This print advertisement by Intel has been causing quite a stir of late [via Huffington Post]. It seems to convey the idea that owning an Intel chip will help you tackle the same amount of work as you could with a ship of slaves (while making you feel powerful):
I almost fell out of my seat when I saw Intel’s new advertising campaign. It shows six bowing African American athletes before a chino-clad, oxford-shirted white manager with the slug: “Maximize the power of your employees.” This ad reminds me of a slave-ship, and it’s hard to imagine the same imagery did not come to mind for the savvy ad exec that created it…Intel is not just promoting insensitive images, it’s also leading a signature drive for a California ballot measure that would eliminate class action lawsuits over civil rights issues. Intel’s board of directors have been sent 25,000 faxes calling upon the company to withdraw that pending ballot measure. [Link]
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p>There is also a YouTube clip capturing some people’s reaction to this ad:
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Here is the even more interesting part. When the ad was printed in Indian print media they replaced the white dude with a very light skinned Indian “massa'”:
It should be noted that Intel has apologized for and withdrawn these ads, but seeing the same ad in two different cultural contexts does reiterate just how much the idea of “white” putting black to work was a central part of the perceived “effectiveness” of this campaign. It’s rare that you are able to so completely unmask the subtle bigotry of many advertising campaigns.
CiscoKid, that’s not what I wrote, nor is it what I was doing. It is a stretch, at the least, to argue that because I said that there is a historic depiction of African Americans as “dumb brutes”, particularly vis-a-vis sports, that by extension I think African Americans a) fulfill that stereotype, or b) that being an athlete fulfills that stereotype. As I understand it, you are trying to attribute both (a) and (b) to comments that I made. Reread what I posted, then read HMF’s comment on Jesse Owens and horse races. Then read sarah’s link, and then please reread my comment one more time and try to understand what I’m arguing. I have a very specific and clear association I’m making; it is not a general comment on the race of athletes and whether or not that somehow implies they are subhuman. This is truly becoming (if it is not already) such a non-conversation at this point. Further, if that is the ONLY comment you took in the litany of reasons I listed for why this ad is racist or has racist interpretations/implications, then at best you’re being selective, and at worst you’re picking a fight where there is none.
they were othered for a long time. i believe sandy weil (who started his own firm because he was told he wouldn’t make partner at drexel) set out to purchase jp morgan as late as the 90’s in order to merge it with smith barney. when they rejected him he went around saying “morgan will never sell to a jew.” (he eventually bought salomon.)
It was only recently that the jewish/wasp ibank wall of separation has come down, mostly due to globalization and the rise of pure merit specialties (like quant, asset management–vc, hedge funds–as opposed to traditional ibanking which is sales or brokerage), which has bought in a lot of asians as well. when i first started working on wall street in the early ’90’s, most of my jewish friends still had trepidations about working for morgaan. it was worse in the big law firms, which have a similar history to wall street.
anyway, i think a similar history is playing out for asians in such industries as IT and VC and quant hedge funds. don’t know how the alleged exploitation of blacks that you link to fits in the picture thought. is that like the korean grocer thing?
I work at Intel and this ad has definitely been a major embarrasment. However, I am fairly certain that this was an error and not something that should be interpreted as an indication of prevalent racist-insensitivities at the company. Most of us are a bunch of (global) techies and in my many years here I have not witnessed any racial/religious/national-origin insensitivity at Intel. Outside the US Intel currently has major operations in India, Ireland, Malaysia, The Phillipines, Israel, Costa-Rica and many other countries. You have people at Intel working together daily from around the world.
I understand the outcry over this ad and this was something that we (regular Intel employees) have also confronted our senior-managers about.
My request would be for all not to be so quick to judge the character of a company over one ad. Intel is not a racist company.
Not over this ad. However, if I were in the market for a server, I would certainly boycott this company: http://www.adrants.com/images/qsol_lips.jpg
I do apologise for the misunderstanding and I can see why you got upset, but I was trying to make a point: that the ad is racist for you because what you assume people think about athletes. However, in the general case…
1. Athletes have better bodies than computer nerds 2. Athletes earn more money than computer nerds 3. Athletes are more famous than computer nerds
“1. Athletes have better bodies than computer nerds 2. Athletes earn more money than computer nerds 3. Athletes are more famous than computer nerds”
All of this is ancillary to the racist undertones of the message. The idea is the ad connects with racist imagery because:
Black people are only good for:
I bet the “black” employee at Intel who was not offended was either (1) asked to write the post by a boss, (2) clarence thomas’s nephew, or (3) white.
