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[hipbabboom]

Home depot..

Jesus christ.

Cmon......

I just bought flooring from them too

 

[Mesoian]

If they're in marketing and didn't think about how this would be received by the audience at the festival, they should be fired for being incompetent.

Also they fucking knew damn well what they were doing.

Yup.

They were dangerously incompetent at best, and SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER fucking racist at worst. Either way, they shouldn't be there.

 

[Socreges]

I use to think incompetence played a role in these situations, but people are legit racist and vindictive. Diet racism is a real thing.

Absolutely it is. Absolutely people are. But for a publicly traded company to injure their own brand simply out of racist spite against Latinos? I'm not going to assume either way but I believe one is more likely.

 

[shamanick]

It's fascinating that the mere mention that this was incompetent, rather than sinister, brand-damaging lowkey racism, is somehow suggestive of collusion.

 

[crisdecuba]

Why is this more likely?

Because it's more likely that the marketing team of a large, publicly traded company came up with a marketing campaign for a real product (the easier-to-lay-tiles) that ended up being tone deaf and ill conceived for a particular location, than it is that a trump-supporting marketing director conceived of a way to troll latinos at a music festival at the expense of a PR backlash.

It's not about giving the benefit of the doubt (and I loathe trump and his supporters and their xenophobic and racist ideology), it's about looking more objectively at things.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

 

[Mesoian]

It's fascinating that the mere mention that this was incompetent, rather than sinister, brand-damaging lowkey racism, is somehow suggestive of collusion.

We've cross at point, as a country, where the more likely situation is that someone in charge was racist opposed to THAT tone deaf, because the shere magnitude of someone's incompetence to get it THIS WRONG would have to be statistically impossible. There's a reason why people are comparing this act to comedy sitcoms that revolve around dangerously stupid people.

The more likely circumstance here is that some higher up and no one bothered to stop it.

 

[DrArchon]

I'm hopping on-board the stupid and incompetent bandwagon, with only a side of racism.

It's obvious they chose a Latin music festival because they thought "Hey, Latinos make up a large percentage of day laborers and construction workers! Let's show this off where we'll know they'll be!" I seriously doubt they intended to bring up comparisons between their product and Trump's planned wall, but they're idiots.

 

[Kebiinu]

Why are you guys acting like he's an apologist? He's just explaining why it's more likely that they're incompetent and fucked up, rather than them deliberately trying to troll Latinos.

Because in the world we all live in, the latter is more likely.

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

Never shop at homedepot again. Got it.

 

[adamsappel]

Remember the "showers" at Auschwitz?

 

[crisdecuba]

We've cross at point, as a country, where the more likely situation is that someone in charge was racist opposed to THAT tone deaf, because the shere magnitude of someone's incompetence to get it THIS WRONG would have to be statistically impossible. There's a reason why people are comparing this act to comedy sitcoms that revolve around dangerously stupid people.

The more likely circumstance here is that some higher up and no one bothered to stop it.

No way man. I'm Hispanic, and I hate Trump etc. but I looked at the display and thought of it as a display, not a "wall." I can totally see how a marketing team came up with this approach and didn't realize it could be misconstrued. Incompetence and tone deafness on their part? Of course.

I'm hopping on-board the stupid and incompetent bandwagon, with only a side of racism.

It's obvious they chose a Latin music festival because they thought "Hey, Latinos make up a large percentage of day laborers and construction workers! Let's show this off where we'll know they'll be!" I seriously doubt they intended to bring up comparisons between their product and Trump's planned wall, but they're idiots.

Yes. Exactly this.

 

[jstripes]

Why are you guys acting like he's an apologist? He's just explaining why it's more likely that they're incompetent and fucked up, rather than them deliberately trying to troll Latinos.

It's 2017. I'd say there's a greater than zero chance someone was seeing if they could slip this by. Incompetence would be the other members of the team who couldn't add one plus one on this.

 

[Socreges]

Because in the world we all live in, the latter is more likely.

Because in the world we live in, for the same reasons, people are more likely to see patterns where they don't exist.

 

[crisdecuba]

Nevermind sorry.

 

[Ri'Orius]

Wait, do these sorts of ads really show up at music festivals? Not really my scene, and I could see ads for stuff like drinks, fashion, or music, but... home improvement stores? With a booth at a music festival?

 

[Loudninja]

I think incompetence needs to stopping being used at an excuse for racism.

Its 2017 at a certain point its not an excuse.

 

[crisdecuba]

I think incompetence needs to stopping being used at an excuse for racism.

What did you think of my response to your question?

 

[Quixzlizx]

Publicly-traded corporations probably aren't intentionally trying to be racist trolls.

I can 100% see Joe the Contractor doing it intentionally, though.

 

[Adam Sadler]

Im just confused how someone could be this oblivious about it being a terrible idea

 

[HStallion]

Not seeing this as blatantly stupid and easily offensive is a form of racism in itself. Not seeing something for what it will blatantly look like is an extreme blind spot.

 

[studyguy]

At the very least someone in PR is getting a paddling.

 

[entremet]

This is what happens when people are afraid to disagree with a manager in a meeting.

Or lack of Latinos in upper management layers to suss this out.

Looks like Hanlon's Razor, though:

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"

 

[Slayven]

You think that the sales reps for Home Depot were trying to subtly send a message about the Trump wall and seriously damage their brand just for the lulz?

