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It should be noted that Intel has apologized for and withdrawn these ads, but seeing the same ad in two different cultural contexts does reiterate just how much the idea of “white” putting black to work was a central part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.
And let me add that is nobody’s fault but our own. There is no establishment or system out there preventing our men from marrying us and properly fathering our children.
“We’ve come far in some arenas, but in the marriage and family arena we have fallen way behind.”
I was being sarcastic.
dilettante:
I think anti-Semitism is a rising problem. anti-war protesters dress up like suicide bombers and the arab press engages in blood libel of the most virulent sort. But I still take time out to condemn those who stifle debate by labeling Israel’s critics anti-Semites. get it?
Yes. I don’t like huge slabs of political though being relegated to whites only. As if browns and blacks don’t have a diverse opinions. can’t we be war-mongering, selfish capitalists w/o being accused of self-hatred? Why must whites only benefit from all these lovely things and we, the brown/black people, be relegated to being lame peace-loving socialists? Haven’t Indians suffered long enough form this train of racist thought?
No. she spoke for herself. that’s my whole point. (in)authenticity doesn’t exist. (except for California rolls, don’t get me started on that)
I’m for them, actually.
what the hell you talking about, i’m all over those threads. Check me out.
Lea:
Why do you hate yourself?
It gets tricky while using the US as a context. selfish capitalism means you want the old white people rich people who control 95% of the capital to retain it, war mongering means you believe in the US military-corporate complex motivations, those that have historically marginalized non whites.
you’re confusing capitalism with anti-globalization.
the bosnians and french were liberated, but the south koreans and afganis were marginalized?
You abandoned the debate, in both cases, when an “alternative view” (white male) began to pontificate in a negative way against browns. Your comments preceded the troll(?) both times,in contrast to this thread. My point was, as with most of us, behaviors from certain groups irriatate us more than the same thing from others.
Lea Jordan Meese I agree with your points at #239, and #241. I didnt comment becuase I think it’s somewhat beyond the focus/scope/purpose of this particular blog. Meet me over at Booker Rising. #246 – If we speak out about the very real problems in our community that hold us back, such as a lack of positive male role models for our fatherless children, we are seen as “self-haters”. That’s hyperbole. As was Manju at #254. At least you’ve both gone beyond my comments on the subject.
“you’re confusing capitalism with anti-globalization.”
globalization’s intent is not to empower traditionally ‘held back’ minorities in the US. I dont’ care how many companies set up shop in Bangalore.
i was irritated, as i was with this ad, but my words weren’t needed. other’s stepped in quickly to whack the racist. In fact, I was going to ignore Leutisha but then Sarah and Camille jumped in to support her. so, i felt obligated to whack away.
But you’re right. I did find Leutisha more irritating. I don’t think white racism is prevalent enough to hold POC back. But the racism we impose upon ourselves is a much more powerful thing. to deny ourselves the diversity of thought that whites take for granted has had the practical effect of relegating the world most failed policies to POC and the world’s most successful ideologies to whites. Or as Arthur Schlesinger jr once said of multiculturalism: “If some Kleagle of the Ku Klux Klan wanted to devise an educational curriculum for the specific purpose of handicapping and disabling black Americans, he would not be likely to come up with anything more diabolically effective than Afrocentrism.”
I’m almost at a loss for words HMF. I found Farakhan weird, pedantic, and anti-semetic. The words may be OK, but the music’s off-key. He’s like David Duke, who is usually smart enough to not say anything too racist, but you can sense the hatred and resentment bubbling up beneath the surface. I think I need a shower.
Yes, I would think it was racist. Blacks pictured as slaves or servants bowing to the white… racist. But I believe that you and others are handpicking what you want to see in this picture in order to see racism: that they are not dressed as sprinters, and that the “bowing” is not the starting position of a sprinter. Furthermore, besides blacks being depicted as athletes which in our popular culture are glorified regardless of race, they also represent an employee of the company, which is quite evident in the fact that each of them has a desk. So their position is not of a slave or a coolie, but of a high paying job in either form – as an athlete or as an employee.
I see your point – Indians dressed up as coolies and African Americans as sprinters isn’t a really good comparison —- maybe if it was a white guy in the middle, surrounded by indians dressed in cricket gear ad — would that be a problem for you?
I’d have a problem with that b/c too much of the old colonial reverberations of white man who controls and leads and Indians are the worker bees.
As far as the black athlete being glorified – I don’t agree with this at all. Blacks predominance in certain athletic events has been used in the idea that blacks are “better” for physical feats as opposed to thinking feats — it’s not uncommon notion in this country; I’ve even heard this among desis. Recently I know there have been sports commentators who have been suspended for saying comments like, “blacks are better at sports..” etc. This ad to me fuels that notion.
