The Anti-Black Champagne Campaign

Are advertisers on their 'The Anti-Black Champagne Campaign?' Major corporations are attempting to shape public perception of black people while simultaneously wooing them into becoming participants in their own cultural demise.

On Aug 29, 2011 Mediatakeout.com published an interesting blog post about some controversial photos posted by members of the Australian airline Quantas sporting BLACKFACE.



On one hand, this could be viewed as a couple of white patrons, representing their company and paying homage to their favorite Aussie rugby player, Radike Samo. Perhaps they are unaware of the racial sensitivity associated with their 'gesture.' Perhaps...

Or on the other hand, these could be two grown men representing their company and its views. Maybe they are all well aware of race relations in both our country and abroad and thought it would be funny and demeaning to snap a pic mocking the appearance of an obliviously narcissistic Aussie rugby player.

Either way, the thing that was even more interesting than the photo itself, was the 'observation' Mediatakeout made about this Twitter faux pas.

MTO Wrote: "In recent weeks it seems that there has been an ALL OUT ASSAULT on Black folks by major corporations. First the company NIVEA put up an OFFENSIVE ad . . . saying that Black people need to be RE-CIVILIZED. Then last week VOGUE magazine called all African inspired earrings, "SLAVE" earrings. Now the Australian airline QUANTAS tweeted a photo of two White guys - in BLACKFACE . . . they thought it was funny. We're not sure what is making these companies so BOLD with their RACISM."


Here are the "ads" they are referencing:



Vogue's ad for 'Slave' earrings. What's so fashionable about slavery? Ahh yes, Whips and Chains..



And finally... This lovely depiction of a "well-dressed" (depending on who's standards you are using to define well-dressed) black man, tossing away his nappy headed angry-faced head is Nivea's way of telling Blacks to assimilate and join the land of the living. I guess that would make Black men the living dead.

When did an Afro and goatee become synonymous with a lack of civility. This would be a poignant question to ask the representatives at Nivea. If only we had a place to make them answer it: A press conference perhaps?

As a matter of fact, where are the press conferences threatening advertisers with our intent to boycott their products? These days, it's so easy to communicate, we can fight the power from the comfort of our living rooms. A statement on Twitter, re-tweeted a million times should be enough to evoke a mass boycott worthy of a public apology broadcast on the nightly news. (UPDATE: Blogs suggest that they have issued an apology, but it was a real quiet one. )

Where are the spokespeople for African Americans? Shouldn't the spokeswomen for the Zetas, Deltas and AKA's be standing in defense of THEIR legacy as educated black fashionistas who have evolved thru and beyond slavery? Shouldn't the NAACP, the 100 Black Men of Atlanta or the leaders at Omega Psi Phi be rushing to the defense of Black people, if not Black men in particular? At a minimum, shouldn't Cornell West be mad he didn't get paid for his likeness being used in the ad?

But seriously: Who will echo the collective sentiment of the black community writ large? These groups could easily release a statement admonishing Vogue for their insensitivity to the plight of slaves. I mean, Slave earrings? What's next? Holocaust wrist cuffs adorned in yellow stars? Really though.

These advertisers have lost their damn mind and we are guilty of driving them crazy and letting them go mad. Our 'spokespeople' are too busy finger-pointing, taking bathroom Facebook pics or are simply overwhelmed by the responsibility of having to exemplify that which they are tasked with defending.

If a washed out, poorly edited, loosely true, gossip rag like Mediatakeout can notice a trend in the disrespect we are receiving at the hands of the corporations we support then it MUST be painfully obvious. In addition to their campaign to sell sh*t, advertisers have embarked on a blatant 'champagne campaign' to disregard African American worth historically and create disdain for an African American life presently. (I also realize the role MTO plays in helping them with this endeavor. I'll get to that later)

If continued unchecked, insensitive advertisers will reinforce dangerous stereotypes, demonize the African American race and the rest of the population will rejoice when society's PROBLEM is economically displaced, disproportionately jailed, sent off to internment camps or exterminated.

Maybe that last part is a little much, but then again maybe not. What do you suggest society do with 'BLACK FACED,' SLAVES, who are UN-CIVILIZED?

Think about it.... I'll wait.

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