A 2010 Dodge Charger commercial entitled “Man’s Last Stand” has a group of men reciting a list of certain things they will do in exchange for being allowed to drive a Dodge Charger. The Dodge commercial is a relevant example of media for analysis alongside Sandoval’s piece discussing semiotics. During the first 45 seconds of the 60 second commercial, we see images of men with serious faces reciting a long list of things they will do including: “I will clean the sink after I shave”, “I will say yes when you want me to say yes”, “I will take your call”, “I will listen to your opinion of my friends”, “I will put the seat down”, “I will carry your lip balm”. At the end of the list of the men talking about what they consider the annoyances they must deal with, most of which they seem to assert come from their girlfriends/wives, the narrator says “And because I do this, I will drive the car I want to drive. The Charger, man’s last stand.” This commercial is obviously problematic in many ways that are blatant surface issues, in addition to its many deeper symbolic issues. The ad is aimed at a solely male audience and it attempts to convince men to buy the car in order to feel and show off their “manliness”, it goes so far as to explain that buying this “manly” car is some form of opposition or protest for men against women. The vagueness of its “last stand” message could be read as a sort of final attempt by men to curb women’s efforts of movement toward equality. Furthermore, it supports the “last stand by men” message by reasserting moronic stereotypical notions of women nagging men, bothering men at work, being more emotional, complaining more, etc. The commercial is so offensive at every level that I’m very surprised it was allowed to air on television, especially in front of as wide of an audience as the Super Bowl.