This ad is pretty ridiculous but as other people have mentioned, some departmental power dynamics can create strange subcultures where stupid things happen . . . or the head of marketing had his/her first job interning for Karl Rove. (appeal to our base! only whites and some asians buy computers . . .)
Sorry, I should have made that last link clickable. I guess if there were no minorities on the Intel ad committee, there were no women on this one.
CiscoKid, no worries, I’m not upset. I just felt we were going in circles (hence the “this is moving towards a non conversation” comment). Again, my tone is intended to be calm and vehement, not upset or sarcastic (unless otherwise noted). I think HMF explained much better than I did — the point re: athletes is ancillary, and for me, this was honestly the second-level of analysis. My primary reaction had nothing to do with the fact that these were representations of sprinters, and everything to do with the physical posturing depicted in the ad. Again, I don’t think Intel has some crazy racist scheme — I think they put out an ad that can be justifiably read as racially offensive. I’m glad that they withdrew the ad and apologized, and I hope they think twice next time they go forward with print ads.
chachaji, a very long follow up on the initiative process is forthcoming. I’ll try to keep it to under 500 words 🙂
Camille, look forward to it. And no hurry, of course. If you think it makes more sense to do so, you could also email it instead of posting.
Black people are only good for:
Well, sort of to clarify, its because these racist stereotypes exist, the ad can be read as very offensive and playing off racist undertones. The ad isn’t racist because of some general assumption about what athletes are like, its because of a historical perception about what black men can and cannot do.
Also, in the advert, running is supposed to be a metaphor, not taken literally. So having the runners be multi-ethnic, but still ripped would serve the same metaphor purpose.
So what you’re saying is that any statement that doesn’t agree your idea will be rejected. Why would you assume that the black people on the same forum who criticized the ad were indeed black, and going by your logic, not white bleeding-heart liberals? 🙂
I hope this teaches corporate america a lesson about using something other than sex to sell product.
So the bottom line is that people are dumb enough in this day and age (unlike you and me, who know racism is nonsense) to understand that blacks can too be computer nerds because of this ad, uh?. It all boils down to how mature we think people around us are. If the vast majority of people are smart enough, like you and me, then this ad is really a non-issue, isn’t it? If they are ignorant, then I guess shows like the Simpsons and the characterisation of Apu must be really racist…
Perhaps one day we can move beyond race, and become less paranoid about it.
I just wonder, HMV, if blacks cannot appear as athletes in advertisements because of historical perception about what they can and cannot do, can you give me a list of five situations in which they could appear without causing such outrage in advertisement? 🙂
You’re not thinking, let’s take it out of the racial context, because people like you seem to think you ‘got a handle’ on this ‘racism nonsense’ but just saying ‘well, duh all people are alike and a black person would look just as acceptable as a nobel physicist as he would a crack dealer in media portrayal’
So consider this example, lets say I went to the toilet factory, got a brand spanking new toilet bowl, never been used, completely washed and sterilized with the finest biodegradable cleaning products, clean as a whistle, then I poured lemonade in it, freshly squeezed, from the finest lemons on the earth. And you saw all of this, so you know the toilet is clean, that it’s lemonade, freshly squeezed, etc…
then I asked you to drink the lemonade out of the toilet.. would you do it? would you do it without hesitation?
If you’re sitting there with folded arms thinking, “hell yea I would, whats the big deal” you’re either not human, or not honest. The answer of course is, yes you would hesitate, if you would do it at all, and why? Because the image of a yellow liquid in a toilet is connected to something else in your mind. That connection cannot be simply erased by saying, “well it’s nonsense” even if you logically know it to be true. Are the neurons firing yet?
And I, someone who has studied this effect, will admit that even today, if I was walking down a dark street in NYC, and saw a black man in the distance, would consider crossing the street much more readily than if I saw a white man. Why? because it’s ‘natural’ to feel more threatened. This “natural” response takes effort to deprogram. So please, don’t go on and on spouting what’s ‘nonsense’ without understanding how it came about in the first place.
