White v. Black - The New Sony PSP Ads

[jamaesi]

http://jamaesi.retsam.com/PSPwb/pic-2.jpg
http://jamaesi.retsam.com/PSPwb/pic-3.jpg



These ads are running in Netherlands where race issues are currently less black/white than it is in America- but Sony seems to have forgotten the internet factor and did run the ads in English (both seem to have bitten them in the butt.)



So... racist or not?

Also, how does everyone feel about the "women as objects" theme (both representing a different coloured PSP: G-d help us if they introduce more colours or we'll have to use the Power Rangers) and the possible lesbian overtones?


I'm of the position that Sony must feel any publicity is good publicity...
Annnnnd that they might benefit from a focus group or two. :sarcastic

The whole vibe of the ads just creeps me out. (Also, almost everything Sony does anymore creeps me out, I may be biased.)



Sony has defended the ads saying...

“A variety of different treatments have been created as a campaign to either highlight the whiteness of the new model or contrast the black and the white models.
“All of the 100 or so images created for the campaign have been designed to show this contrast in colours of the PSPs , and have no other message or purpose.”

Source and additional information.
​

 

[Cerrax]

I think race wll stop becoming an issue when PEOPLE stop making it an issue. When I seee that ad I see two symbols, a white one and a black one. The black one is old, and its time for the white one to move it aside. THAT'S IT.

Is it a black person being dominated by a white person? Sure.
Is it racist? Only if you make it that way.

Does it use a stereotypical model-type woman to represent the product? Yes.
Its it objectifying women? Only if you make it objectify them.

I don't see the lesbian undertones, but I can see how others may interpret it that way. How is this ad any different from any other ad? Because people love to play the race card. If people stopped worrying so much about racial equality, we would be racially equal.

 

[evearael]

The first thing that strikes me about the two pictures is that if the pair were of the same race, but in black and white clothing, this wouldn't be as much of an issue. Both photos have a different model winning, so if the marketing campaign is balanced, then I wouldn't suspected it of raising one race above another. That said, the conflict between races (perhaps unintentional, perhaps not) it suggests is not positive.

 

[Fluffy]

Oooo you beat me to it jamaesi!

My first reaction to this advertisement was "woah they've gone a bit too far there" and I really, really wish it hadn't been. There is nothing wrong with these ads except what we bring with us. Depicting conflict between people of different races should be identical to when they are of the same race.

There is obviously no intent here to assert the dominance of white people and the adverts do not even show that the white woman is dominant consistently. Therefore, if I percieve this as racist, I must be bringing that with me and not taking it from the ads.

 

[SoliDeoGloria]

I was almost floored when I saw the add. As far as lesbianism goes, I don't see any implications, but racism just screams from it and is too easily implied.

Despite how anybody feels about about racism, I find this add to be extremely irresponsible on the part of Sony to allow an add that could too easily be implied in such a way. It's really too bad because I have owned a PS1 & 2 and am really anticipating the PS3.

(both representing a different coloured PSP: G-d help us if they introduce more colours or we'll have to use the Power Rangers)

:jiggy: If this turns out to be the case, My six year old boy will just go nuts and have to have one.

Sincerely,
SoliDeoGloria

 

[nutshell]

I really wish I could get some input from someone from the Netherlands. As has been mentioned before, we bring our own baggage with us in the form of our own unique socio-economic-ethno-culture. The U.S. and Britain for that matter have a disgustingly racist past so that creates "gut" reactions in us when we see this type of stuff. For someone in the Netherlands....they may not even think twice about the ad because they are coming from a completely different perspective.

 

[ChrisP]

Well, Bouncing Ball is from the Nederlands. Hopefully he stops by.

 

[jamaesi]

My first reaction to this advertisement was "woah they've gone a bit too far there" and I really, really wish it hadn't been. There is nothing wrong with these ads except what we bring with us. Depicting conflict between people of different races should be identical to when they are of the same race.


There is obviously no intent here to assert the dominance of white people and the adverts do not even show that the white woman is dominant consistently. Therefore, if I percieve this as racist, I must be bringing that with me and not taking it from the ads.

I hate to not agree but here there is a huge emphasis on the colours- it's really hard not to see it as a race struggle, especially with how the white is shown as better than the black one, Sony improved the specs on the White PSPs. Even when the "black" is on top the white still has one hand clutching her face and the other hand in a threatening gesture.

I really wish I could get some input from someone from the Netherlands. As has been mentioned before, we bring our own baggage with us in the form of our own unique socio-economic-ethno-culture. The U.S. and Britain for that matter have a disgustingly racist past so that creates "gut" reactions in us when we see this type of stuff. For someone in the Netherlands....they may not even think twice about the ad because they are coming from a completely different perspective.

The Netherlands did start South Africa and slavery in New York (formerly New Amsterdam) but they never had slavery in their country, only in their colonies.
There is a struggle there in a form of White vs NonWhite (I've heard mostly White vs Arab and Christian vs Muslim) and things aren't easy for black immigrants there (I would say a sort of insititionalised white-on-black racism)...

Obviously in America with the black slavery past we see things in a very Black/White thing but that's not to say other countries who didn't have institutions of slavery in the country itself aren't extempt from race issues.



Annnnd I've had French people tell me there isn't a racism problem in their country... and that's rather laughable.

