From: a74k110@phobos.ucc.umass.edu (Venkat Rekula)
Subject: Re: MCI commercials
Organization: J. Random Misconfigured Site
Reply-To: a74k110@phobos.ucc.umass.edu
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Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 07:18:47 GMT
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In article <1992Oct7.233504.15517@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>, c150-bt@po.berkeley.edu (Manish Vij) writes...
>In article <1992Oct6.034352.22314@sol.ctr.columbia.edu> a74k110@phobos.ucc.umass.edu writes:
>>In article <1aqtsnINN6tc@agate.berkeley.edu>, mvij@ocf.berkeley.edu (Pendragon) writes...
>>>Anybody notice:
>>> 
>>>1) MCI's big push into advertising in the Indian community?  India-West
>>>recently (over summer) had a big ad of purported relatives in India whom
>>>you could reach with their lower phone rates.  However, I recognized
>>>several of the people in the photo; it turns out the photo was taken at
>>>the Fremont, CA Hindu temple.  (Fremont = Indian ghetto here)
>>> 
>>>2) MCI's new TV ad featuring international friends/relatives:
>>> 
>>>- Indian guy, white girlfriend, who say he'll call "his uncle in
>>>  Agra, India."  Pronounces it a-gruh, with a as in apple.
>>> 
>>>- Sri Lankan guy, gelled hair, earring, glasses, who'll call somebody
>>>  in Sri Lanka.
>>> 
>>>- MCI adwoman: "Doesn't anybody have relatives in Buffalo anymore?"
>>> 
>>> 
>>>Manish
>>
>>
>>  Not to be picky, but what the hell :).  Your #2 is actually a Sprint
>>commercial.  At least I think it was, I could have been tripping.  Anyway,
>>yeah I took a double take at the Indian guy who said "Agra, India", mainly
>>because he looked a white guy with a dark tan...seriously.  And the Sri Lankan
>>guy, sheesh, where'd they find these guys?  At least they tried to put
>>some non-stereotypical people on...I could just imagine this guy wearing 
>>a turban charming a cobra saying in a thick Indian accent, "I call my 
>>elephant in India." Right.
>>
>>-Venkat
> 
>Yeah, it could've been Sprint.
> 
>The Sri Lankan isn't stereotypical!  Earring?  Stylin' hair?


That's what I was trying to say, that it was good that they weren't 
stereotypical.

> 
>If you want to see stereotypical, watch THE PARTY (Peter Sellers) or
>SHORT CIRCUIT (something Fisher).

 I remember a few shows from the 70's that had "Indians" (actually some
white guys in brown-face) appear in a couple of episodes.  "Three's Company"
had a guy like this posing as a Hari Krishna.  The only marginally good
and almost non-stereotypical role I ever saw was on an episode of "Molly Dodd",
where Kabir Bedi appears as a date to Molly.  I say almost, because even
though Kabir appeared as a rich business man, he still was presented as this
yoga and transcendental meditation practicing guy. 
Of course there was Vijay Amritaj on a short lived syndicated sitcom a couple
of years ago.  He was a regular character, actually playing a Pakistani,
surpisingly enough.  His role was of the lovable, naive, and overly
romantic immigrant (The whole show was about immigrants going to night school,
so all the roles fit this description).  
You know, this is incredibly boring...I really should find something to do
rather remembering these things. 

-Venkat