One of the reasons I love comedy is that it doesn't believe in sacred cows. Even if a person has a very firm and deep respect, comedy can help him or her find the humor in it, making it a bit more welcoming and warm. Burdens can become lighter, even horrible ones, with the right joke.
That said, humor is a sniper rifle, not a shotgun. You can miss the mark if you're careless.
I think the golf company Good Good recently learned that lesson the hard way. In a new ad, they attempted to take a page out of the movie "Obsession," a film about a guy who makes a wish on a wishing stick that the girl he has a crush on will love him more than anything. The wish comes true in a monkey's paw sort of way, and the woman becomes obsessed with him to the point of violence and destruction. It's very "Twilight Zone"-oriented, and it was so good that it ended up being one of the best-selling horror movies in some time.
I think that part, about "Obsession" having a box office take major corporations would sell their grandmothers for, is what confused the brass at Good Good. Their ad takes direct inspiration from the movie, but if you've never seen the movie, then you have no idea what it is they're referencing. Moreover, they executed the commercial so badly that it comes off as cringey as much as it does menacing.
See for yourself.
Callaway apologizes for ‘Good Good’ ad showing woman shoved to ground pic.twitter.com/oXknagyBqR
— Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) August 25, 2026
It wasn't even just the fact that this moment seemed sinister for no good reason, but the acting was so off that it came off as serious, not comedic. It comes off as domineering and bad-natured. I get the source it's drawing from, but thanks to the bad writing and acting, it's not coming off like that at all.
So I can understand why many people are disgusted. I definitely think the reaction is way overboard, especially with Good Good losing its partnership with Calloway, which is, even as we speak, grovelling at the altar of DEI for its sin of association. Which is weird because they approved it in the first place.
But what I can't get behind is the sudden declaration coming out of the woodwork now that "there should never be depictions of violence against women and it can never be funny!"
I disagree wholeheartedly. I think violence can be depicted against women and be funny.
Exhibit A: "Airplane!"
Imagine what would have happened if Good Good did a parody of Airplane!
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) August 27, 2026
A generation of snowflakes would need therapy and would literally breakdown and tremble every time they saw a golf course.
And an airplane. pic.twitter.com/Q1bNWzh1Bc
Exhibit B: Snickers and Betty White!
And finally, Exhibit C: ESPN!
Why didn’t ESPN face the same blowback Good Good is receiving for this commercial? pic.twitter.com/hjvnqfPTjg
— Danny Noonan (@DannyNoonanGolf) August 26, 2026
ESPN's commercial is the most important because it actually did what Good Good was trying to do. It took a sports situation and had a man aggressively tackle a woman because of his inability to "turn it off."
But notice the consistency with each example here. It's all bombastic and somewhat ridiculous. The scenarios are, themselves, hysterical. An old woman playing rugby? A hysterical woman being "calmed down" by a line of people on an airplane, some of whom are holding weapons? A massive NFL player tackling people in an office?
It works because all of it starts with absurdity. From an absurd position, you can do absurd things, including tackling an elderly grandma to the ground. The more absurd the violence, the funnier the action is.
So the idea that women are such a sacred cow that they can never be joked about in a slapstick comedic manner is, frankly, ridiculous. You absolutely can have fun in that regard and depict a woman taking as much physical punishment as any man. The idea of putting limits on where comedy can go is dangerous anyway. Sacred cows tend to build too much power over societies. Best to slaughter them where you can.