HMF: Have you studied the history of communism? The concept of false conciousness and Marx’s critque of Locke? Marx set up a system of thought that isolated itself from criticism. A Marxist does not address an argument head-on, but rather deconstructs it; ie exposes the class privilege behind the argument. so liberalism, in this world view, was not a legitimate alternative, but merely a cover for the class interests of the bourgeoisie. It’s a sophisticated form of ad-hominem, not unlike #2 in sarah’s link.
i’m probably getting a tad too esoteric here, but all i’m saying is that the Marxists were brilliant and well-intentioned in their desire to help the working class. yet they created a society only rivaled by Orwell’s. and it was very predictable to anyone who took Marxist theory seriously.
so i’m not really concerned about intent.
Fair enough Manju. I appreciate your POV, it just stuck me that there is a consistent slant to the nonsense you respond to , and the things that you let slide, but that’s human.
Agree with that, however as I’ve said many times (on this blog) I think for, most/many “Americans” race=class. For some older African Americans, or those who didn’t really see any positive “black behavior” growing up, it’s difficult for them to intellectually separate their skin color from negative pathologies. Their thinking, is still in a paradigm, that color codes success with “white”. To distance themselves from a negative “authenticity” some racialize characteristics that have nothing to do with skin color. That was my point about ‘self haters’. Do I think many popular “icons” in the music industry exhibit a self hate? Yes. However I expect a bit more from people who don’t walk around with their bullet holes& underpants showing.
Perhaps it wouldn’t bother me. Perhaps the idea of several indians with bats surrounding a white guy could be interpreted by some – as non-white’s latent aggression towards whites. Who knows? I do think, objectively speaking, that this Intel ad is by all measures a failure, no matter how good their intentions were.
“I’m almost at a loss for words HMF. I found Farakhan weird, pedantic, and anti-semetic. The words may be OK, but the music’s off-key.”
Seriously, what kind of criticism is this? weird and pedantic? the music is off? I understand your mind is colonialized and a bit white-washed, but I had no idea it ran that deep. The mere appearance of Farrakahan just sets off your innate anti Jewish sensors? If statements of Louis Farakhans like that ran more in US MSM rather than just al Jazeera, I do believe there’d be a different view of him.The only thing that can be categorized as remotely anti-Jewish is the “Jewish behavior” comment, yet he was clear to distinguish it from the Christian hatred against the Jews for their religion.
Take a shower go ahead, and lay off the Irish spring.
“Have you studied the history of communism?”
No I haven’t. it’s unclear how all that mumbo jumbo you spewed relates to my contention that, the qualities you said you embrace (or at least would like to) when viewed in an american context take on different meaning.
Manju, you are clearly an agent of Yakub
I don’t think Yakub outsources.
HMF, Why do you prefer to talk about Farakhan instead progressive african americans like Harry Belafonte or Barack Obama?
Dave, don’t get me wrong here, I’m not an outright follower of Farrakhan or the NOI. I can safely say I know more about their history than most, because it’s something I’ve looked at in detail, and I’ve actually spoken with some current and ex-members. I remember meeting a 60 year old ex member who knew Benjamin 2X (Benjamin Karim), who heard Malcolm speak once and sent me some footage of an early speech of his.
I wasn’t the one to bring up Farrakhan or the NOI in this discussion, rather it was Manju who did. (#221 & #224) As a matter of fact it wasn’t even me who brought the Jewish question up (# 126) it seems he’s quite the master-baiter.
Maybe HMF is John Ford/Fard Muhammad, the Founder of NOI, returned from his period of occultation. One theory these days is that this mysterious founder of the NOI was the son of a desi-Muslim father and a kiwi-Brit mom. It’s at least as likely as Intel intentionally insulting a significant section of its customer base
I’d respond, HMF, but the GAP is closing soon and I need some Khakis.
well, to put it another way, whether or not the free market is good for POC is debatable. Not everthing is an issue like aparthied, where the postion a POC would take is relatively ovbvious. I know how you feel since you’re certain about your politics. I think its pretty obvious that globalization is good for India, but I still don’t believe Arundhati Roy suffers from self-hatred.
#177: “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’ “
i applaud your colourful double-entendre, HMF, but I doubt you can keep it up.
I’m with Dave on this one (at least for his comments post-#252).
It’s not at all an equitable comparison, and your analogy completely ignores the very biased immigration selection processes that also turn out more professional, highly-educated desis into the system. I’m not so reductionist to believe that skin color is the only thing that makes or breaks class and social barriers, but this model minority pandering also downplays the role of desis in civil rights struggle and our historic presence in the U.S. for over 100 years.
Louie, interesting theory about John Ford/Fard Muhammad. A “new age” religion/spiritual idea introduced to America by an entrepreneurial desi?
One thing this discussion has missed is the actual slave-like labor that goes into the production of computer parts. The racist image of the black men bowing to the white male is a slip not only exposing the notion of white privilege and the racism that goes on in white collar offices but also the living and working conditions of those people who make computer parts. For all you Marxists out there, your analysis should not stop at your own experience of office spaces in the center of global trade.
Oh, for a moment I thought you meant the slave-like H1B visa. 😉
Insenstive, yes… but you see what you want to see. They aren’t bowing, they’re “sprinters.” It’s a metaphor, not a racial slur. A bad idea. But have a clue, they’re not bowing.