Not everyone thinks about what everyone can be possibly feeling/thinking about every possible interpretation about everything all the time

Sales and Marketing is literally that, so they are either stupid or racist. Neither is defensible in this case

 

[jacobeid]

Not at all surprised by this, unfortunately.

 

[TheCochese]

OK, so our Home Depots around here sponsor things all the time and build little sets for displays and advertising. As we're the home market, that's to be a given. What I (think I) know happens is that there's a team either per district or per store that volunteers to build stuff like this and there is some level of approval given, but if it went further than the DM I would be shocked.

So, yeah, there could be some intentional racism at work here, but I very sincerely doubt it was at any sort of corporate level at all. They are going to get the heat, though.

 

[YaBish]

I've been to a substantial amount of music festivals (even a small Latin music one).

I've never seen a home improvement company advertising at a music festival. Just boggles my mind.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Wait, do these sorts of ads really show up at music festivals? Not really my scene, and I could see ads for stuff like drinks, fashion, or music, but... home improvement stores? With a booth at a music festival?

A Latin music festival. They like building things right?

 

[sangreal]

That's hilariously inept but as the article notes, the real question is why they would partner with pro-Trump Home Depot in the first place

 

[Robdraggoo]

I hate Lowes, so I went to home depot by default. Now where am I supposed to go.

 

[GalacticToast]

I hate Lowes, so I went to home depot by default. Now where am I supposed to go.

Back home

 

[Fox Mulder]

That's hilariously inept but as the article notes, the real question is why they would partner with pro-Trump Home Depot in the first place

They aren't publicly pro or anti trump. Their co founder is a Trumper and retired over a decade ago.

 

[Dai101]

A Latin music festival. They like building things right?

And you can hire them outside of home depot stores!! BRILLIANT!!

 

[Dehnus]

"Tone deaf" is putting it mildly.

That is not tonedeaf, that would mean they had no "intention to do this".

No this is on purpose to be a dick, to reassure their "Christian Super Duper Republican Conservo Buyers(tm)" that they truly are Conservative and not a "RINO".

An awful store really.

 

[ghostofsparta]

I hate Lowes, so I went to home depot by default. Now where am I supposed to go.

do you have a local hardware store?

 

[Pryce]

Holy shit, they knew what they were doing

Oh yes, the marketing department at Home Depot is that sinister. This forum, lmao.

It's tone deaf but come on.

 

[HStallion]

Oh yes, the marketing department at Home Depot is that sinister. This forum, lmao.

It's tone deaf but come on.

Being tone deaf to something this obvious is a pretty bad look in of itself.

 

[Bad_Boy]

Trumps america

 

[Pryce]

Being tone deaf to something this obvious is a pretty bad look in of itself.

Sure, but acting like Home Depot has some sinister plan is outrageous.

 

[Slayven]

Oh yes, the marketing department at Home Depot is that sinister. This forum, lmao.

It's tone deaf but come on.

People have only been shouting build a wall to latinos for the past year or so. Unless you want to argue they been in a bunker until just before the event?

Sure, but acting like Home Depot has some sinister plan is outrageous.

Home depot no, the people in charge of setting this up, maybe

 

[Do Better]

Lol you gotta be kidding me

 

[Fuchsdh]

We've cross at point, as a country, where the more likely situation is that someone in charge was racist opposed to THAT tone deaf, because the shere magnitude of someone's incompetence to get it THIS WRONG would have to be statistically impossible. There's a reason why people are comparing this act to comedy sitcoms that revolve around dangerously stupid people.

The more likely circumstance here is that some higher up and no one bothered to stop it.

What statistics are you using besides the one you're pulling out of your ass?

And complaining about incompetence when you can't spell common words is also funny, but I digress.

 

[Rmagnus]

So the slogan build a wall don't mean shit to them or are we once again looking for ways to excuse racism?

 

[Nepenthe]

This is, at best, amazingly tone deaf to the point of blurring the line between incompetence and actual apathy, because there's no way tens if not potentially hundreds of adults coordinating on this had never heard the Build a Wall sentiments.

 

[_Ryo_]

Wow. This is fucked up. I haven't seen/heard about walls like this at any other event so it's weird to specifically put one up at a Latin Music fest. I don't see how they didn't know what they were doing.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Nobody is this fucking tone deaf.

Oh let's bring a wall to the Latino music festival because latinos all work in construction and they like to do this on their free time haha America.

God dammit.

 

[Mahonay]

Nobody is this fucking tone deaf.

Oh let's bring a wall to the Latino music festival because latinos all work in construction and they like to do this on their free time haha America.

God dammit.

Pretty much sums it up.

Just, Jesus Christ Home Depot. Fuck's sake.

 

[Bit-Bit]

This is why I shop at Lowes.

Spoiler

not true, I actually just use Amazon

 

[HStallion]

Sure, but acting like Home Depot has some sinister plan is outrageous.

Them not noticing something so glaringly obvious is sinister enough if you ask me.

 

[Slayven]

This is, at best, amazingly tone deaf to the point of blurring the line between incompetence and actual apathy, because there's no way tens if not potentially hundreds of adults coordinating on this had never heard the Build a Wall sentiments.

I guess we got to cancel the rope tying seminar at the African American Museum