# is the new Old Navy commercial racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 25, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681 "2004-11-25T22:34:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/41 "2004-11-26T17:02:17Z")
Never heard of it either (another black person checking in) but then I only have three first cousins. My kids on the other hand have cousins coming out the Wazoo. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/42 "2004-11-26T17:19:33Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > …everyone has heard the “cousins” thing. Nope. > [@](#): > > …the punchline being that any given black person will be claiming to be his cousin. I’m not just pulling this out of my ass, here. Most rich people make jokes about how any- and everyone who could possibly be a cousin will indeed clasim to be. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/43 "2004-11-26T17:34:02Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > Now, we all know the stereotype about black people thinking “every” other black person is their “cousin,” and blacks having “a million cousins.” Count me as yet another person who’s never heard this or anything resembling it before. > [@](#): > > _Regardless, do you think oversensitive people are going ot interpret it that way?_ Apparently you were the only person who thought of it. I’ve been accused of being oversensitive before, but my only reaction to the ad was “I sure don’t buy or receive gifts from all _my_ cousins!” I’ve got so many first cousins I’m not even sure exactly how many there are…more than 14, though. In my family we just draw names. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/44 "2004-11-26T18:22:19Z")
I’ve never heard the cousins thing. I’m from a white, agnostic family and 19 first cousins. I saw that ad and it never crossed my mind that it was anything other than a bid to sell more fleece. I didn’t think the woman being sung to was black either - I thought maybe she was latina or mixed race, but only now when I thought about it. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/45 "2004-11-27T00:46:39Z")
Never heard that stereotype. I have exactly 14 cousins. My husband has 24 – 31, if you count his 7 double cousins twice. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/46 "2004-11-27T01:41:22Z")
> [@Ferret Herder](#): > > Nope, never heard it. I have a fair number of black coworkers, listen to Chris Rock routines now and then, never ran into this cousin thing. Maybe I’m just an ignorant white girl. > > Oh, and I’ve got more cousins (first and first-once-removed) than I can even name. /shrug I haven’t ever heard it either. I’m white, and I probably have that many one each side of my family. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/47 "2004-11-27T01:44:56Z")
Never heard of this stereotype either. FTR, I’m a white girl, with well over 30 cousins. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/48 "2004-11-27T02:11:48Z")
Another black person who has never heard the stereotype. But then, I only have 5 first cousins - only 2 of whom I have seen in the past 5 or so years (and only for a few hours, each), so I’m probably not buying presents for them. Though the girl in the commercial looks, to me, as though at least one of her grandparents would have identified him/herself as black (or the equivalent for that time period). ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/49 "2004-11-27T04:40:51Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Look at this homepage for Old Navy. Even the purportedly “black” girl is at best cafe’ au lait with straightened hair, and is probably self hating. I either missed the satire of your post or don’t understand why the actress needs to maintain some ethnic level of “blackness”. What are the requirements to join the self-loving black girl club? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/50 "2004-11-27T08:09:22Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I either missed the satire of your post or don’t understand why the actress needs to maintain some ethnic level of “blackness”. Missed it, I’m sure. That entire post is satire, mimicking and mocking the OP, by going ridiculously further in finding racism where there wasn’t any. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@Dr.Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Dog)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/51 "2004-11-27T09:12:29Z")
‘Cuz’, or ‘cousin’ is actually a black culture reference to non-black people. The term is analogous to ‘Gentile.’ Black people use the term ‘Brotha’ or ‘Sista’ when referring to a fellow African-American, more or less. The phrase could only make sense literally. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/52 "2004-11-27T17:40:51Z")
> [@Amberlei](#): > > Never heard it before this thread either. I’m white and I have 22 first cousins. Ditto. I would just like to add that the family isn’t Catholic or Mormon, either. Some people just have large families. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/53 "2004-11-27T19:50:02Z")
I haven’t heard of the stereotype either. The only people I know of who go around calling each other cousin when they’re not even related are characters in Shakespeare’s plays. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/54 "2004-11-28T00:53:07Z")
> [@pokey](#): > > Yes. Their favourite muffin is apple spice and their favourite pen is the uniball. I thought it was the “american” indians that loved the uniball I guess I’m out of touch. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681/55 "2004-11-28T01:41:04Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > Is that like the stereotype that black people love tissues, or can’t write the letter “R” correctly, or turn their necks too quickly? I knew a guy in high school who thought Asians couldn’t hear crickets. Really. As far as I could tell, he was dead serious about it, and repeated his belief to several people. Including a Japanese friend of mine, who didn’t miss a beat in replying “What’s a cricket?” As for the OP, count me as one more person who had never heard that particular stereotype about blacks. I’ve always heard that as a Catholic stereotype more than anything else. And, in my family’s case, it’s entirely accurate. My Irish Catholic mom has over _one hundred_ first cousins. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-old-navy-commercial-racist/276681.md?page=2)