Friday, February 11, 2011
Love American Style
Where to start? This SuperBowl ad was trying to 'keep it real' about sex and race. It plays up stereotypes for their shortcut accuracy, however biting. While it features a black woman and man, along with white woman, the director was probably a white man, so it really has everything. Here are my top ten thoughts:
1. The wife is big, but not too big. Ding! Correct. Black women lead the nation in big bones.
2. The wife is wearing an obviously purchased and unnatural hairpiece. Ding! Correct. Again, black women lead in this category.
3. The wife is the alpha in the relationship - Ding. Correct. Black woman are alphas, period.
4. The husband is timid. Ding! Correct. Timidity is too often and sadly the mark of a successfully married black man. Scratch that, ANY man! (Clarification - successful marriage to any alpha requires, how do we say, accommodation skills)
5. The white woman is looking after her looks and health. Ding! Correct. White women lead in active life styles.
6. The husband acknowledges another woman, who is prettier, in his wife's presence. Gong! Never happen. Dude would not have not made it this far.
7. The white woman flirts, ignoring the obvious danger. Ding! Correct again. I have witnessed this over and over. Just what was she thinking?
8. The black woman reacts violently. Ding. The stats back this up.
9. The ending. Gong! Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Here is where the assumed white male director intervened. Instead of the cowardly hit and run ending, timid black man would have rendered aid and feisty black woman would not have said 'sorry' to the flirting runner, but would have also demanded silly husband make sure silly white woman was okay.
10. Of course, I could be all wrong. Remember, it is Friday.
James C. Collier
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Technorati Tags: Love American Style, Pepsi Ad, SuperBowl Ads, Stereotypes, Acting Black, Acting White
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13 comments:
I enjoy your blog usually, but I find your 10 observations almost as offensive as I found the commercial. Not. Funny.
Anon 7:45, sorry to disappoint. I didn't like the ad but also try to see beyond the obvious and not always be so heavy. Can you say more about the spot and I will try to be thoughtful?
this commercial blows goats. period.
from first Anon (accidentally deleted),
Here are my responses to your top ten thoughts:
1. The wife is big, but not too big. Ding! Correct. Black women lead the nation in big bones.
BS! Black women don’t lead the nation in “big bones.” We lead the nation in obesity rates.
2. The wife is wearing an obviously purchased and unnatural hairpiece. Ding! Correct. Again, black women lead in this category.
Sigh…hair—cheap shot! Do we really have to go there?
3. The wife is the alpha in the relationship - Ding. Correct. Black woman are alphas, period.
BS! Plays into the stereotype that black women are not “feminine” and that a black woman who isn’t “alpha” isn’t really black and thus must be acting white.
4. The husband is timid. Ding! Correct. Timidity is too often and sadly the mark of a successfully married black man. Scratch that, ANY man! (Clarification - successful marriage to any alpha requires, how do we say, accommodation skills)
BS! Since all black women are “alphas” then all married black men are timid (read “not real men”). Thank you for insulting my nephew, my brother and my daddy.
5. The white woman is looking after her looks and health. Ding! Correct. White women lead in active life styles.
You got me here. White women have it all over black women when it comes to fitness.
6. The husband acknowledges another woman, who is prettier, in his wife's presence. Gong! Never happen. Dude would not have not made it this far.
Not sure about this. Of course guys look at pretty women. They can’t help it. Of course white women look at black men. Why wouldn’t they? Black men are the most attractive men on the planet (IMHO).
7. The white woman flirts, ignoring the obvious danger. Ding! Correct again. I have witnessed this over and over. Just what was she thinking?
Gotta agree. White women are often really stupid on this. But then again they are used to the whole “toss the blond hair and look cute” sort of thing. Plus the culture has told them that black men lust after them.
8. The black woman reacts violently. Ding. The stats back this up.
WHAT STATS!?
9. The ending. Gong! Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Here is where the assumed white male director intervened. Instead of the cowardly hit and run ending, timid black man would have rendered aid and feisty black woman would not have said 'sorry' to the flirting runner, but would have also demanded silly husband make sure silly white woman was okay.
BS again! This ending is so totally wacked and wrong that I can’t even imagine a “right” ending. But here’s an alternative ending. The white woman was actually making a pass at the black woman. The two women walk away arm in arm leaving the black man behind.
10. Of course, I could be all wrong. Remember, it is Friday.
Anon, thanks for the response. Big bones is a euphemism for obesity. Bad wigs are the same as bad toupees, something to be avoided. Alphas can be very feminine, just dominating to a fault. Men from matriarchal societies learn deference from a young age, making them poor providers. Sure, I'm generalizing way too much, but my tongue is in my cheek. I definitely like your alternate ending. I will straighten up per your request. Thanks for writing.
Anon 7:45, as you requestedt, please see this US DOJ report on 'women offenders' which shows (in part) that black women commit assaults in disproportion to their percent of population, and similar to black men - unfortunately.
Sorry, here is the link - http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=568
Simply great! Being senile I will render my kids view (Daughters 18, 22)Dad.......Of course it's racist...stereotypes abound.....all black women are mad...all the time!!
James - Alternate ending would be a stomping of the white woman on the ground with the husband trying to subdue the enraged black wife! Keep it real!
Anon 4:43, careful, I already got called out for being real (see the DOJ stats).
Another holdover from antebellum plantation paradigm, white people have allow alpha elevation with the black family structure...sistas always trying to regulate!
As far as the black woman in this in this video clip, If the shoe fits..
Why is the jogger the one who is flirting? The man started it as he was the one follwing her with his eyes, his mental "tongue hanging out," watching her pass, and said "hey" when she sat down when his loving gaze should have been on the she-monster he was with. Being young and naive, the jogger smiles and greets them. This is flirting?
This commercial is demeaning in so many ways. If it had been all Black people or all White people, it still would have been demeaning. But they had to make it racially antagonistic for some as well, and they had to play on negative black stereotypes that we're all supposed to think are funny. How humiliating. While there is a side of truth to stereotypes, why do we promote negative stereotypes as something to laugh at and sell products?
This is what Pepsi thinks of the average jackass American, so remember that next time you go to buy their poisonous diet product and and line their pocket with your money.
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