an argument. It is like saying to someone: “Hey, I’m sticking this knife in you. It doesn’t hurt me, therefore it must not hurt you.”

      It is not in my nature to “turn my back” on things I find wrong or offensive. That’s not how change happens. I don’t look away because I find it difficult. I engage with it, I try to understand it, I try to effect change for the better.

      No, a “woman in a bikini” is not offensive and I never said she was. It’s the joke that is offensive.

      You’ve clearly missed the point.

      Reply
    2. Stephanie

      charlie, I sincerely doubt that you really think Sarah is complaining just because a woman is wearing a bikini. It’s about using women as sexual objects to sell products or ideas. It’s cheapening.

      It’s also a bit silly of you to write a comment complaining about Sarah expressing her opinion – after all if YOU don’t like reading what she has to say YOU could “turn your back or put your nose in a book”, couldn’t you?

      Reply
    3. Kerry

      Oh, sod off, you boring old mansplainer. Your feeble stuttering adds nothing of value to this discussion. Get out of the way.

      Reply
    4. murrealism

      While I’m not super offended by the actual pic of a almost nakey chick snowboarding, the intent is offensive. And that is the least of the offensive material. Those “dry” jokes about woman… Pretty much designed to undermine a persons self worth. And then the joke about diabetes ect. Do people with life threatening conditions really need to see that sort of presumptuous bullshit? And in reply to those who suggested turning away and reading a book: Sarah knows how shitty and damaging this stuff is. But there are plenty of people out there who don’t. Kids and ignorant people who are constantly having their misogynistic ableist veiws reinforced by this sort of crap.

      Reply
  5. Pingback: ‘Giggle TV’ does it again | Writehanded

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