This is a straw man. I already said if the athletes were multi ethnic, hell just throw in a single token white guy, it wouldn’t be as susceptible to charges of racism.
But again in this case, it was the image of them bowing down, ie subservient to a less physically strong, white man. Which means the only assumption is, as the leader he’s mentally stronger – again a commonly held stereotype against blacks, do you think Michael Jordan [ clearly a black man of considerable power] was as accepted in the manager/owner circle as he was as a player?
HMF:
I’ve been reading that creepy website you linked to demonstrate jewish exploitation of blacks. You may have inadvertently linked to a hate site. i mean, stuff like “the jews war on mel gibson” etc and they even link to a this book that seems to “explain” the holocaust as a result of jewish over representation among elite and wealthy. I bring this up, because the bigotry that asians face in the US is likely to parallel anti-semitism, like in affirmative action echoing quotas against jews.
Those men are not all black. Not at all.
The sprinter ad is weird looking and showed bad judgement though it was probably more in the line of Leni Reifenstahl loving the 36 Olympians and the Nubians with her camera, than implications of slavery. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/leni_riefenstahl.htm.
I know some whites who expressed some quite precious opinions on the WaMu ad, and similar tv commercials. WaMu features a bunch of white bank-manager types being rounded up and contained, while young black clientele take over and lecture to them. Unlike the sprinter Intel ad, this ad is deliberate and obviously targeting one audience and de-targeting another one for reasons of their own. I’ve known whites who won’t do business with that company because of the ads. I doubt this is a black owned company (or Indian owned) so I am not sure of their reasons.he Why would a banking company deliberately alienate the customers with the most money and credit? I can understand reaching out, but why burn bridges? Who gains? Intel is lucky they are not directly in the finance business. But then I can never figure out why finance companies do what they do, even tho I’m initforthemoney.
Here are some more recent ads, even more racially offensive and from a much more surprising source — Unicef (Germany). Is there an epidemic of bad judgement among ad agency execs these days?
CiscoKid, it’s about HOW the black athletes are portrayed in this ad – bent down, kneeling, almost “bowing” towards the manager guy. The racist connotations are there. If Intel had shown black athletes, I dunno, performing/playing sports as a metaphor for productivity and excellence, this would have been a non-issue (since many companies have done exactly that).
Sure, this ad can be ambiguous at first, but that’s how all these ads are. They push the racist imagery to the tipping point, where it’s still a bit murky and subtle – these ad guys aren’t dumb. They’re not going to show a black guy kissing a white man’s feet. By leaving it close enough to the threshold, they’re able to point the finger back at you and say, “Hey, it’s not meant to be racist, why all the drama – YOU’RE the one who’s seeing race in everything!”
You guys are way too forgiving of the ad folks/Intel 🙂 This whole debacle reminds me of the less-subtly-racist Sony “White is Coming” ad that was displayed and later pulled in Europe. Personally, I think these guys know that these types of ad will create controversy and hence more publicity, even if they pull the ad later. It gets people talking.
Hahaha, this description made me laugh 🙂 initforthemoney (a name which fits nicely with the theme of the WaMu ad!), the ad features a bunch of older white men who are supposed to be very rich and powerful – basically, the guys who control corporate America. And they’re not really being “contained”, they’re just kinda standing together. The black guy (the ad I saw only featured one) is the WaMu spokesman, and he’s basically chastising the guys for being greedy and overcharging bank consumers.
The white guys in the ad are definitely stereotypical, for sure, but considering the amount of power these kinda guys have in this country, I think they can afford to take a few punches now and then! That ad really doesn’t scream “domination.”
Morarji Desai would.
I think the Indian version is Okay, they look like runners. But the white – black version does seem to have racist “overtones.” But what is with the shitty background and desks? It looks liks this ad was made in India becuase that is what an office in India would look like. So I guess the marketing department in India for Intel must be responsible. And where exactly was this ad show to the public? I don’t remember seeing this while in the USA. But overall I think it will seem racist to Americans and maybe not as racist to others.
I don’t agree with you, and therefore I am not thinking. Nice.
