By Robert Francis Curtis
“Man Laws” was an advertising campaign put out by Miller Brewing Company in 2006 which ended in 2007. These television commercials were inspired by both the unwritten rules of manhood and the legend of King Arthur. The “men of the square table” would discuss various topics in “man-culture” until they settled on a rule about whatever the discrepancy and called it a man law. The table consisted of many idealistic and iconic figures in the realm of pop culture in regards to men including Burt Reynolds (the leader), professional wrestler Triple H, boxer Oscar de le Hoya, and NFL Pro Bowler Jerome Bettis. These commercials (such as the one viewable below) parody government, spoof super heroes, and in every way attempt to embody the ideal manly-man’s desire of being a tall tale. In many ways, including humor, setting, characters, and the laws themselves these commercials attempt to sell the product (light beer) to men by having them project themselves upon these iconic figures and through a psuedoindividuality create a false connection between the idea of being “the man” and being a man.
In his book The Mechanical Bride, Marshall McLuhan states, “the attitudes of Superman to current social problems likewise reflect the strong-arm totalitarian methods of the immature and barbaric mind.” Similarly, the attitudes of the iconic men who sit at the square table also reflect an impression of immature and barbaric mind sets. In the ad High Five, the council discusses in all seriousness the validity of the high five as a celebration. Clearly meant to be comical, this concept displays men as childish and immature. The idea that this small council of six to eight men can decide laws for all of mankind seems barbaric and ridiculous in and of itself. Why should Burt Reynolds be the end all be all of man culture? Perhaps it is because he has been a man’s man icon since the early 1970’s because of his film career, television work, and his cultural status. He was the number one money making celebrity for five straight years (1978 – 1982) portraying gamblers, outlaws, bandits, womanizers, and all around hard core men brawling and grinning the entire way. Still though, why should such an unsophisticated barbarian like Burt Reynolds be the leader of men everywhere? The majority of men within the demographic the ad has been aimed towards at some point in their lives probably wanted to be him. He dated starlets, drove fast cars, and shots guns with a smile behind a debonair mustache. Men in their early adult years during the seventies can relate to him as an icon and a hero because to them he was for at least five consecutive years.
Though Burt Reynolds is the leader of men according to Miller Brewing Company, many other icons of manliness appear from time to time. For example, Aron Lee Ralston was a member of the council in the commercial titled Fridge Incident. Ralston is mildly famous for having had a boulder fall upon his arm while he was canyoneering and then proceeded to cut it off with a simple dull pocket knife. It also includes Ty Murray, a seven time All-Around World Rodeo champion. Indeed, even the less recognizable faces in the man law meetings are men who have done something above and beyond the normal spectrum of physical strength and mental capacity. They are what men should want to be according to Miller Brewing Company. They are like the Marlboro man or Rocky in that they embody the truest virtues of a stereotypical American, beer drinking man; underdogs that overcame adversity, and real genuine working men
(A) A picture of Marlboro's famous Marlboro Man campaign.
This is not the first time Miller Brewing Company, or any company for that matter, has attempted to pitch a product to men by creating advertisements that projects the image of the everyman, tough and proud. As previously mentioned, Marlboro also attempted to sell cigarettes by having their spokesperson be a ranching cowboy in the Wild West. He was hard working, strong, and weathered by the beauty and danger of the wilderness lands in America. This is a trend in advertising, as well as American pop culture, that seems to be revisited over and over again. McLuhan uses Superman as an example of barbaric mindsets in the average man, but many others exist. These ideal characters are not new to human mythology either. The Greeks created Hercules, and the English created King Arthur just as we create superheroes. These are the ideals of what a man should want to be according to popular thought.
(B) A picture of Disney's Hercules. A character created in Greek mythology that has survived until today.
(C) An advertisement from the most recent Superman film. Superman has been around for nearly one hundred years.
The idea of super heroes and men is what makes the most interesting aspect of this commercial the location of the man law meetings. The take place in a glass room, rose upon a platform identical to those of old war rooms in atomic age cinema, suggesting that men are at war. It is like the secret lair of a secret society, allowing a viewer to picture it deep inside of a mountain and fortified the way only a man’s sanctuary could be. The setting of these meetings implies brass and bravado, intelligence and strategy while all the long poking fun at the idea of the Bat cave or the Fortress of Solitude. There is even an old man writing down the rules in the corner f the room, suggesting weird take on the super hero’s assistant. The iconography of this commercial continues beyond that of old time heroes and their lairs but even in the rules themselves.
This commercial has spawned a pop culture phenomenon known as “It’s a man law.” The phrase has popped up around television and films ever since. It has been referenced in things as diverse as Stephen King’s book Duma Key and Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive (a television series). The topics dealt with in this series of ads ranged from high five resolution to fingers poking in beers to the appropriate etiquette when attempting to woo a best friend’s ex-girlfriend. At times the topics discussed in these man law meetings are not even about beer but rather life and lifestyle; technology has gone mad, or beating traffic shall never interfere with game day. The comical side of these ads can be seen, but a greater issue still remains. Is a man a man, and therefore any man, because he drinks Miller Lite or is a man the man, like the iconic figures pitching the brew, because he drinks Miller Lite?
Through the art of manipulation the viewer believes that they can be just like Burt Reynolds and Triple H, and too can decree the laws of manly men but the wide spread pop-culture of “Man Laws” is evidence enough that men have just joined together in yet another barbaric ritual of clinking there bottle together while they drink their brain cells away. By following not only the man laws but the guidelines of an advertisement men become like sheep not the Bandit. A man is much more than icons and super hero spoofs. Unfortunately, like many advertisements in this world, stereotypes get laughs, and that’s what sells.
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