Wokeism is a cancer, part 1,073 ...

[Derec]

Roger House, a professor at Emerson College wrote a screed against commercials featuring interracial relationships that include a white man.

Are some commercial depictions of interracial families sending a wrong message?

It is difficult to avoid the proliferation of TV commercials that feature white men at the head of Black families. The commercials, of course, are intended to sell products that range from cars to insurance to snack foods. Still, the depiction of scenes of intimacy that center white men in Black life can trigger painful memories of historical experience.

He does not even call them "interracial families". To him, they are just black families with the white guy as some sort of interloper. Also note the racist capitalizing of "black" but not of "white" that is en vogue among the terminally woke.

Such commercials can become instruments for destructive role modeling in the Black mind. They can codify a new symbol of white male dominance under the pretense of diversity

What a load of racist, and sexist for that matter, BS!

— especially when the reality of interracial marriage is that Black men and white women far outnumber the scenes promoted in the commercials.

So I guess the professor is fine with black men being depicted with white women, just not the reverse. Because I guess to him a black man scoring a white woman shows the "dominance" of the black man and he is fine with that. He just has a problem with "whitey" "stealing" "his" womenfolk!

For example, the 2017 Pew Center report “Trends and Patterns in Intermarriage” found that “Black men are twice as likely as black women to have a spouse of a different race or ethnicity (24 percent v. 12 percent).

Assuming that is accurate, that is still not an orders-of-magnitude difference or a reason to call for erasure of WMBF interracial relationships. Much less ...

As such, the commercials seem intent on marketing an image with a degree of political manipulation. Black Democrats, unfortunately, appear unprepared to question the role of commercials to influence the impressions of Black youth. Few Washington leaders are pressing for commercials that sell products and reinforce images of Black pride, love and self-determination.

One may question whether Democrats — and Black legislators, in particular — have a role to play in this issue. Clearly, advertising is protected under the First Amendment as “commercial speech.” Still, the Federal Trade Commission has the power to examine advertisements perceived as untruthful, deceptive or unfair.

... using the force of government to do so.

That said, Democrats may have a vested interest in the cultural effects of advertising and racial portrayals. Those who sit on relevant congressional committees can raise questions and gather facts on the intentions of the advertising campaigns. By showing an interest, they may succeed in prodding advertisers to re-envision the broader messaging in the campaigns.

He really wants the federal government to take bold action against commercials with interracial couples he does not approve of.

The silence is especially notable when one considers that the commercials air during time slots of high visibility to Black youth.

Won't somebody please think of the children! They might see a white man and a black woman in relationship with each other! Oh the horrors!

[examples of a few commercials he detests because of the skin color of the people in it]

There are also many commercials with black men and white or Asian etc. women. But House deliberately ignore those. He also ...

One has to ponder about the mindset of advertising executives in creating the marketing campaigns. The issue would be less noteworthy if not for the glaring lack of commercials that portray loving relationships between Black men and women — much less of Blacks in intimate spaces with friends and spouses of other non-white groups.

... is lying about this. There are many such commercials. In fact, all-black families are commonly depicted in commercials, probably at a higher rate than their share in US population. There are also many black professionals and the like in commercials.

uch commercials can tap into unconscious myths in American racial and cultural history. Among the myths are the white male as a “Great Father” savior, the Black woman as sexually available,

Obviously, black women are to be sexually available to black men only. And they can't make up their own mind about it, they need guidance of Roger House. </sarcasm>

the Black male as absent or lacking authority within his own home,

Except that it's not the case, as many commercials depict black men in domestic settings.

and the white woman as precious and needing protection from Black men.

I rather get the impression that the author thinks black women need protection from white men. Or else, the honey might take them on a car ride or something sinister like that.

 

[TSwizzle]

A mental disease more like.

 

[Trausti]

It's the fun irony that those who call other Nazis also want people treated based on their racial category and not as individuals. Stay Woke, my friends.

 

[Metaphor]

I urge people to look at some of the commercials that House is so distressed about. His perception of them tells you much about his mindset.