My hesitation would come only to accept a lemonade from a lunatic who makes it from a toilet.
You are obviously unaware that you are projecting your prejudices to others, and saying it is only natural to feel that way. At night, I don’t automatically feel safer when I see a white than a black. You get past this stage, once you learn to see other cues from something as superficial as race. It is not politically correct, it is just common sense. But then again, living in a multi-racial area helps you achieve that.
Popular culture glorifies atheletes, and mocks nerds. Look at countless movies if you have any doubt. I find it ludicrous to say that blacks are considered animals to entertain us, considering that whites too dominate other sports and are glorified as well in this process.
That is actually a good point. But that is the starting position of a sprinter, isn’t it? I can understand that people get upset when they see this ad, specially after explaining the “racist” conotations (it was not my first impression, and wouldn’t be my second one either). I also don’t think it shows blacks as underpriviledged, because people have the perception that atheletes have higher salaries than computer nerds. I think maybe we are projecting our desi ideal of a succesful person: highly educated as opposed to an athlete.
Unfortunately, HMF’s website reference does appear in the hate directory. The website is down, but looking at the google cache version one can understand why: it has several articles on the jewish conspiracy to exploit other ethnic groups, which is the foundation of your basic anti-semitism.
After looking at it, I can’t say I completely disagree with you, although I will mention, it’s very subjective what’s considered ‘hate speech’ and what’s not. Most of the ‘Jewish exploitation of black’ literature comes from the nation of islam and other such sites, which will always be classified as ‘hate speech’
What I will say about the issue is, the Jewish people’s ascendancy over say the last 60 years is certainly not disconnected to the presence of another ‘other’, and access to white privilege, an access that was sealed off to them while in Europe. Any real criticism of Jewish behavior in any circle (for ex: Israel) in the US, IMO is very easily stifled by the label ‘anti-semitism’
It is a fact that many early Jewish businesses were in black neighborhoods, translating that to ‘exploitation’ is a bit of a stretch I agree.
Thats all Im really saying about this.
Uhh No. your responses show that you refuse to read and understand (or are simply unable, which if thats the case, I suggest some reading courses) what the other person is saying, Camille has been much more polite than you deserve reg’ding this point, like here’s a prime example:
I said the lemonade is made from the finest lemons on earth, and poured into the toilet. But in your idiotic response, you do prove my point, I said the toilet is completely cleaned, never used, so hygenically speaking, there’s more lunacy in drinking it out of a cup that’s been used 100x, rather than the nice, sanitized, never used porcelain toilet I’ve suggested…
but that image correlates to another activity so strongly, that if asked to drink from it, you have a hard time separating these two facts. that is: 1. the toilet is used for another activity 2. The toilet is clean, never used, and the lemonade is fresh.
Then read a history book. How else do you explain Ray Charles being able to sing to 10000+ people in Georgia in the 50s, but not being able to go get a sandwich after the show with one of his white fans, because the lunch counter is white only.
The only sports whites dominate in are those which have a high barrier to entry, in terms of equipment and training facilities, ie. Hockey. As Chris Rock said,
“as soon as you make a heated hockey rink, we’re takin that shit over too”
“That ad [WaMu ad] really doesn’t scream “domination.”
If you actually are one of the “elite”, you’d just snicker probably. Working stiffs of the paler variety see the bankers first as “white.” Context creates the image as much as the parts that make the sum. People are seeing the sprinters first as “black”, not as athletes ready to spring. Just reporting my impressions from candid conversation. The “stiffs” of my acquaintance just don’t “get” their white privilege, at least for their generation. Need more education I guess. Among desi, we see folks more as “brown” if they are being stereotyped, not as Sikh, Hindu, Pakistani, etc. Considering the limited range of most Americans awareness of cultures outside the U.S., and considering brown (Indian) minority status, we are right to be sensitive. But you’re absolutely correct. The people who authorized this ad (and maybe played the chastized bankers?) are in no danger of a coup–it’s “power” slapping its own wrist. At least it packs more clout with the wagging finger attached to a traditionally low-on-the-totem-pole source. It is certainly less messy than the guillotine. Still, I am leary of such tactics–they’re very old. Pretend you’re on the side of your “enemies” but really, you’re initforyourself. Basic question: who benefits?
