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.
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.
Men in advertisements have been portrayed as dolts for a very, very long time. I too am an older white guy. Supposedly this is to appeal to women who are presumed to be making buying decisions.
No it's part of the liberal narrative that men are dumber than women and white men are dumber than black men. Note u will NEVER see a dumb black man in an ad, just dumb white ones.
That type of anti-white advertising is a major reason why I don't subscribe to commercial TV any more... We only stream race neutral, hetero-based shows...
This is an old trope that has been in dramas, comedies, documentaries, etc. for many years. Commercials have hewed to this line for twenty years at least. A good example was Rocket Mortgage. They had a number of commercials where the husband would be looking for the money in the house with a flashlight, hammer, crowbar in the attic, crawl space, or inside the walls. At the end , the wife would inform the poor schlub that A Re-fi from Rocket would get the money out of the house, so he could quit tearing the house up. Last year things have changed! The (white) wife is now playing the fool looking for the money in the house and her Black hubby is sitting on the couch with the phone and telling her to stop, since Rocket would get them the money in the House. Since there are no longer Re-fi in the Biden economy these are not playing any more. Rocket has a money app for your phone and no house wrecking necessary!
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.
A gay black male with aids...the woke trifecta. For icing on the cake I think I saw an ad for this medicine and one of the black gay couples had a white kid.
"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.
Rowan, Good points... To add to this... These anti-white commercials are pushing whites as weaker and out of touch compared to black placement as dominant...
Ever notice with interracial couples in ads, black dominant alpha males are placed with attractive smaller frame blonde white females... Now reverse the roles. White beta males are placed with attractive (same size) black females...
In print advertisements, blacks are placed in the center of the ad with other ethnicities placed around the black "person of influence". Also, notice the sizes of the blacks placed in the ads... They are usually larger or taller than other ethnicities... Again... Portrays dominance over others in the ad.
In movies the "character of influence" is portrayed by blacks and they are placed in positions of authority... Although this has been going on for a few decades now... Rarely do you ever see whites in positions of authority anymore...
Even radio commercials are primarily voiced with black actors...
I attended a lecture in college eons ago about subliminal messaging in advertisements. Melting ice that looks like naked ladies in booze ads...that sort of thing. Its the same sort of thing. A not so subliminal message surrounded by subliminal messages. White men are the problem.
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.
Men in advertisements have been portrayed as dolts for a very, very long time. I too am an older white guy. Supposedly this is to appeal to women who are presumed to be making buying decisions.
No it's part of the liberal narrative that men are dumber than women and white men are dumber than black men. Note u will NEVER see a dumb black man in an ad, just dumb white ones.
And burglar alarm system ads, the criminal is always white.
I complained about "black-in-your-face" commercials decades ago
That type of anti-white advertising is a major reason why I don't subscribe to commercial TV any more... We only stream race neutral, hetero-based shows...
Rivetpoint;
This is an old trope that has been in dramas, comedies, documentaries, etc. for many years. Commercials have hewed to this line for twenty years at least. A good example was Rocket Mortgage. They had a number of commercials where the husband would be looking for the money in the house with a flashlight, hammer, crowbar in the attic, crawl space, or inside the walls. At the end , the wife would inform the poor schlub that A Re-fi from Rocket would get the money out of the house, so he could quit tearing the house up. Last year things have changed! The (white) wife is now playing the fool looking for the money in the house and her Black hubby is sitting on the couch with the phone and telling her to stop, since Rocket would get them the money in the House. Since there are no longer Re-fi in the Biden economy these are not playing any more. Rocket has a money app for your phone and no house wrecking necessary!
But note the dummy is always white or male, never black because that would trigger the Left.
Old theme. I remember the old "Joe Doakes" Hollywood shorts that always portrayed George O'Hanlon as a hapless dolt.
A century or so ago, reverse the races. The dopes were "Uncle Toms."
That was going on before when ads were only white on white. Nothing new there.
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 agree the purpose is to promote more I terracial marriage which part of the woke agenda.
You might not say interracial couples are uncommon if you cruised Carnival Cruise Line.
I avoid Carnival like the plague.
You need to try the Mardi Gras. Our experience is most people who denigrate Carnival have never cruised them.
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.
Or that your ethnic group is the only one too stupid to get a photo ID.
If they're not offended by the infantilization, that's the problem.
Some do find it insulting. Thomas Sowell, for example.
Y’all just need to turn off the tv and quit buying the bullshit they’re selling. No matter what race you are.
Must be why I have noticed any of this bs
Go login to your bank portal. All the big ones often have zero whites in all the photos.
Even my credit union has no white males in any of the shots on the various pages.
Noticed that quite a while ago. If you didn’t know better you’d think American is a 100% black homosexual nation based on advertising
Haven't.
Lack of a good editor. Thanks
You're welcome. Same problem here.
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.
Black and brown are not proper nouns. In your use they are adjectives. I’m curious to know why you capitalized those words?
Habit from writing at my "woke" job where this is REQUIRED!!! Was only Black but I got dinged for brown last month!
You'll be doing hard time for messing up "Tutti-Frutti."
A gay black male with aids...the woke trifecta. For icing on the cake I think I saw an ad for this medicine and one of the black gay couples had a white kid.
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.
Actually the wokies running this country (into the ground) reached the place of ridiculousness about three decades ago.
I don't have anything clever to say. Just, "Well done!"
Remind me to say that more often, please.
"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.
Rowan, Good points... To add to this... These anti-white commercials are pushing whites as weaker and out of touch compared to black placement as dominant...
Ever notice with interracial couples in ads, black dominant alpha males are placed with attractive smaller frame blonde white females... Now reverse the roles. White beta males are placed with attractive (same size) black females...
In print advertisements, blacks are placed in the center of the ad with other ethnicities placed around the black "person of influence". Also, notice the sizes of the blacks placed in the ads... They are usually larger or taller than other ethnicities... Again... Portrays dominance over others in the ad.
In movies the "character of influence" is portrayed by blacks and they are placed in positions of authority... Although this has been going on for a few decades now... Rarely do you ever see whites in positions of authority anymore...
Even radio commercials are primarily voiced with black actors...
I attended a lecture in college eons ago about subliminal messaging in advertisements. Melting ice that looks like naked ladies in booze ads...that sort of thing. Its the same sort of thing. A not so subliminal message surrounded by subliminal messages. White men are the problem.
That is the crux of CRT...
Your comments reflects why I do not read your commentaries
Ok Boomer
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