 

[southernhybrid]

I agree that this man is nuts. Does he not understand that the SCOTUS decision that made mixed race marriages legal involved a White man and a Black woman. ( I capitalized both colors just to make you happy Derec. ) I have a friend in a mixed race marriage who/ has a "Loving" party ever summer to celebrate that decision. I'm sure that you well informed people know that the couple's name was Loving, right? Sometimes these things are way over the top, but I don't think we really need to get our panties in a wad every time a supposedly "woke" individual makes a nutty claim. I think it's probably better to ignore them, rather than take their claims so seriously.

Still, some of the things that the people on the hard right believe are far more insane, compared to the beliefs of one nutty academic.

There are plenty of kooky people in the world who see the world through very narrow lens. I really don't think that this guy is going to influence the media. I've always enjoyed seeing so many mixed race families in ads because it's well past time that such relationships should be considered perfectly normal and acceptable. And yes. I have known Black people that also get upset when a Black person marries a White person. People can be jerks regardless of race, or skin color. We are all humans after all.

 

[Gospel]

I'm outraged that it's 2021 and people still watch commercials. I thought TV as we knew it would be dead by now thanks to the internet. I guess some old folks are still chugging along keeping TV & commercials viable. Anyhow, call me when there is a commercial depicting a black man as head of a white household and I'll support your outrage. I think it's the lack of those commercials that are making some people sensitive to the usual White man with black woman, black child with white parent commercials. I don't have a problem with interracial commercials personally, but the lack of black men/women with white children is odd.

 

[KeepTalking]

So, if I get too close to Roger House, and catch this "Wokeism" (whatever that is), how long will I have to live?

 

[Politesse]

I don't agree with Dr. House on the general point, though I do think it is telling that even in a time when interracial families have become expected in commercial environments, advertisers are still wary of portraying black men with white spouses. When the Cheerios company tried to run an cereal ad with a Black father of an inter-racial family about five years back, it generated so much outrage from the general public they had to yank the commercial. So I believe that this is a real trend. The ideal solution to this would be to showcase more diversity in family dispositions, though, not less.

The idea that this is somehow connected a vast Woke conspiracy is, as usual, nonsense.

 

[TomC]

I'm outraged that it's 2021 and people still watch commercials. I thought TV as we knew it would be dead by now thanks to the internet. I guess some old folks are still chugging along keeping TV & commercials viable. Anyhow, call me when there is a commercial depicting a black man as head of a white household and I'll support your outrage. I think it's the lack of those commercials that are making some people sensitive to the usual White man with black woman, black child with white parent commercials. I don't have a problem with interracial commercials personally, but the lack of black men/women with white children is odd.

You clearly don't watch any TV. About all I watch is late night TV, but I see ads like that frequently. One I remember is a phone company ad featuring a black guy and a white woman happily telling all their friends "We're going to have a baby!". Then there's the insurance company with a black spokesman confidently assuring white folks that they have great rates for everyone, not special discounts...."

I see this quite often and I like it. Not the products, but the ads.
Tom

 

[Gospel]

I'm outraged that it's 2021 and people still watch commercials. I thought TV as we knew it would be dead by now thanks to the internet. I guess some old folks are still chugging along keeping TV & commercials viable. Anyhow, call me when there is a commercial depicting a black man as head of a white household and I'll support your outrage. I think it's the lack of those commercials that are making some people sensitive to the usual White man with black woman, black child with white parent commercials. I don't have a problem with interracial commercials personally, but the lack of black men/women with white children is odd.

You clearly don't watch any TV. About all I watch is late night TV, but I see ads like that frequently. One I remember is a phone company ad featuring a black guy and a white woman happily telling all their friends "We're going to have a baby!". Then there's the insurance company with a black spokesman confidently assuring white folks that they have great rates for everyone, not special discounts...."

I see this quite often and I like it. Not the products, but the ads.
Tom

Maybe it's a typo but I don't see where you mentioned the commercial having a Black man or black woman with white children.

 

[TomC]

I'm outraged that it's 2021 and people still watch commercials. I thought TV as we knew it would be dead by now thanks to the internet. I guess some old folks are still chugging along keeping TV & commercials viable. Anyhow, call me when there is a commercial depicting a black man as head of a white household and I'll support your outrage. I think it's the lack of those commercials that are making some people sensitive to the usual White man with black woman, black child with white parent commercials. I don't have a problem with interracial commercials personally, but the lack of black men/women with white children is odd.

