Referring to backlash against a controversial Bloomingdale's ad accused of suggesting date rape, Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy asked, “Remember back in the old days when people used to make jokes?” The ad, which read “Spike your best friend's eggnog when they're not looking” and featured an image of a man staring at an away-turned woman, drew swift condemnation that prompted the company to issue a formal apology. Media roundly criticized the ad, with some describing this “pretty horrifying” incident as “the unfortunate result of a society that doesn't talk openly about sexual assault and date rape.” Doocy's flippant reaction is in keeping with the network's consistent efforts to minimize the issue of sexual violence, and Fox & Friends has a long history of blatant sexism. From the November 13 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

ELISABETH HASSELBECK: Always a chance to apologize. Forgiveness is there. But what do you think of that ad? Should it have been there in the first place? 

STEVE DOOCY: Or are you okay with it, you think it's just a joke? Remember back in the old days when people used to make jokes? 

CLAYTON MORRIS: When people had a sense of humor. When was that? 

DOOCY: Back in the old days. 

MORRIS: The early 80s.

HASSELBECK: That one I would draw the line on myself. But let us know what you think. We'll stand by.

Image via ThinkProgress.