So today, like most Mac geeks, I was on the Apple website today surfing for information & images on all of the updates & offerings that were announced today during the Macworld Conference & Expo keynote address. I was really getting geeked about the iPhone updates & could not wait to get home to upgrade my little baby.
So while surfing the Apple site, I ran across the ad (unedited) above. At first, I was like hmmm, that’s catchy. Then I took a second look & was like wait a minute; you hardly find people of color on Apple ads but on this one advertising a “free human”, you have a Black woman standing predominately in front of a white man.
While I get the base of the message, the image totally fucks things up. Maybe I am race baiting but why not advertise a free white woman or man predominately & leave people of color out of this one. In my mind this is just fucked up.
I told Suite Suzy about it & she told me I was set tripping, so I tried to think differently but I kept coming back to the same message. So officially consider me to be a set tripper.
Is it me or does this advertisement for an “iSlave”, just seemed fucked up?
Yet another disappointing ad move from Apple!
Renea / January 16, 2008
Huh? That’s real? It looks like they have tags hanging around their necks. Why do some white folks use the word slave so freely? Why would a campaign even risk the chance of offense? a free human? I’m with you Byg. That is wack.
Liz / January 16, 2008
Not cool. I’m thinking they stuck the sistah in there because someone at the ad company has read too many Frank Yerby novels and was envisioning the white massa sneaking up on the black female slaves.
And do their ads ever have older people in them?
Meikmeika / January 16, 2008
Sad….But the ones not affected by the ad are the majority purchasing the products.
Tamra / January 16, 2008
Given that there is still human slavery and human trafficking going on today, 2008, I think it is, among other things, inappropriate. A poor choice of words and images.
And, as you mentioned, given all of the places you will NOT see a black woman featured prominently, sure this strikes me as a bit thoughtless and/or questionable…
They could have done better. I’d fire the marketing folks.
Tamra / January 16, 2008
I know it’s about AIDS and not slavery, but this kind of flies in the face of their participation in the Project Red (humanitarian) campaign. I’d forgotten that they were/are a partner in that. Hmmm.
I think it sends the wrong message there too…
Again, thoughtless.
Tamra / January 16, 2008
One more thing and then I have to scat for a bit. –In the vernacular, I can definitely understand the use of “iSlave,” but Apple taking the term and using it *this* way seems a bit of a stretch.
Cluizel / January 16, 2008
Hmm yeah…I’ma need them to get their shit together. Just like that Pentinum(?) ad with the white guy standing up and the black runners…hmm yeah
And of course they are going to deny that shit…but people are just trying to get slick with their shit and they think our dumb asses won’t notice. Their nasty asses been incorporating subtle shit into things for years…if you look at the original versions of some disney films you will see the nastiest subtle shit that the average person usually doesn’t notice (I saw that hard-on on the minister in the Little Mermaid! I see you bastards!) Those people think they are slick…
Cluizel / January 16, 2008
now they are just getting sloppy…
Bygbaby / January 16, 2008
OK people, just wanna let you know that I made up the “iSlave” piece & added it to the image, so Apple did not do that, it was my attempt to give this a more tacky but fitting name.
Renea – They wear those name tags in the store. And I think someone was asleep at the wheel when choosing a stock image. Or maybe they were not & knew what they were doing???
Liz – I joked with Suite Suzy & said, Sally Hemmings in from, Thomas Jefferson in back & he is about to take what he wants…
Meimeika – So true!
Tamra – I thought about contacting them about this, & may still but I think for right now, putting it out there will do for now. I guess you can say that I am a lazy & passive activist.
Darius – Mos Def
Cluizel – Oh yeah, those old cartoons are filled with bullshit that would not fly today but are so ingrained into our memories of what was innocent way back when.
As I am being more watchful these days, I am seeing a lot of shit that just does not add up to me.
Point in case, when you see a Black woman in a cleaning product commercial, why does she almost always appear to be heavy set wearing a scarf on her head? When are little girls almost always racially ambiguous? Why don’t we see black men & women more often in ads. I have been seeing a whole lot of Black men all hugged up on white women but not much Black on Black love, well no, I take, there is those 2 couples on the Maalox commercials. I guess we have gas more than anyone else?
Bygbaby
Sugar / January 16, 2008
Aw damn! I thought you had made that yourself!!! This is too much. The mere fact that there’s a black woman in the ad should have made them reconsider!!! Gotdamn! They should have known better. Off to send a complaint…
Bygbaby / January 16, 2008
Ooooh, if you do, please follow up & let me know what they said if anything.
Bygbaby
Ro~ / January 16, 2008
Tsk, Tsk. You know what I am in the market for buyin’ a new PC & well iAint goin’ MAC/Apple. Isn’t free choice just the best :O)
Lola Gets / January 16, 2008
What I find amusing is the implication that the lay person NEEDS an expert to help them use an Apple prodyct effectively. Apple is basically calling us dumbasses. Which, to may strange mind, is a little funny. But that, in addition to the woman of color in the ad, is also offensive.
L
Tamra / January 17, 2008
Alright, don’t be gettin folks’ blood pressure up and stuff…lol.
In perspective now, knowing that Apple didn’t put that there takes a little bit of the *bite* (not sure what else to call it at the moment) out of the whole thing. The ad is a bit easier to digest, but still just a tad bit awkward (Free huuuumaaaan??? Something like that only works if a Ferengi says it.).
I am reading that right–right? You put the “iSlave” part in?
And where did you get the “…lazy & passive activist” thing from? I wouldn’t qualify getting something like this out (if Apple had actually done it) lazy & passive by any means. I was about to tell you “good lookin’ out, etc.” but…aherm.
Gettin peoples’ blood pressure up and stuff…
Bygbaby / January 17, 2008
Lola – From my experience the iSlaves are always busy. I guess Apple knows that there are a lot of non saavy people out there.
Tamra – Yes, I put the iSlave in. My intent was not to cause any trips to the ER due to heart attack LOL.
I called myself passive because I wa snot about to jump & make calls etc, so…
Bygbaby
Naturally Sophia / January 17, 2008
Informative post and comments!
GC / January 17, 2008
while we will occasionally see black people in ads, we very rarely see Asians. Look in a lifestyle magazine someday. If you see 1 Asian, you’ve seen a lot.
jose / January 28, 2008
dude, we’re ABMs. That’s how we roll.