Have you ever seen an acronym that you just didn’t understand either because your mind doesn’t work that way, or because it could have meant pretty much anything? The DTF ads that OKCupid has been posting lately have a lot of people up in arms and some wondering what the big fuss is about. And then there are kids wondering what it means and, as you might guess, asking their parents, who might not care to tell them or don’t want to since it would be embarrassing somehow. In truth, it’s not all that embarrassing, but it’s something that requires at least a little tact when discussing it with children. And if you’re an adult and can’t figure out what DTF is after a few moments, well, you might have led a sheltered life.
DT-WHAT???
No, I’m not going to go into the long-winded and boring story of how OKCupid decided to come up with this ad to basically advertise ways for people to get together and do the nasty. Instead, I thought we’d have some fun with it. After all, if you’re creative enough, DTF could mean pretty much anything.
- Dogs Try to Fly. That brings up a few interesting images, doesn’t it? Beware the winged chihuahua, or perhaps the average, stubby-winged bulldog that can only reach a few inches off the ground? One thing is certain, birds would no longer be the biggest threat when it came to a freshly-washed car.
- Down to Fight. It’s not as funny, but it’s definitely a meaning that makes sense as some people might actually think this is what it means. Imagine telling this to someone and getting your messages crossed though, as one person shows up hoping for a good time and the other shows up ready for the Friday Night Fights.
- Disgusting Toe Fungus (anonymous). Yeah it’s gross, but come on, think about all the people with chronic athletes foot out there that could use this kind of a group. They could, um, share stories, and, well, hopefully that would be all they would share in hermetically sealed environment so their fungus could be theirs and theirs alone. Moving on…
The idea of getting mad at OKCupid is a little silly.
There are plenty of days when it feels that people are getting mad just so they have something to do with their otherwise empty lives. But getting mad at a company putting up ads that show their beliefs in such a blatant way is kind of ridiculous for a few reasons, such as:
- Look, just look around you, take in all the ads that are already staining the landscape and see how many are ‘inappropriate’ and want people to believe one thing or another and practice a lifestyle that they might not want to embrace. Do you really think that buying a certain type of shampoo will make you look like a model? Or do you think that swiping left or right is going to make a difference when it comes to your personality and how people see you? It might, but the idea here is that the ads don’t make a person who they are, they make people THINK they want to be that kind of person that is seen in the ad. Get a grip and look away.
- Pay close attention to who’s complaining, and you might get a good laugh out of it. Those from the ‘right’ and those of the LGBTQ+ community are both taking umbrage with these ads. People from both sides of the line are going to take issue with what they feel is a ludicrous way to get people together, so stop worrying that it’s conspiracy against anyone. Of course, when you see an add featuring a gun being placed in a toilet with an ad saying that it wants to filter someone out, there might be a bit of an issue.
If they bury themselves with their ad, it’s on them, not anyone else, and they certainly don’t need your help to make it happen. Companies put ads up all the time that might be a little divisive to other people, and while some get away with it, some have to backpedal furiously if their message is somehow flung back at them with added force. So if OKCupid is ever forced to backpedal and apologize for certain ads, just sit back and enjoy. And if they’re not, just ignore them, it’s probably the best way to go anyway.
Ads are easy to ignore
Think about it. How many ads do you likely see in a day, and how many do you actually pay attention to? Americans have been so inundated with ads that it’s one of the first things we might see when our eyes are fully opened in the morning, or at least when we leave the house. Do we heed every ad that we see, do we even register them? Probably not, since by the time we’re grown we’ve likely seen so many ads that we’ll already know the story behind a good number of them, and we won’t care about the majority of them, including any that absolutely have to use an acronym like DTF to sell themselves. Ooh, that almost sounded dirty.
