I likely would get one of those “unreliable and harmful claims” or “dangerous or derogatory content” notices from Google if I posted this on my blog. We will see if Substack truly supports free speech. But today in my weekly column on Substack, I will go where no sane white guy goes these days and discuss race in a manner that does not pander to black sensitivities. I want to discuss the latest rage in television advertising: black people in advertising products whose target audience is white.
Don, points well taken. Allow me to offer my annoyance as a white older guy constantly seeing the white males in commercials virtually always portrayed as uninformed or less-than-competent drones who must turn to wise blacks/Asians/women/kids in order to live in this mortal coil.
The thing I think is best about the ads is there is a father in the family. It is something that is missing in far too many families. Congress even legislated the father out of the home when financial assistance is needed.
This is an interesting perspective. However, based on the amount of Blacks in commercials based on their percentage of the U.S. population, they are greatly over represented. Additionally, interracial marriages are still uncommon. I consider these commercials to be “Woke” because they are not reality. They are fantasy.
I will never understand why blacks have not found Affirmative Action to be utterly insulting and patronizing! Imagine telling an entire race of people that you are too inferior to be able to stand on your own two feet without a hand-out from your benevolent government. They, of all people intimately involved in the future of such legislation should be dead set against it.
One thing is for sure, the Democrats in no way want their black constituents to start getting any “uppity” ideas of being truly equal and fully capable of achieving the American Dream.
I will believe that blacks have attained middle class status when they portray the man in the commercial as an incompetent, supercilious dolt; an object of scorn and ridicule, whose only purpose is to showcase the brilliance, ingenuity and physical strength of his female counterpart. When the people who make these commercials dare to put black men on the same level as white men in their efforts, I shall believe in "equality." Until then, it's still all BS.
What I noticed around the start of covid hysteria was that old, responsible white men became the key target of CRT. That correlated with a nearly complete removal of "my kind" from any commercial surrounding live sports. (I only suffer commercials during live sports.)
My reaction was that I simply refuse to buy from large corporations that push that woke crap if any quality alternative exists.
The woke pendulum has swung too far. The backlash could be furious.
I agree with your premise that the use of Blacks in most commercials is a good thing as you have advanced. One category which may not be doing the same is HIV meds. There are a number of these products being marketed at least here in the big city market. Over 75% of the actors in these commercials are Black or Brown. Most of my Black friends are NOT down with the struggle for the gays and are often as homophobic as anyone ever. One recently opined that he liked seeing blacks in all sorts of roles, but" Why so Damm many brothers gay? I advised him to get used to it because the gayness put them up 2 levels in the grievance stack that rules the leftists. A promotion in other words.
"The Smithsonian is run by crazy people." No, it is run by Marxists. I like how the Smithsonian Marxists, unintentionally, acknowledge the superior culture. As your post makes clear, sane people will recognize this, aspire to it, participate in it, and hopefully enhance it. Sadly, Marxists aren't very intelligent, as they incorrectly identify this superior culture as "White". I never said Marxists were particularly intelligent. Ideologies, and their reliance on rationalization, generally are the killers of intelligence. It's a pity about most institutions in this country, both cultural and political, but institutions can be changed, even scrapped and rebuilt. C'est la vie.
Recall that Joe Biden (as opposed to "Joe Biden") recently asked, When was the last time you saw an inter-racial couple in TV ads [MAN!]? You should send the White House a link to this piece. I doubt he'd be able to comprehend it on his own, but maybe Jill can read it to him, providing the requisite rationalization.
"Only an overwrought lefty would make any argument that it is racist to show interracial couples in TV commercials." I call this the Lefty Pretzel. God bless the Lefty Pretzel; so tasty! Look for them throughout the day. More often than not you'll find one.
Thanks for tackling a tough issue most people would not touch.
I'm sure they like the commercials, I believe it's Doritos, where the weak, pathetic white man licks the fingers of a black man that won't give him any chips.
"Progressives hate progress. It undercuts their narrative that America is hopelessly racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic – you name it."
This post is typical of Boomercon delusion. White/Black disparities in wealth and other measures have not budged much at all in 30 years. The Democrats are in no danger of losing the black vote because of mortgages. The motivation for putting interracial couples in ads has nothing to do with selling products. Ad creatives are almost universally progressive. There is clearly a push to normalize interracial couples. There is no evidence that ads with interracial couples are more effective at selling products. As for Craig Robinson, Kevin Hart, Shaq and Charles Barkley, they are just funny guys who people find likable. They have absolutely nothing to do with the interracial couples in ads. They actually do sell product, but only because they are likable. It seems like the author is not really very familiar with wokeness and its manifestations. This contrarian angle, that progressives don't like these ads because they portray blacks as middle class, is just laughable. Progressives make these ads. Their agenda is to portray blacks as middle class because the stereotype of blacks is as irresponsible and lazy, and they are trying to counter it. In short, the progressives who make ads are injecting their political agenda into the ads, plain and simple.
I record most shows to skip the mind numbing affect of any commercials attempt to brainwash me. I don’t care about who is pushing what product but anyway you look at it’s pandering. I see it more in TV shows and movies than commercials. If the acting is good who cares what race the person is? I don’t.
That's a correct take, Don. What I would add is these commercials, intentionally or not, promote the family, specifically the black family when all actors are black and in general with mixed families, which needs putting back together in so many cases in black communities. So not only do these commercials promote the American middle class, they promote being in a family. All of this surely must be good. And lessons for us all.
too little too late Bubba Surber, I complained about "black-in-your-face" commercials decades ago - and no, I do not watch commercials ever since I got my commercial-killer gadget to stop this shyte
Don, points well taken. Allow me to offer my annoyance as a white older guy constantly seeing the white males in commercials virtually always portrayed as uninformed or less-than-competent drones who must turn to wise blacks/Asians/women/kids in order to live in this mortal coil.
