cheststrongwell
my cake, fuck off
This ad has nothing to do with race.
Dunkin Donuts criticized for bizarre and racist ad campaign in Thailand
- Thread starter Eric C
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freenudemacusers
Member
I'm going to need to the see the CMYK values for the lips and skin before I can make a fair assessment. Could just be dark blue and magenta.
jordan0386
Member
Well yea, thats why its in Thailand. Its 'safe' there.
But if you're up on game, you know full well that her lips didnt need to be pink. Considering, the insides of that donut are not pink.
An American version of the ad wouldnt have a white woman with pink lips. You would never let the executives get away with it. The black struggle in Thailand isnt what it is in America, so its easy to dismiss.
lol at 'culture speciifc'. No kidding, racism is racism.
I'll just say that an American global company knows the history behind blackface and that it would be better to try and reduce the acceptance of such an image by not using it as a marketing trick. Regardless of intent or the prevalence of black people in a location media is a powerful tool that shapes the way we think, it would be better if Dunkin' Donuts didn't continue to 'normalize' this image especially given the trend towards globalization.
Black-Wind
Member
Suuuure, red may be popular ... but once you start painting people colors you're out-side of what's "normal" and are clearly going for "artistic looking stuff".
Plus the image we have of black face comes with the characterized big red lips. That;s why I said that any other color and I wouldn't have had a 2nd thought ... I mean, fuck, white would have worked just as well for a contrast if not better.
But like I said, w/e ... Asian places are strange with this kinda stuff and I'm sure no one over there is outraged. I'm not gonna pretend to know the logic behind this ad (personally, I would have made her look like see was dripping in beautiful black chocolate ... or used a very dark skinned black female. But w/e, I didn't get payed to make it so they can do what they want)
Zoe
Member
It appears to be an autonomous branch with its own CEO and product line.
stufte
Member
You're basically saying they WANTED to be racist are trying to be sneaky by advertising in Thailand.
This kind of thing seems like some sort of racism pareidolia... where people see racist things where none actually exist.
notworksafe
Member
Huh. Learn something everyday.
Maybe it's a salty liquorice donut. Yum.
That's the thing. Yes this can shape the way we think but this doesn't really make you THINK anything. It has no racial undertones, no subtle hint at the black being inferior. Nothing. It's just an image that just happens to be tied to something sensitive in america.
I'd argue that this:
Is much different than something like this:
The second image definitely stopped me in my tracks when I first saw it because it has some emotional weight. There's something to react to. The doughnut ad says precisely nothing. It's 100% about doughnuts. Even out of context it's still about doughnuts. The Sony ad out of context is much MUCH different.
jordan0386
Member
Well yea. /shrugg
Plenty of racist and sensational ads throughout history. Add this to the list.
stufte
Member
But by claiming that everything is racist, it lessens the seriousness of *ACTUAL* racism.
It's all turning into the boy who cried wolf. Keep calling everything racist and soon no one will care when real racism crops up.
jordan0386
Member
I didnt claim everything is racist. I just pointed out what I viewed as something that didnt need to be expressed the way it was.
At the bold. Well, that's what they want. But people will continue to speak up when necessary.
Exactly.
It's not like everything is the same degree of racism.
This isn't like calling a black person a "n*****" or anything like that but it's still a little bit racist and draws on racist stereotypes. It's probably not malicious but you don't have to be malicious to hurt someone.
squaretomsawyer.jpg
Count Dookkake
Member
This is one of the problems explored in Richard Thompson Ford's The Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse.
Highly recommended.
Yellow glitter eyeshadow too. Okay, so what are the rules on that?
jordan0386
Member
'Black is still good' is kinda racist in of its self.
Its a strange world we live in, man.
How is this drawing on racist stereotypes? The woman is ethnically ambiguous, there's a clear link from Charcoal color (and coal mining) and she's done up like a fashion editorial. She's there to be admired in spite of her completely unnatural coloration.
For that to be true, you have to prove intent.
What is more likely here?
They painted her black to match the black donut in order to sell said donut
or
They painted her black to draw on racist imagery from the other side of the world that practically no one in Thailand would get... ...to sell donuts
Well...
jordan0386
Member
Sheesh...
jordan0386
Member
oh boy
Black-Wind
Member
Ehhh, I disagree.
The 2nd, to me, is just a highly "fashion/ artistic" looking depiction of 2 contrasting colors or forces. Just so happens that they went for "Back and White" ... which is what we call these 2 ethnic groups for some dumb fuck reason. So they played off of that.
There's a series of these ads, with the black woman having the upper hand and so on.
They merely did it to excite interest and get attention by playing on racial themes that are deep inside of us all.
This ad ... just looks strange to me. But w/e, like I said, Asian places are strange when it comes to this.
stufte
Member
This is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. Keep crying wolf.
Yeah - not seeing the racism here. Bizarre for sure though.
Hmm - there are people that have that colouration naturally, so...you might want to check yourself.
Hmm - there are people that have that colouration naturally, so...you might want to check yourself.
Zoe
Member
I'm not convinced that's actually chocolate. Can anybody read Thai for a description of the donut? Google translate is not very effective. The reviews I've found of the one mixed with chilis don't mention anything about chocolate.
jordan0386
Member
Did you not read what dude just wrote. Don't quote me. Take issue with him...
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
stufte
Member
What did he say wrong? It is, in fact completely unnatural for an asian woman to have charcoal colored skin.
cheststrongwell
my cake, fuck off
Yeah, sheesh! Kirblar was totally saying black people have an unnatural coloration! What a fucking racist, hope he get's banned!
Byakuya769
Member
Meh. This is ok.
Now that Zwarte Piet shit isn't.
Now that Zwarte Piet shit isn't.
You're telling me that the second image which has a clear depiction of dominance, a clear image of inferiority (whether it's this version or the reverse) has less racial impact that a picture of a women in black face holding a doughnut?
C'mon...
jordan0386
Member
Dude just said black isnt natural.
NO NO ITS OKAY. WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE AD. WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE AD!!!!!!!!!!!
People don't think before they type. Ad executives don't think before they sign contracts.
NO NO ITS OKAY. WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE AD. WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE AD!!!!!!!!!!!
People don't think before they type. Ad executives don't think before they sign contracts.
stufte
Member
What in the actual fuck.
Hey! Look! This is also something that has an unnaturally black skin:
Clearly racist.
Clairvoyance
Member
He was clearly talking about how it was unnatural for a Thai woman to have pitch black skin. You are being incredibly obtuse about this.
How is it "racist"? What is this delicious, charcoal doughnut saying about "race"? Please be specific because I'm not seeing it.
Parallax
best seen in the classic "Shadow of the Beast"
this thread is hilarious. really.
jordan0386
Member
Stutte, its not that you don't get it. You refuse to look at it from a different perspective.
The black apple is pointless. Has no form in what we are talking about.
Its about imagery of black individuals. The ad could be taken the wrong way. Due to them being all the way in Thailand, they felt it was ok to sign off on.
Americans can still see what is happening in Thailand, if you put it on a worldly view. lol.
I don't think its a good ad, given the context of Blackface.
The black apple is pointless. Has no form in what we are talking about.
Its about imagery of black individuals. The ad could be taken the wrong way. Due to them being all the way in Thailand, they felt it was ok to sign off on.
Americans can still see what is happening in Thailand, if you put it on a worldly view. lol.
I don't think its a good ad, given the context of Blackface.
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