From: crafts@athena.mit.edu (The Invisible Man)
Subject: Re: Racism and fried food (Was: Where is Lake Edna? (KFC))
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 12:28:51 GMT

In article <6795@npri6.npri.com>, eric@npri6.npri.com (Eric Williams) writes:
|> In article <1992Dec19.204337.4056@ll.mit.edu>, mcbride@ll.mit.edu (Barbara McBride) writes:
|> > 
|> > 	I never thought about it, but you're right.  Why don't white people
|> > 	ever work in MacDonalds and Burger King and KFC on television?
|> 
|> Well, Babs, they do--I've seen them in real life and in commercials.
|> What you may be noticing is that often the commercials are tailored and
|> placed to hit a certain segment of the public. Therefore you might
|> see a Kenya doll and a black staff/clientele at MacDonalds
|> during The Cosby Show, and a Barbie doll and white bread during
|> Full House. I think this is a greener pasture for discussion: Are
|> ads that are tailored to a show's perceived* classification of viewers 
|> racist or is this just commercialism doing what it does best, that is,
|> targeting its audience?
|> 

We are talking about a very gray gray area. In the targeting of ceratin
ads to certain groups, you could argue that you want blacks, hispanics
or another particular ethnic group to pay particular attention to your
product. But you're also pigeonholing your product as a black product
or latino product. For example, most people think of Colt 45 malt liquor
as a black drink because the advertising gears it to black folk, and 
for the most part it's only available in black neighborhoods. I don't 
see any reason whites and other people couldn't enjoy a Colt 45 or 
St Ides malt liquor....go figure.

I think advertisers are a bit ignorant when they put together certain
advertisements. For example, I was offended by the burger king commericial
advertising an italian sausage sandwich with the two italian women talking
about "that new sandwich at Burger King". As if they couldn't be just 
two people, they both had to be very italian as if to say "Hey if they 
eat it, must be good". That's like getting a bunch of sambos together to
sell Kentucky Fried Chicken to pitch it like "if these negroes eat our
chicken it must be good" (or getting two homeboys to sit and wax lyrical
about Kentucky Fried Chicken, remember that one). I mean the commericials
where they have a cross section of kids in fast food places maybe a little
corny but at least they take the time not to pigeonhole anyone.

What bothers me though is the backlash against certain images in commercials.
Not TV shows but commercials. Anyone remember a Saturn commercial where 
a white woman went to a Saturn dealership on her own and bought a car from
a black salesperson. You've probably never seen it because I've only seen it
one time. Now I wonder what image people had a problem with? Was it a woman
who could go and make such a major purchase without the help of a man? Was
it that people couldn't handle a black man and white woman interacting even
on a professional level. Saturn has that commercial with the daughter going
shopping for a car with her dad and eventually buying the car from a 
Saturn salesperson who was black, but dad was standing bewteen them when 
they shook on the deal, as if to protect his daughter. 

Now why couldn't mom take the daughter shopping for a new Saturn?

Dan
crafts@athena.mit.edu