Of course there is a double standard, and it's ridiculous. Here is an alternate scenario. There are white people playing tennis at a rich country club, then two black guys are playing. Think about that?
There is a double standard when roles are reversed. However, I believe it is somewhat justified due to the treatment whites gave to blacks in early America. Also, keep in mind that although it seems as if whites are getting the raw end of the deal on tv, radio, etc., blacks still have to put up with some sort of racism in their every day living. Racism, unfortunately, is still alive and kicking. Whites dont have to endure it, but blacks still do.
Whenever we allow people of different races to have different standards of what is acceptable in media...how do you expect people to be treated equally in everyday life? The double standard will only serve to reinforce the erroneous notion that people of different races should be treated differently. It all seems a tad counterproductive to me.
It seems that a lot of you have either not seen the commercial they are talking about or simply did not get it. They are NOT reviewing a tape from their party the previous night, they are editing their rap video. In other words they are rappers. What distinguishes the two white guys from everyone else is not because they are white but because of the way they are dancing (goofy). Hence the fact that when the main guy asks who let them in, the other guys are like "they said they were with you (pointing to the guy next to him)." Actually if i remember correctly (and i might be wrong on this part) they are other white people in the video.
All you people are idiots because first of all, the black guys were making a rap video, not reviewing footage of party, second of all like someone said, the video makes fun of stereotypical black rappers so there is something blacks can get in an up roar about. If this video makes you upset you need to get a life. Like I've said before, if something like this makes you upset, you must feel guilty about being a racist and so you need to find something black people are doing wrong to you, and lastly, I'm sure Smirnoff Ice isn't owned by black people.
This has already been done, sort of... Some show that was gong to premier on Fox, I think. Where a white guy and a black guy walk into a white/country bar. The black guy (Bill Bellamy) says he can handle it, or something - the white guy is dubious and appears scared for his friend. Turns out Bellamy puts on a cowboy hat and line dances with everyone - all OK. Not quite the same, but still a "you don't belong here because you are black" kind of premise. Nomar, Your "alternate scenario" is absurd. There is history with country clubs and discrimination - even still happening now - that would only be underlined with such a commercial, pointing to a time when it was perfectly legal and expected. That would be like saying a commercial where a black would not be allowed to go into a white bathroom should be OK for everyone, as well. I actually didn't like the Smirnoff commercial when I saw it, but it is still not the same. Besides (to all) the Smirnoff ad probably loses some of it's bite when it is considered that, most likely, the commercial was written, produced, and directed by white people. Anyone with a lot of spare time want to try to find out?
I know that. For the record, I have finished the coursework for a BA in advertising, as well. My question was a specific one. If you target so broadly, you're not really targeting at all and you end up with an ad that doesn't appeal to its target. But I don't see any group that ad could appeal to in terms of changing their views. And that's really the thing. A 30-second spot isn't going to change anyone's opinions. You sell products, ideas, whatnot when you tailor a message that fits within the worldview of the target. If tolerance is the message (though the tagline is about "honesty", which would imply that the message of the ad is not to teach tolerance, but to teach that people should be honest), it needs to either appeal to people who aren't tolerant (in an effort to change their views) or to those who are (to reinforce their existing beliefs). While one could argue that the ad does mildly appeal to the second group, it doesn't do anything for the first group. To attempt to change their opinions, you'd need something that attacks their stereotypes directly. The fact that the dreadlocked guy would return a dropped $20 wouldn't seem to do that (especially with the weird ending of the ad. After the $20 is returned, the black guy walks off. The white guy stops for a second, then yells out "Hey" and starts after the black guy. The assumption, I suppose, is that he wants to go say thanks to the guy, though my older son ads "He stole my wallet" to the ad after the "Hey", so I guess the first interpretation is not the only one available). It's a bad ad. The message may well be noble, but the execution is poor.
Here's the list of folks who worked on the ad: Executive Creative Director: Mike Campbell Associate Creative Director: Jay Sharfstein Art Director: Tom Gianfaga Copywriter: Jay Sharfstein Director: John O'Hagan Producer: Vicky Ferraro Assistant Agency Producer: Demetra Georgiou Editor: Adam Jenkins Editing Company: Final Cut Post Production: Imaginary Forces, Nice Shoes Sound Designer: Alan Friedman, Roland Alley Sound Design Company: Quakebasket Audio Engineer: Tom Jucarone Clearly, we can't tell their races from their names, though. I would guess, though, that "Jay Sharfstein" is probably not African-American.
As long as racism exists against blacks in everyday living, you will see a double standard in the media.
Of course, racism is probably going to exist whether it really exhists at all. And by that I mean, there is going to be perceptions of racism even when no racism exists just based on the long history. I think about when I go to a store and get very poor service. My first and only thought is that the clerk was incompetent or an idiot or whatever. If I were African-American, though, the thought that the clerk was treating me poorly because of my race would at least enter my mind. But then again, I didn't have any problem with the "rap video" ad. And, to me, if there are areas where large groups of people feel uncomfortable if we play on those areas, I don't have a problem with not playing on those areas.... if that makes any sense. Of course, I don't think this same ad with black people showing up in a country music video would be attacked as racist. The gist of the ad would likely be that black people can't square dance or something like that. I don't know that black people are sensitive about their square dancing abilities (just like the whole idea that "white people can't dance", while a stereotype, is something that has been used for humor for many years by comedians of many races. It's not been an area where white people have been sensitive).
That was for "The Fastlane" and it was a cheap knockoff of "48 Hours". Like I said, I find that kind of thing funny, but I can see how some could be offended. Why do people have to resort to the "white people do this funny, black people do this funny, etc." - like Another Brother was saying in his "What is Comedy" thread. It is old...
You call me racist but yet you always seem to find the worse possible scenerio in reference to race. Jesse is no Saint but deserves better. Why didn't you mention him getting prisoners of war released, or marching with Martin Luther King? Too positive, huh. --------------------------------------------------------- To everyone else... Why is it that if a black neighborhood in movies is portrayed, it has to be accompanied by a rap track?
Look at the movie "Barbershop". Ton of stereotyping there. I know this movie was applauded by critics, and I myself did enjoy it, but I could not help but be bothered by all the stereotyping in there.
I think it depends on the type of stereotyping. From what I heard that movie was toeing the line. You can always get offensive enough to offend anyone, even the least sensitive person. I think the underlying message is what matters, which is why I don't think Smirnoff Ice, Fastlane, Shaq's comments, etc. shouldn't offend anyone. Those jokes are just lighthearted.
And you've been given a couple of examples where no outrage was heard, including the commericial in question.
Ref, seriously, have you seen that commercial? First of all, why would people be sitting around watching a video of a party with video editing equipment? I'll tell you why, because it wasn't a video of a party, it was a music video. The guy who notices the funny white dudes first is a rap singer, not a real one mind you, he's just an actor. The joke isn't about dorky non dancing white guys, it's about how those two guys aren't supposed to be in the backround dancing with the hot chicks but because they have Smirnoff Ice, they can do crazy things like getting into a rap video even though they don't seem like the type you would regularly see in a rap video. Haven't you noticed the end where Pookie, T-Money, and Romeo accuse eachother of being the guys who knew them? It also shows that all it took was some Smirnoff for those guys get bribed. You're basically looking for something that isn't there. Nice try though.