 

[nutshell]

I hate to not agree but here there is a huge emphasis on the colours- it's really hard not to see it as a race struggle, especially with how the white is shown as better than the black one, Sony improved the specs on the White PSPs. Even when the "black" is on top the white still has one hand clutching her face and the other hand in a threatening gesture.



The Netherlands did start South Africa and slavery in New York (formerly New Amsterdam) but they never had slavery in their country, only in their colonies.
There is a struggle there in a form of White vs NonWhite (I've heard mostly White vs Arab and Christian vs Muslim) and things aren't easy for black immigrants there (I would say a sort of insititionalised white-on-black racism)...

Obviously in America with the black slavery past we see things in a very Black/White thing but that's not to say other countries who didn't have institutions of slavery in the country itself aren't extempt from race issues.



Annnnd I've had French people tell me there isn't a racism problem in their country... and that's rather laughable.

ZAT IS RIGHT...BECAAZ ZEE FRENCH R PURRRFEECT!!!


Getting serious again:

I wonder what the reaction would be if the ad was reveresed. What if it was a dominant, black, sex symbol establishing its place over a submissive white???

 

[Fluffy]

I hate to not agree but here there is a huge emphasis on the colours

I agree. That is certainly the point of the advertisement. However, black and white have stronger and deeper associations than skin colour. For one thing, neither of the models in the ad sport their natural skin colours but photoshopped exaggerations indicating that their actual skin colour is irrelevant. White people aren't actually white just as black people aren't actually black.

it's really hard not to see it as a race struggle, especially with how the white is shown as better than the black one

Really? Because I thought this clearly showed the continuing trend in movies and marketing of having agressive/evil albino characters http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albino_bias.

People see what they want to or are predisposed to see. However, I do agree with you that for many people, like myself, it will be very easy to see this as a race struggle. The point is that I am the one bringing this association to the advert... I am not simply identifying something which could have been deduced solely from the advert. I see no reason for Sony to have a problem with black people and, even if they did, I see no reason for them to want to place that in their advertising when it could be potentially damaging.

Even when the "black" is on top the white still has one hand clutching her face and the other hand in a threatening gesture.

You missed out this picture as well:
http://pspupdates.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/57882/pic-1.jpg

Across the 3, only one of them has the white person in a dominating position. The other two either have the black person dominating or display them on equal footing. Even if this does have anything to do with race, there certainly isn't a consistent bias towards either side across the 3 adverts so it can hardly be deemed racist.

I wonder what the reaction would be if the ad was reveresed. What if it was a dominant, black, sex symbol establishing its place over a submissive white???

Check out the two other images which accompany the more controversial one.

 

[finalfrogo]

Yep, let's all get Nintendo DS. Good, old, innocent Nintendo.

 

[jamaesi]

I agree. That is certainly the point of the advertisement. However, black and white have stronger and deeper associations than skin colour. For one thing, neither of the models in the ad sport their natural skin colours but photoshopped exaggerations indicating that their actual skin colour is irrelevant. White people aren't actually white just as black people aren't actually black.

Some white people are very pale with light hair just as some black people have very dark skin. I wouldn't call photoshop, I'd just say the lighting of the shoot has a lot to do with it and that they're close enough to their actual skin colour.

People see what they want to or are predisposed to see. However, I do agree with you that for many people, like myself, it will be very easy to see this as a race struggle. The point is that I am the one bringing this association to the advert... I am not simply identifying something which could have been deduced solely from the advert. I see no reason for Sony to have a problem with black people and, even if they did, I see no reason for them to want to place that in their advertising when it could be potentially damaging.

Because Sony doesn't already have a history of controversial ads?

Across the 3, only one of them has the white person in a dominating position. The other two either have the black person dominating or display them on equal footing. Even if this does have anything to do with race, there certainly isn't a consistent bias towards either side across the 3 adverts so it can hardly be deemed racist.

There's only one picture on the billboard.

 

[waacman]

It's a simple ad with a simple pictoral anology of the the two PSP's struggle. Why delve into something that seems quite obvious?

 

[ChrisP]

For all we know that's a black woman with her skin painted white. It hardly looks real, and I agree with waacman. Why delve deep into something that is clearly superficial advertising.

 

[kai]

the adverts are extremely good ,they do what the marketing people want them to do. there not racist to me , but here in the nanny state of britain we will not see them on display , there would be uproar from the ethnic minority sandanistas. we are having a hard time keeping christmas etc from being called the winter festival , we dont need any more ammunition for anti indiginous, implied or otherwise

 

[jamaesi]

sandanistas

What is the meaning of that?

 

[kai]

What is the meaning of that?

sorry i spelt it wrong

The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a Nicaraguan leftist political party

 

[jamaesi]

Okay, that's what I thought. What does a Nicaraguan political party have to do with England?

 

[kai]

Okay, that's what I thought. What does a Nicaraguan political party have to do with England?

nothing, its a kind of pun for left wing politial correctness groups which view anything british ,english, christian, to be offensive to minorities.

 

[jamaesi]

Now I might be taking this wrong, but pun doesn't seem to be the right word for the way it's being used. It sounds more pejorative. If they're being called things like that I can't see why they would ever see any underlying racism in an ad such as the ones Sony put out.