Whites and coloreds: Laundering racism with bad advertising
Matt Stroud | Fri, Feb 1st, 2008 | Category: Commentary | Tags: color, advertising, italian, laundry, feministing
Probably doesn’t fit neatly into the category of “city issues,” but we can make an exception every now and then—particularly when something falls into the category of either “real dumb” or “offensive advertising.” This happens to fit both. Have a watch, and be patient—the 180 doesn’t happen until about 30 seconds in.
Now. I know what you’re thinking: ”Finally, an ad that’s offensive to both black and white people!” But not so fast. Before you jump to conclusions, the smarmy, Italian white guy (known, obviously, for his forwardness and failures in pursuing random sex) wasn’t transformed into a mute, body-building black man with heaving abdominal muscles (a showpiece, again obviously; a contribution to a beautiful visual environment only) via a warm rinse with quality detergent for the benefit of an obviously quietly lustful, sexually starved heterosexual woman. That’s just silly. You have it all wrong. Here’s the dialogue, translated:
---
---[White Guy enters room wearing nothing but tight-fitting briefs and a pair of socks. Italians dress this way all the time.]
Woman: Hello there, Roger. How are you this fine day?
White Guy: Fine, Concetta. Just fine. What are you up to?
Woman: Oh, me? I’m just talking laundry with my black-Italian boyfriend.
White Guy [moving closer]: Is it really necessary to bring race into this conversation, Concetta?
Woman: I’m afraid it is. He and I have spent much of the afternoon talking about the necessity of separating whites and coloreds.
White Guy: I see. Where is this black-Italian person?
Woman: In here. [Woman shoves white guy into washing machine] Say hello to my little friend!
[Black Man emerges to get some donuts to share with White Guy]
Black Man: [flex].
[Scene]
See? Nothing going on here but harmless conversation and punnery.
Many thanks to the folks at Feministing. They found this shit way before we did.
Related:
--Merkel’s CDU tries to cool racism row
--Typecasting
--Racialism
--Underoos