The thing I think is best about the ads is there is a father in the family. It is something that is missing in far too many families. Congress even legislated the father out of the home when financial assistance is needed.
This is an interesting perspective. However, based on the amount of Blacks in commercials based on their percentage of the U.S. population, they are greatly over represented. Additionally, interracial marriages are still uncommon. I consider these commercials to be “Woke” because they are not reality. They are fantasy.
I will never understand why blacks have not found Affirmative Action to be utterly insulting and patronizing! Imagine telling an entire race of people that you are too inferior to be able to stand on your own two feet without a hand-out from your benevolent government. They, of all people intimately involved in the future of such legislation should be dead set against it.
One thing is for sure, the Democrats in no way want their black constituents to start getting any “uppity” ideas of being truly equal and fully capable of achieving the American Dream.
Y’all just need to turn off the tv and quit buying the bullshit they’re selling. No matter what race you are.
I will believe that blacks have attained middle class status when they portray the man in the commercial as an incompetent, supercilious dolt; an object of scorn and ridicule, whose only purpose is to showcase the brilliance, ingenuity and physical strength of his female counterpart. When the people who make these commercials dare to put black men on the same level as white men in their efforts, I shall believe in "equality." Until then, it's still all BS.
What I noticed around the start of covid hysteria was that old, responsible white men became the key target of CRT. That correlated with a nearly complete removal of "my kind" from any commercial surrounding live sports. (I only suffer commercials during live sports.)
My reaction was that I simply refuse to buy from large corporations that push that woke crap if any quality alternative exists.
The woke pendulum has swung too far. The backlash could be furious.
Don;
I agree with your premise that the use of Blacks in most commercials is a good thing as you have advanced. One category which may not be doing the same is HIV meds. There are a number of these products being marketed at least here in the big city market. Over 75% of the actors in these commercials are Black or Brown. Most of my Black friends are NOT down with the struggle for the gays and are often as homophobic as anyone ever. One recently opined that he liked seeing blacks in all sorts of roles, but" Why so Damm many brothers gay? I advised him to get used to it because the gayness put them up 2 levels in the grievance stack that rules the leftists. A promotion in other words.
I prefer targeted marketing.
Whites sell to whites, blacks sell to blacks.
If your target is both, what percentage is white what percentage is black.
It's marketing 101.
We have reached a place of ridiculousness.
I don't have anything clever to say. Just, "Well done!"
"The Smithsonian is run by crazy people." No, it is run by Marxists. I like how the Smithsonian Marxists, unintentionally, acknowledge the superior culture. As your post makes clear, sane people will recognize this, aspire to it, participate in it, and hopefully enhance it. Sadly, Marxists aren't very intelligent, as they incorrectly identify this superior culture as "White". I never said Marxists were particularly intelligent. Ideologies, and their reliance on rationalization, generally are the killers of intelligence. It's a pity about most institutions in this country, both cultural and political, but institutions can be changed, even scrapped and rebuilt. C'est la vie.
Recall that Joe Biden (as opposed to "Joe Biden") recently asked, When was the last time you saw an inter-racial couple in TV ads [MAN!]? You should send the White House a link to this piece. I doubt he'd be able to comprehend it on his own, but maybe Jill can read it to him, providing the requisite rationalization.
"Only an overwrought lefty would make any argument that it is racist to show interracial couples in TV commercials." I call this the Lefty Pretzel. God bless the Lefty Pretzel; so tasty! Look for them throughout the day. More often than not you'll find one.
Thanks for tackling a tough issue most people would not touch.
I'm sure they like the commercials, I believe it's Doritos, where the weak, pathetic white man licks the fingers of a black man that won't give him any chips.
"Progressives hate progress. It undercuts their narrative that America is hopelessly racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic – you name it."
Spot on!
This post is typical of Boomercon delusion. White/Black disparities in wealth and other measures have not budged much at all in 30 years. The Democrats are in no danger of losing the black vote because of mortgages. The motivation for putting interracial couples in ads has nothing to do with selling products. Ad creatives are almost universally progressive. There is clearly a push to normalize interracial couples. There is no evidence that ads with interracial couples are more effective at selling products. As for Craig Robinson, Kevin Hart, Shaq and Charles Barkley, they are just funny guys who people find likable. They have absolutely nothing to do with the interracial couples in ads. They actually do sell product, but only because they are likable. It seems like the author is not really very familiar with wokeness and its manifestations. This contrarian angle, that progressives don't like these ads because they portray blacks as middle class, is just laughable. Progressives make these ads. Their agenda is to portray blacks as middle class because the stereotype of blacks is as irresponsible and lazy, and they are trying to counter it. In short, the progressives who make ads are injecting their political agenda into the ads, plain and simple.
I record most shows to skip the mind numbing affect of any commercials attempt to brainwash me. I don’t care about who is pushing what product but anyway you look at it’s pandering. I see it more in TV shows and movies than commercials. If the acting is good who cares what race the person is? I don’t.
That's a correct take, Don. What I would add is these commercials, intentionally or not, promote the family, specifically the black family when all actors are black and in general with mixed families, which needs putting back together in so many cases in black communities. So not only do these commercials promote the American middle class, they promote being in a family. All of this surely must be good. And lessons for us all.
too little too late Bubba Surber, I complained about "black-in-your-face" commercials decades ago - and no, I do not watch commercials ever since I got my commercial-killer gadget to stop this shyte