Hate speech is now highly subjective? Oh, the irony. The website you presented as a source to make your point is anti-semitic because it presents several articles depicting a jewish conspiracy to harm other ethnic groups. It’s not even on the gray area.
Don’t confuse “not understanding” with having to accept everything you write.
If everything you said was in my belief system, then I would have absolutely no problems in drinking the lemonade. In reality, piss (at least mine) and lemonade look very different. Furthermore, if the lemonade was delicious – which would be: best lemmons – then I would consider drinking lemonade from that toilet again and again. But you have to pour some ice, and a dash of sugar as well. The only reason why I would hesitate to drink it, is if I didn’t believe it was clean… but you have cleared that one for me. And while it would be weird in the first instance, I wouldn’t think about it afterwards. Similarly, if you hanged with people of different races daily, you would not feel threatened at night by black people as you’ve mentioned, and you would look for other cues, such as the way they dress, if they look suspiciously at you, etc. Also, don’t assume you know about what I would do in one situation or the other, and accuse me of being inhuman or dishonest if it fails to meet your myopic view – people have different experiences and thus react differently.
So, the only way for you to make the point is to bring a case 60 years ago in a time where apartheid laws existed. Are you telling me people have not past this point, or don’t feel disgusted when they hear such injustices? (In the end, it all boils down to the perception we have of people around us).
Still, the point stands that a great number of white people do entertain us in movies, sports and music, and are not considered animals. Why would blacks be perceived any different, is something I am not prepared to accept, even if you bring up cases from the deep south back in the 50s.
Yes, as are most social based judgements. For example, I think you’re an idiot. You don’t (at least I think you don’t, but I’m not making any assumptions). See how determinations of idiocy are subjective as well.
Im not. your response showed a lack of understanding, not acceptance. Because what you do, and still continue to do is make assumptions and exaggerations about what the other party is saying, then knock those down. Check sarah’s link, although you’re already following it to a T.
This is the most I’ll get out of you Im convinced, your ego blocks you from full concession of my point. but that ‘weirdness’ is attributed to the mental connection that’s been reinforced over and over again. You seem like you sort of understand.
Well, when you’re making a point about the historical significance you generally have to use examples from history. Stop strawmanning, no one here contends that intel plans to go to africa and bring over workers against their will, then not pay. But try to understand the subtextually tranmitted message in the advert, given the historical context.
If you think the human mind works without a social memory, then you’re plainly mistaken.
We’ve had this discussion over at the blog, The Field Negro, about a week ago about those Intel ads.
The content was exactly what the marketing directors intended. They only back tracked because of the uproar, and the fear that African-Americans would toss their Intel computers out the window and convert to Macs.
So, I’m not fooled by their “mea culpa”. It never would have happened if someone hadn’t raised hell about those ads reeking of racist images.
I blame our government – Intel would never thought they could get away with this if the President of the United States, along with several African-American self-haters enabling him, to make racism fashionable again.
But dont iMacs use the intel core 2 duo, and MacPros use the intel xeon?
Leutisha, this is a great point in framing the “cultural climate” of the U.S. on a wider scale (and it’s certainly backed up with empirical and anecdotal evidence). It’s amazing how, in moving forward in time, we have, in my opinion, seriously regressed in our concepts of racism and race-relations. That said, this isn’t an “accident” or “trend” — with the aggressive litigation and actions of conservative organizations like the American Civil Rights Institute (what a misnomer!), paired with reframing the debate as per sarah’s link, it’s becoming harder to confront racism today. Oh, also, could you provide a link to Field Negro? I’d love to read the dialogue 🙂
initforthemoney, great point on “power” slapping its own wrist.
That’s for people who go by face value (in this case, the name) – just like the Discovery Institute or Commission for Presidential Debates. Plenty of such examples.
