As LGBT folks outraged over antigay comments made by pasta chairman Guido Barilla cleared their pantries of the hate-produced product — and, hopefully, dropped the boxes off at soup kitchens since the company already has your money, suckers — competitor Bertolli Pasta has reminded consumers it’s long been a good friend of ours by posting the same-noodle friendly photo above to its Facebook page along with the message “Love and pasta for all!”
The company even released a swinging, stylish, same-sex friendly video advertisement four years ago:
Now Guido has posted a video (below) offering another apology to gay people (his first one didn’t go over so well), saying he’s never discriminated against anyone and promising to meet with representatives from LGBT equality organizations to help evolve his viewpoint.
Still, while we love a public mea culpa as much as the next gay, we have a suspicion Guido, who also reportedly told an interviewer he objects to gay couples adopting children, wouldn’t mind using the video below to promote his pasta’s enduring appeal for “classic families.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
DickGreenleaf
Barillo’s new ad???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaluoeMSMnA&feature=youtu.be
Uisce
So wait, are the penne supposed to represent penises or strap-ons? And are the farfalle hourglass-figured lipstick lesbians in skirts? Or gender-bending queens in fabulous frocks cinched at the waist? Or are they literally bowties on a couple of butch studs in formal wear? And why can’t the penne be interracial as well? Is there some sort of strict societal rule against that? The mixed couple appears angry over being childless and it looks like they are directing the gays to their tomato-based doom. I don’t like the message that this is sending. I am in greater fear of carbs now than I was before this whole debacle started.
Taliaferro
I like the Bertoli ad – it is especially clever with the use of past shapes and colors to show diversity and acceptance of all. Who need Barilla? It’s pasta is no better than any other brand and its CEO is an offensive cretin who offers first offense and then compounds that offense with weak apologies because now his bottom line is affected. Why does the company keep such an unenlightened dolt on board?
andy_d
Too little, too late Barilla. The boycott is underway. Where your apologies are concerned, I believe the Italian expression is “Tutti cuesta merdi.”
Bruce
andy_d : I agree. Arrivederci Barilla!
sanfranca1
The Bertolli ad is so cute!
sanfranca1
@andy_d: Translation, please. (Google Translate is so worthless)
Mr. E. Jones
I appreciate that Barilla is trying to make things right, but he was so arrogant and proud of his discrimination, and telling us to eat someone elses pasta, that its hard to accept his apology. And then to attack gay couples with kids was just too much.
JimboinLA
Saddup you face!!! DeCecco is also much better than the hate pasta…I forget it’s name. Seriously, is that guy a junkie??
JimboinLA
Shaddup you face!!
JimboinLA
Shaddup you face!!! DeCecco is also much better than the hate pasta…I forget it’s name. Seriously, is that guy a junkie??
mauikamaaina
Love Bertoli … Ronzoni, too. Never used Barilla;now I never will. No loss!
EManhattan
Some Barilla-owned brands which don’t have “Barilla” in the name:
Alixir — alcoholic beverages,
Crisp’N Light — biscuits, cookies,
Cucina Mediterranea — Frozen main dishes,
Fantasie Del Sole — many food products,
First Fast — coffee, other food products
Italy’s #1 Pasta — pasta,
Macine — baking powder, salt,
Mulino Bianco — baked goods,
Natura Al Dente — many food products,
NutriPlus — pasta,
Orizzonti — coffee, other food products
Pan Di Stelle — biscuits, cookies,
Pavesi — Coffee,
Pavesini — baked goods,
Plus — sauces,
Restaurant Creations — pasta sauces,
Ringo — baking powder, biscuits, cookies,
Ritornelli — biscuits, cookies,
Share The Table — baking pans,
The Choice of Italy — pasta,
Voiello — coffee, other food products
Volare — semolina-based snack foods
Garth
Bye, bye , Barilla … Welcome to my home Bertolli !!!!
