The conductors of Boston’s Green Line trolleys aren’t exactly amused by a new ad campaign for Legal Sea Foods that accuses them of having faces like a halibut, says the Boston Globe. The campaign features “fresh fish,” that toss out hilarious insults such as: “Hey lady, I’ve seen smaller noses on a swordfish,” and, “This trolley gets around more than your sister.” Har, har, har. Most of the ads are fairly innocuous, but one has the trolley conductors seeing red. It reads: “This conductor has a face like a halibut.”
“You can’t take everything personally,” said Deana Cruthird, 31, at Kenmore station.
And, besides, said Russell Sweet, 48, “There are plenty of other things to be offended about.”
But that’s not the view of Stephan G. MacDougall, president of the Boston Carmen’s Union, who fielded 40 phone calls from Green Line workers incensed by the ads.
“To say they are angered and offended is to put it lightly,” MacDougall said. “I will tell you this: If they don’t come down, we will not drive those trains.”
MacDougall said he likes Legal Sea Foods, and cannot understand why the company and the T could not have anticipated a backlash to the ads.
“Who the hell wants to say they have a face like a fish?” he said. “I happen to like to eat fish, and I like seafood, and I like going fishing, but I don’t want anybody saying that I or any of my members look like a fish.”
The ad agency doesn’t see anything wrong with making fun of trolley conductors. They told the Globe that they rejected one idea that was a bit much, so obviously they’re not like, insensitive…
The ads were designed by the New York ad agency DeVito/Verdi, which vetoed one idea as too crass: “This trolley is a lot like your mother. Anyone with a couple of bucks can get a ride.”
“So it’s not like we’re insensitive,” said Ellis Verdi, president of the agency.
Seems like they rejected the only funny one.
Hook, line, or stinker? [Boston Globe] (Thanks, Kevin!)
(Photo: 100%`?afe)
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The trolley conductors are offended just for the halibut? Sounds fishy.
Thank you, I’ll be here all week.
Travelling to Boston a few times annually, I definitely notice the “inflammatory” ads that seems to be a tad bit too common there on the T and on TV (as opposed to what I tend to see here in New York City). Not too surprised that it’ll eventually wear off on somebody.
On a slightly off topic note: Man, I love the Bostonians, although I can’t help but root against their teams for various reasons.
For me, the characteristic Bostonian (and vicinity) style is playing dirty and rowdy (metaphorically, though sometimes literally), but surprisingly enough, almost always the first to get shocked and/or offended at anything . That’ll be my caricacture of them for the time being.
“This conductor has a face like a halibut…..and an ass like a whale.”
So conductors are worked up that someone made a (non-offensive) joke about them? I guess this is a big deal, considering how no one has ever made fun of any other profession, especially NOT lawyers.
People need thicker skins.
Do you really think they’re trying to insult you? Cmon.
@avenger339: True, but Lawyers don’t have some guy paying an ad agency to put lawyer jokes on the walls of their offices. I’m guessing they’d take issue with that. Not that these Halibut Faced dudes are in the right, just saying that your analogy isn’t terribly apt.