I’m somewhere near Leutisha’s postion. Did they intend for the ad to be read in this way? I’m not sure, but ad people are well-aware of how image is used to manipulate, convey, teach and guide- so how can they not have been aware of some of its implications? I teach on race, imagery and media and to me, this is a blatant use of several racist positions. But as for whether or not the average “white” American would get it- no. they wouldn’t because some levels of racist portrayal are a) subtle, b)have seeped into white subconscience and are therefore below the surface and c)don’t affect how they see themselves. On the other hand, how many average readers will get the point about identical processors, etc.? Race and perception take some very strange forms in the US. Seven years ago I worked for a PBS station that shall remain unnamed and in a meeting about possible directors for a project, the producers were quite upset at the Sacramento client who complained that they weren’t using Latino directors on projects dealing with Latino subjects (this was for a peace officer training series) and they were shocked, shocked, I tell you, that Sac would chastise them so. And then they, 2 very white guys, openly stated that they could think of no Latino producer/directors between here and the border. And the Latina coordinator and I looked at each other in astonishment. This in a region that a)produces the largest Latino film festival in the US, has a number of award-winning Latino producer directors, has graduated a number of successful younger Latino/Mexican documentary producers, etc. Later, I was helping them cast a piece that needed Arab characters, of which I supplied several real Arabs of various origins and they went with the Mexican, the Iranian and the Armenian- giving them Hollywood accents because my guys didn’t look Arab enough. When it was pointed out to them, that Arab has a wide range, they said really, and but they aren’t big scary looking dudes with mustaches and a fanatic look about them. At which point I started looking for other work and when I found out later my supervisor ws running a call girl ring out of mu office while I was at lunch- I thought, well, explains a lot- but I digress.
What does hate speech have to do with perception, or you thinking that I am an idiot? You should read this. Given the definition, you can agree that hate speech is rarely subtle, and the intent is almost always clear. Hence, it is not highly subjective. But I grant you that I am an idiot. 🙂
I already explained to you (who is not listening?) – as honestly as I can – that the weirdness comes from not be being used to drink something from a toilet. If you are used to, then there is no weiredness at all. If you are totally convinced (as you mention) that lemons are used (with a dash of sugar, and ice please), then I would not associate it with body fluids. It is very arrogant of you to say what I would think. I am not sure why you keep insisting on this silly example.
“If you think the human mind works without a social memory, then you’re plainly mistaken.”
The link that exists does not mean it affect us in a negative way. Sometimes it help us understand lessons of history, and make us better people. You are wrong, in my view, to interpret the historic context as a burden. My father had some politically incorrect ideas about gays and blacks, but it doesn’t mean I have to interpret as he has, since he was born in a different environment than I have. So, there is a definite link, it does not mean we need necessary to follow. And certainly, attitudes have changed dramatically from the 50’s in the deep south (from your example) and now.
Leutisha, this is a great point. I agree that this is part of a larger pattern– not only the government, though you’re certainly right about that, but also the mainstream media. As long as they’re willing to keep airing people like Imus and Limbaugh, they’re contributing to that dynamic as well.
I have to say, though, it’s been heartening to see that people are less willing to put up with it– the outcry over the Imus/Rutgers women’s basketball team flap kind of showed that people are being pushed to their limits when it comes to putting up with racism on the air, and now it seems more common for people to protest ads like this one. I hope it keeps growing. It seems like maybe Bush et al. have finally pushed so hard that people aren’t willing to take it anymore… as the Onion put it this week, “Boy, this administration is really testing my apathy!”
I can agree that people’s opinion will differ on what constitutes ‘degrading or intimidation’
Ah yes, the “everything was f*cked up then, but it’s all sorted out now” argument. Did you know that during the 50s in the deep south, they felt things were just honky dory then. From the southern manifesto:
This unwarranted exercise of power by the Court, contrary to the Constitution, is creating chaos and confusion in the States principally affected. It is destroying the amicable relations between the white and Negro races that have been created through 90 years of patient effort by the good people of both races. It has planted hatred and suspicion where there has been heretofore friendship and understanding
This was written in 1956, where they claimed “friendship and understanding” between the races. But even you’d agree things were not equal then, right? Gallup polls in 1960s (predating the civil rights act and voting rights act) show majority of whites thinking blacks and whites had an equal opportunity.
So most whites were out to lunch then, unable intuit racial realities (even youd agree, things were unequal back then, right?), but all of a sudden they have the grip on reality now?
So, they created this racist ad against African-Americans, even though they fear that they would toss their Intel computers? You would think that if they had this fear, they would not do racist ads with intent in the first place, right?
