Intel's racist ad.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Clearly racist.

When the white man sais "go" all the black men bump into each other. The white man allready has a smirk on his face because he knows what's going to happen.

 

[Bill3000]

How is that? It means all the employees in a company = their boss? So if a man has 100 employees, than 100 people = him?

uh, employees, employeers, slaves, slave owners?

To be honest, the south park episode on the flag changing comes to mind.

 

[Mirc]

uh, employees, employeers, slaves, slave owners?

To be honest, the south park episode on the flag changing comes to mind.

I don't know what episode you are talking about, as I don't watch South Park.

But even assuming they represent slaves and slave owners (which is a very, very exaggerated thing to say), I don't understand how 6 slaves = 1 slave owner. What if that man had 300 slaves? 300 slaves = 1 owner? I just don't get it.

 

[Mirc]

When the white man sais "go" all the black men bump into each other. The white man allready has a smirk on his face because he knows what's going to happen.

It's only 1 black man, MULTIPLIED. That's the idea of the ad.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I don't know what episode you are talking about, as I don't watch South Park.

They had an episode on a racist flag. It looked like this:

But since that was clearly racist they changed it to:

From the episode: Chef Goes Nanners.

It's only 1 black man, MULTIPLIED. That's the idea of the ad.

Imagine the embarrassment caused by bumping into yourself. Even worse!

 

[silver 2039]

That ad can definatley be intreprated as rascist.

 

[Stapel]

People aren't overreacting, they're reacting according to the programming installed by the prophets of political correctness.

If I was in charge, I'd never step back and I'd laugh at those idiotic activists who see racism everywhere.

"Hey, there is a picture of white and black men, and the white one is taller! That's racism! Outrageous!"

I was all fired up to write the same comments. Americans seem to be incredibly fast to label something as racist. The simple fact thye have invented a phrase lile "African-American" proves this. A bit weird, because using that phrase actually IS racist, unless one refers to whites as "European-Americans". That's the whole essence of racism: jlabelling people with different race, differently....

Anyway, this ad did make me wonder. It seems to be off the line.

 

[mdwh]

Yeah it's not like anyone calls themselves Irish American...

 

[Bast]

Talk about faux pas, they could've easily avoided this by having 2 white, 2 black and 2 asian sprinters. No?

 

[Mirc]

^ No, they couldn't. It's only ONE man there. Multiplied. Only 1, look again.

 

[mdwh]

^ No, they couldn't. It's only ONE man there. Multiplied. Only 1, look again.

They could've photoshopped some to be a different colour.

It would've been worth it to see the Daily Mail etc screaming "OMG it's PC Gone Mad".

 

[BlizzardGR]

I don't think it was intentional. They just didn't think it over enough.

It would be much better if the add didn't have the white guy in at all. Just the sprinters in the 'ready' position and a different and shorter text skipping the 'employees' part. Maybe something like ''multiply computing power in your office/business''

 

[Rambuchan]

If an adman can't anticipate that such an image could be perceived as racist in the society it is to be released to, then he shouldn't be doing his job.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

I disagree. It has only been a generation and a half since discrimination was law (the sixties). It takes awhile to get over something like that. I didn't notice the possible racism in the ad until it was pointed out to me, but I definitely see why the imagery would be seen that way.

When I was growing up (the seventies), I seem to remember a popular argument that blacks are better at physical activity because they don't have the mental capacity of a white man (paraphrased, but definitely implied). Hence, the large number of blacks that flooded into athletics instead of academia after they got their civil rights. Of course, later (in the eighties), the argument changed to "blacks from the ghetto are better at athletics because, in the ghetto, there aren't any opportunities for smart blacks, while basketball or other sports like running gave you a chance out, no matter how small".

Remember that you only have to be in your forties or fifties to remember when you weren't allowed to go through the front door of a restaurant because you were black, your school had no books, and you couldn't walk through the white neighborhood to get to school. Only until the people who perpetuated and suffered from discrimination are gone will the issue be truly foreign to our nation.

What a cock up. More PC fascism du jour.

Actually Dawg, now that I ponder some more, I think you're right. My parent and their friends (both black and white boomers), have already put it behind them... I don't even notice racism stuff until someone points it out to me or if it uses race baiting phrases like "You people always..." or "Blacks/Whites in general think/do..."

It's not "du jour", though. It's a relic from the seventies and eighties. I think this may be it, the tail end of the race PC. Since the "baby boomers" will be the tail end of the demographic picture, not their parents... completely different worldviews, completely different emotional resonances.

 

[Stapel]

If an adman can't anticipate that such an image could be perceived as racist in the society it is to be released to, then he shouldn't be doing his job.

I agree.

However, such things are, generally, easy to say in hindsight.

 

[Rambuchan]

Lots of things are easy to say on an internet forum with google to hand.

But really, I'm amazed that this ad got through the filters of whichever agency Intel used for the campaign. It's usually a dismissal that follows such a blunder, of the individual concerned or, more frequently, the whole contract with said agency.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I think the adman is doing his job. I think they bloody well knew this was on the edge and it would create the 'upset' it did. Any publicity is good, good or bad.

First they get publicity because someone notices it's 'racism'. Then they have to apologise to make em look good. Meanwhile everyone has seen the ad and the name intel a million times.

 

[Ansar]

They should have used an Indian guy instead of a White guy.

Everyone knows the Indians are becoming the new computer experts.

 

[Rambuchan]

I think the adman is doing his job. I think they bloody well knew this was on the edge and it would create the 'upset' it did. Any publicity is good, good or bad.

First they get publicity because someone notices it's 'racism'. Then they have to apologise to make em look good. Meanwhile everyone has seen the ad and the name intel a million times.

That's quite possible.

 

[Stapel]

That's quite possible.

Even probable, I'd say.