You clearly don't watch any TV. About all I watch is late night TV, but I see ads like that frequently. One I remember is a phone company ad featuring a black guy and a white woman happily telling all their friends "We're going to have a baby!". Then there's the insurance company with a black spokesman confidently assuring white folks that they have great rates for everyone, not special discounts...."

I see this quite often and I like it. Not the products, but the ads.
Tom

Maybe it's a typo but I don't see where you mentioned the commercial having a Black man or black woman with white children.

I dunno.
Maybe I'm not woke enough. Maybe I don't pay enough attention to the race of the ankle biters in commercials for products I don't want.
I see lots of black authority figures and interracial families in advertising. I'm happy about that, but I don't keep a score card or anything.
Does that mean I'm racist?

Because I am, and I know it. I have to be vigilant concerning my own gut reactions to people and I try hard to do so. It's a lot easier than it was 40 years ago, but still.
Tom

 

[laughing dog]

I think Professor House's argument is an over-reaction. But over-reacting is not isolated to the"woke" - it is found all along every point in the panoply of world viewpoints. I can point to any number of OPs from people from all sides in this forum that are basically an over-reaction to a nothing burger.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Perhaps the composition of interracial marriages depicted in commercials walks hand in hand with "interracial divorce". Therefore, it would be disingenuous to flip the script, so to speak.

Oh and in that Nissan commercial, the Black female driver is definitely portrayed as the head of the household whereas hubby is depicted as little more than a big kid. I can't imagine he is a source of much angst for Black youth.

 

[TSwizzle]

Oh and in that Nissan commercial, the Black female driver is definitely portrayed as the head of the household whereas hubby is depicted as little more than a big kid. I can't imagine he is a source of much angst for Black youth.

I think* that is a common. The male is depicted as a dope when there's a male/female interaction.


*I don't watch much tv and skip ads when possible

 

[Gospel]

Maybe it's a typo but I don't see where you mentioned the commercial having a Black man or black woman with white children.

I dunno.
Maybe I'm not woke enough. Maybe I don't pay enough attention to the race of the ankle biters in commercials for products I don't want.
I see lots of black authority figures and interracial families in advertising. I'm happy about that, but I don't keep a score card or anything.
Does that mean I'm racist?

Because I am, and I know it. I have to be vigilant concerning my own gut reactions to people and I try hard to do so. It's a lot easier than it was 40 years ago, but still.
Tom

I think you got me wrong. I have no problems with interracial commercials and honestly, I'm not fond of commercials at all. I also agree (thanks for the opportunity) that there is a wealth of black authority figures to choose from as well as (to this topic) ones in interracial relationships. What I meant to say (again about the topic of this thread) is I can understand the outrage to a degree because the commercials I've seen trying to depict diversity aren't as diverse as they seem. The example I gave is a black man or woman as a parent of white children being nowhere to be found, while white males & females with black children can be.

I don't care I'm just pointing out something that is true.

 

[Derec]

I think you got me wrong. I have no problems with interracial commercials and honestly, I'm not fond of commercials at all.

I am not fond of commercials either and do not generally pay attention to them, but that racist article made me take notice of a few ads.

I also agree (thanks for the opportunity) that there is a wealth of black authority figures to choose from as well as (to this topic) ones in interracial relationships. What I meant to say (again about the topic of this thread) is I can understand the outrage to a degree because the commercials I've seen trying to depict diversity aren't as diverse as they seem. The example I gave is a black man or woman as a parent of white children being nowhere to be found, while white males & females with black children can be.

That is a particularly silly objection, and one that was voiced in that article as well. These commercials, when they include children and not just the couple, tend to have children that may be the couple's biological children. Due to "one drop rule" those kids get (mis)labeled as black.
Take this older commercial for Cheerios.

Or this newer commercial for Imperfect Foods.

In both these ads, the girls were cast such that it could , based on skin tone, be the couples' biological daughters.
Of course, the racist woke guy who penned that article would have no problem with the first ad but has a problem with the second.

I don't care I'm just pointing out something that is true.

No, not really.

I fear most companies, being very spineless in face of woke activism in general, may respond to this anti-miscegenation activism by discontinuing commercials with interracial couples, or at least those that include a white man. That would certainly be a step in the wrong direction.