Yes, I am sure neo-nazis and every bigot out there would agree with your statement.
It is not all of the sudden. A lot of things happened between the 60’s and 50 years later. That’s two generations. A lot more integration, education, civil right’s movement, globalization. Would you say that germans are supremacist racist nazis? There was certainly a disconnection between the war generation, and the generations right after.
But you made my point. You mentioned the blantant racism that existed in Ray Charles years. And today we are discussing about an ad and a possible racist interpretation by some. This is, my friend, how far we have come.
Agree. And it is a sexy ad.
One of the basketball team members is suing Imus and although her case seems trivial to some, claiming that she suffered humiliation at college, etc, I think it’s about time that the people whom these shock jocks make fun of start getting a piece of the $$$ pie that they earn at their expense.
Leutisha:
who are these self-haters. name names.
I think this it, camille. For my money, it’s pretty disgusting, though i’m not surprised given Leutisha’s unsubstantiated and borderline racist rant. But judge for yourself. I report, you decide.
It because of stufff like this that people don’t take racism seriously anymore.
“It seems like maybe Bush et al. have finally pushed so hard that people aren’t willing to take it anymore… as the Onion put it this week, “Boy, this administration is really testing my apathy!”
To judge from my above mentioned sources, everybody’s feeling that way for different reasons. But in a way, this is pretty ridiculous. The ad’s quirky imagery–and a female of any race wearing black stockings, bustier, garter belt and chains would have created even more interesting controversy– has been duly noted and protested. As it should. I expect an ad featuring a black computer nerd who is also a muscular sprinter, lecturing to out of shape white cavemen, to be drawn up very shortly–it is probably on the board right now. The cavemen have been recruited already from the Geico commercials, with the black guy from the WaMu ad. Blacks will then be assured that whites find them intelligent, regal and indispensible to the industry. Whites will be informed that they are backward and need technical instruction from black sprinter nerds. Whites can bitch about the ad as reverse racism, and people will stop telling them they are racist. Blacks will feel empowered. Desis can cheer on the sidelines. Everybody happy. Including the duffuses who caused this uproar in the first place. Everyone seems to be missing the most important point. Why are people worrying about their image being created and manipulated by powers whom they think are out to get them? Why are they not firing up their own agencies and companies, creating their own imagery and characters? Ads don’t make us–we make the ads. Sometime ago, there was a protest of no black action characters in the comic books, so a black character was created and his type was condemned by black readers as too pimpy and stereotypical. Back to the drawing boards. The next black character (I won’t say African American — not sure if the comic was American) was too “white” and inauthentic. bzzzz. Wrong again. The comic book writers created the characters in their own image, using types they were familiar with. They had no idea how to write a black action hero. A black person must do that. Apparently they just sort of gave up. Even Superman couldn’t go there. Get out there with the goods, create your own imagery. That’s what I say.
“…along with several African-American self-haters enabling him, to make racism fashionable again.”
and btw, I am no fan of the current admin; however, the blacks, like the whites, are initforthemselves. They certainly do not hate themselves–they love themselves. They are doing what politicians and corporate hacks do to get more money and power for themselves. Rice has a ship–oil tanker I think–christened after her. She probably feels pretty good about herself. Colin Powell was one of the better ones of this sorry lot (I am including the whites), and he disappointed. But self-loathing did not enter into it. Fear more likely, in his case. Face it–few of the world’s leaders could ever sleep at night if they were prone to any sort of self-examination.
That’s exactly what the whites of the 50s said. Look how far we have come.
And compared to the 1850’s, they had indeed come far. Progress is incremental. Change does not happen over night.
thats fine, but the only problem with “look how far weve come” is that in this context its followed by “be greatful for what youve got. shut up and deal with it”
P.-
Exactly. And while we have made great strides since the ’50’s- we’re not done, it’s not over and the way the “War” in Iraq and the war crimes trials in Camp Pendleton, for example, are being handled, show that we have a ways to go. And this “ad” does not suggest that the image producers get that.
Oh, and Sarah- glad you liked the lady liberty comment, Wait til you see the pict I’m going to do a Libery at the border fence being asked for her papers, caption: Ahora que tu es una refugiada, no te quiero yo…