Individual case analysis and discussion
Introduction
It all started by a less qualified statement made by Mr. Barilla who said that he “would
never do a commercial with a homosexual family” because he does not “agree with them,
“and suggested that if gays did not like it, they could get their pasta elsewhere”. He also
stated that Barilla as a company believed in the” concept of a sacred family “and that he
had no respect for gay family’s right to adoption.
These words that were used by Mr. Barilla offended the LGBT community who within a
couple of day’s created a boycott against Barillas products within the U.S and Italy, which
later become a widespread global boycott.
Analysis and discussion
If we analyze the words that are being used by Mr. Barilla we can also find that he is
saying that the company believed in the “concept of a scared family”, which means a
classical family with women as a fundamental role in the household. He also states that,
what he means is “not for the lack of respect towards homosexuals – who have the right to
do whatever they want without disturbing others-but because he does not agree with them,
and that they want to talk to traditional families”.
I do not think that his statements was based on the lack of respect against the LGBT
community, I rather think that this is just a cultural view on a classical family were the
women are in a centralized point. If we implement Mr. Barillas view of family life to our
believes and millions of other people in the world, I would say that we have or had the
same attitude against the LGBT community. This traditionalist’s way of thinking is
something that most of the Italians have grown up with due to its strong family traditions
and the influences of the catholic culture.
It is very sad that this media approach by Mr. Barilla was stated in a way that affected
millions of LGBT activists. As a business man at that level, he should know that
approaching media in a diplomatic way is always more beneficial than saying what you
actually believe. By excluding a group of people and then choosing to express this feeling
to media indicates that the company does not want to be associated with this particular
group at all. Mr. Barilla should know when to say what and that it is always better to be
