Hmm, thanks for this — I’ve heard of the controversy but your article made me finally check out the new ad. Seems to me that the root cause of the viral backlash may be

bad grammar

I believe the intention of Gillette’s marketing gurus was to say: Is this the best that men can become? or Are you the best man you can be?

By awkwardly sticking with the action verb get — as an obvious tie-back to their famous corporate motto — they botched their own attempt to deliver a benign, socially conscious, woke message.

After all, men get stuff — they get razors, they get cars, they get women. It is impossible to disassociate the term get from its perceived meaning of possession and entitlement.