Garth
Arrivederci Barrilla …. BENVENUTO BERTOLLI !!!!!!!!!!!
Garth
@EManhattan: Many thanks for the list.
seaki
Bertolli,……you are in my kitchen,….Turdilla,…..your gone!
darkorient
As a stereotypical Asian guy, I only eat instant noodle. Guess it’s time to switch to Bertolli with its awesome ads!
Derek Williams
It is ungracious not to accept a person’s apology, sincerely given. Mr Barilla has recanted his earlier remarks and offered to meet with representatives from? the affected LGBT minority. Considering that he could have stood by his earlier comments, but has chosen not to, I regard this as a step in the right direction. I will be even more persuaded if the Barilla company includes LGBT in its company anti-discrimination policy, and includes LGBT and racial diversity in its advertising in some way.
Niall
Haha gotta love the marketing guys at Bertoli, really smart. Seeing their competitor shooting itself in the foot, brings out an ad to boost themselves and kick Barillo when they’re down.
EManhattan
@Derek Williams It is not ungracious to refuse to accept an apology which is a back-handed insult. In the Barillo apology, they only seem to regret the response to Guido’s comments – not the comments themselves.
They still, apparently, stand by those insults, they’re just upset that we are not saying “you’re right, we’re inferior humans who are bad to children, thanks for letting us eat your pasta”. Instead we are, impolitely but quite justifiably, taking Guido up on his suggestion that we eat other companies’ pasta, and not letting him off the hook for being an asshole.
@Niall I’m glad that the folks at Bertoli are bringing out an ad to kick Barilla when they’re down. Barilla is down because Barilla has claimed that gay couples are bad to children, and claimed that families which include gay people are bad families. They deserve to be kicked.
I’m tired of all this crap, I’ve put up with attacks from smug religious straight people for too many decades to have any patience at all with them any more. Fuck Barilla up now.
Some Barilla brands which don’t have “Barilla” in the name:
Alixir — alcoholic beverages,
Crisp’N Light — biscuits, cookies,
Cucina Mediterranea — Frozen main dishes,
Fantasie Del Sole — many food products,
First Fast — coffee, other food products
Italy’s #1 Pasta — pasta,
Macine — baking powder, salt,
Mulino Bianco — baked goods,
Natura Al Dente — many food products,
NutriPlus — pasta,
Orizzonti — coffee, other food products
Pan Di Stelle — biscuits, cookies,
Pavesi — Coffee,
Pavesini — baked goods,
Plus — sauces,
Restaurant Creations — pasta sauces,
Ringo — baking powder, biscuits, cookies,
Ritornelli — biscuits, cookies,
Share The Table — baking pans,
The Choice of Italy — pasta,
Voiello — coffee, other food products
Volare — semolina-based snack foods
dvlaries
If I could time travel back to my 18 year old self in 1972, I wonder if I could convince him we’d ever have this kind of power one day. Lots to fix yet, but we’ve come a long way baby.
Polaro
Firing him would have appeased me, had it not been for the fact his name is on the company. I will never again buy a Barilla product. He can have his opinion. And I can act on mine.
MK Ultra
Barilla basically said, he doesn’t consider us “real” families, that we shouldn’t be allowed around children, and though he throws us a bone and says we should be able to do what we want, he qualifies it with “as long as we keep it away from normal people”.
His whole rant and the following apologies have all given the impression that his opinion is “ewww, I just don’t like them. But they can continue giving me money”
There isn’t an apology in the world to make that right. If Barilla wants the negative PR to go away, he’s going to have to spend a lot of money showing gay people and our supporters just how much we mean to him. He’s going to have to put his neck out to make it right and be pro-gay all over the place and bring his chequebook with him.
The message being – homophobia is bad for business.
ParkerSparx
@EManhattan: Barilla also owns the WASA brand of products.
krystalkleer
their new mascot…NOODLES the clown!
http://getoffmydress.blogspot.com/2013/09/send-in-clowns.html