And so you concluded the ad was racist? Did you think the guy putting the phone in the fish tank was just some commercial actor?
A bunch of Black guys behaving in stereotypical ‘uncivilized’ ways, as someone said above? Yes. How would it look to you if it were a group of Chinese guys doing the same thing, but instead of saying ‘Whaaaaaat?’ they did the ‘ching-ching, chong-chong’ schtick that was a popular stereotype a few decades ago? Maybe the lead actor is a popular Chinese comedian and that’s his trademark; but if you didn’t know him, wouldn’t you look askance?
And yes, I assumed everyone in the commercial was just an actor. Why should I know he’s a rapper?
Yeah, why should we assume that he’s anything other than just some random commercial actor? That’s what most people in most commercials are, after all.
Good point! It’s obviously pretty impossible to know who someone really famous and distinctive looking is when they show up on TV (and in the setting of a multi-million dollar mansion, which is suggestive that they might even be pretty rich). I mean, just in this thread you’ve been told multiple times who he is and you still don’t know who he is! How can anyone really know these things?
Rabbit hole approaching in 3…2…1…
Yeah, Johnny L.A. really should have read all the replies to this thread before he posted the OP!
Mark.
Settings > Date and Time (near the bottom) > Use 24-hour format
Whaaaaaaat?
Putting your phone in a fish tank is a popular racist stereotype against African Americans? If not, how are those even remotely related?
Yeah I don’t understand how acting silly in a commercial is racist, famous rapper or not. White people act silly in commercials all the time. I think Latinos and Asians do as well.
Wazzuuuuuuuuuup?!
However, in Johnny’s defense and by extension that of everyone who did not know who that was ***before ***they saw the ad/read the thread, the way that rappers embrace their own caricaturesqe stereotype can be a bit offputting to the average well-meaning trying-to-do-better middle class white guy.
Imagine if you did NOT know who the Duck Dynasty guys were, and they just showed up in an ad doing their act up to 11. Many people would think “damn, that’s a really broad caricature of a rural redneck stereotype, isn’t it?”.
I do think racism is involved here.
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Whaaaaaaaaaat? Now that sounds racist.
To quote Oscar Gamble: people don’t think it be like it is, but it do.
Here’s a little background: Birdman - Pop Bottles ft. Lil Wayne - YouTube
If Lil’ Wayne is Wheezy and Kanye is Yeezy then which rapper is Sneezy?
Nigga, pleezy.
(sorry, but I had to)
Ok, lets say the shot opens with Stephen Tyler in a beautiful mansion with a couple of buddies and he starts demonstrating how his phone is “water” proof by dumping a full bottle of Champagne on it.
I could go on with the whole commercial, but would it have made more sense if Stephen Tyler, or Mick Jagger had the lead and used Champagne instead of water to demonstrate a feature of a phone? They are making fun of their (imagined or not) lifestyle. Would it still be racist?
Helena330 asked why anyone would ever need a waterproof phone. Galaxy phones have been waterproof since the S5. I have one of those and while back was attending an auto auction and at the end of the day ended up in a mild drizzle sitting in the hot tub with others who had been there as well. I was able to share photos in the hot tub while it was drizzling/sprinkling without a concern.
The other people kept going “Whaaaaaa?”
Side note, I’m pretty sure the s6 wasn’t waterproof for some reason.
That is possible… I just know my S5 is… or was, until I realized he glass over the back camera lens was shattered (No idea how it happened.) Before that I had great fun dropping my phone into a glass of water while out with friends.
If I was a little more well off maybe I could have used Champagne.