Sony, seriously, this is getting out of hand. Every time we want to rethink what you're doing and try to back you guys up, you go and pull some stunt like this latest ad campaign in Holland, which, as one can see above, depicts a "white PSP" avatar/model violently holding the mouth of a "black PSP" avatar/model -- in commemoration of the launch of the
ceramic white PSP, of course. The billboard pictured here is one of supposedly somewhere near 100 evocative images created for the campaign with the same theme, which found viewers of the ads -- and game lovers alike -- crying foul at Sony's latest foible cum PR fiasco (and believe us, we're sure to catch some fire for calling it just that). When it comes down to it we honestly don't think Sony is stupid enough to mean any ill will -- or smart enough to capitalize on a PR firestorm -- with such an ad campaign. But instead of confronting the issue and addressing peoples' concerns, they meagerly defended themselves to GamesIndustry.biz with the following: "The marketing campaign for the launch of the White PSP in the Benelux focuses on the contrast between the Black PSP model and the new Ceramic white PSP model," and "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. Central to this campaign has been the creation of some stunningly photographed imagery..." Oh, make no mistake Sony, the animosity and drama of the imagery, the visceral emotional implication of powerful racial overtones, this is a huge blunder. And once again we find ourselves urging -- nay, demanding -- Tokyo reevaluate what the hell it is they're doing these days. Because mistake or not, this biz doesn't fly, Sony, and you're not helping the perception that you're an incredibly callous megacorp with little real direction.
P.S. -As always, we encourage a discussion. A sensitive, intellectual, worldly discussion. If you can't infer what it is we're asking of our dear readers tempted to intone on this matter, then please skip commenting on this thread, mkay?
[Via
Joystiq and
GamesIndustry]
posted Jul 6th 2006 4:05AM
It's advertising. After a product gets old and the sales start dropping, companies bring out new ones and use ads like these to make people think they're better or cooler or whatever so that they will buy them. I'm in advertising and believe me this has got nothing to do with racism. It's about making more money.
if a black man was holding a white person and saying black is coming the whole situation would be different. Nobody cares if someone is racist to white people but when the smallest thing occours about black people everyone goes crazy. I can understand if someone is actually racist and it depends on how you define racist but this i just ridiculous in my opinion!
Nope, that would still be racist. And this is coming from a black guy. I would agree that there are a lot of double standards between black and whites. I find this is because blacks feel like "I was enslaved for over a hundred years, the least you can do is let me call you cracker" and whites feel like "I wasn't a slave master, why are you taking this out on me?". It's an understanding that might take for the last generation to die off before we get all of that kind of thinking out of society.
And really, the ad isn't racist, the world just isn't ready for it. Sony is ahead of it's time on this one.
WHO THE HELL CAN READ THIS TINY FONT ????
I am another one that sees nothing wrong with this. I mean, that is if you're looking at it as an advertisment on what the seller is selling rather than looking at it as OH MY GOODNESS! That "white" model is telling us that she's superior to the "black" one. No, no, no. Come on people. Get your head out of the gutter. I'm pretty sure you all have thought, if the roles were reversed and Sony was promoting their release of the black model PSP after the release of the white one, no one would have a damn problem with it. It would all be just an advertisment. Geez, people. It's an advertisment. What if Sony had a Brown PSP before the release of the white one and had a Hispanic in the hands of the "white" model? Would that make a difference? Nope. No one would care. (But of course, a brown PSP sounds a little ridiculous.) So think of all the aspects!
Um every product goes through a stage where it's customized to fit the country it's being shipped to. Everyone knows that whether it's a electrical change or a change like the PSP images. They didn't just get it from nowhere people! EVERYONE that comes to this cesspool of a country knows they have to conform to the white supremacist social norms. Now I know it's not popular to be overtly racist and that is what the arguement is about. That is where the distaste is stemming from. So, you want all these fabulous products but you go to the olympics and complain about the smog. You want to play video games but you complain about the images that white supremacists today have but don't have the balls to say. C'mon. Get over yourselves and buck up. Take responsibility for what you force people of melanin to go through in order to live hear or trade with america.
While we can all agree that Sony meant no ill will, I really find it hard to believe Sony's explanation about how it merely contrasts the white and black PSP. They are essentially the same product in different colors; why the animosity between the two metaphors in the ads? It makes no sense. The last thing anyone should want is for their own product lines to clash. I guess Sony evades the rule by making one product line clash with itself? I think someone should be fired.
After Sony cleans up its ad squad, I think they should also issue an apology for their horrific lapse in judgment. Other than that, I see no reason to get riled up over these pictures unless someone can provide evidence that Sony is a white supremacist group disguised as an electronics company. It's just bad taste plain and simple.
What would have been a clever idea would have been to have a white figure with black clothing/hair, and a black figure with white clothing/hair, thus (sort of) negating racial conflict (does the white figure represent the black or white PSP? If they represent the black one, then how can they be making a pro-white statement? etc etc)
But, the most obvious point of contention is the connotations of violence. Why even pitch a new product as a 'threat' to an existing product? Why suggest that the white PSP is going to violently knock the black psp from its spot? I mean, thats just simple counter productive marketing, never mind the inclusion of a racial overtone to the whole conflict.
If the ads involved a white and black figure in a cooperative outlook, and with a less confrontational slogan than 'white is coming' (even something as simple as 'black and white' with white in italics..) then noone would even bat an eyelid at this. Indeed, there might even be a chance among the more Politically-correct circles that Sony would be applauded for the encouragement of good inter-race relations.
I dont see a problem with it, its an ad ffs, people need to wake up and worry about more important issues other than Sont and its Marketing Methods.
i think this person is right with young children going missing we all need to move on and stop moning about black or white and get on with life
well no what this is one of the reasons world war two was made so you think thats not important well than maby you shold talk to someone 'resonable'
hmmmm.
There isn't any excuse for this really. I mean if the sample picture is anything to go by, then yes, the images are ivocative, but is corporate memory so short that they have forgotten the furore that 'evokative' images such as these can cause.
Was the (united colours of) Benneton fiasco so long ago?
Fist the hidden rootkit DRM, then the Wiii, now this. Is someone actively TRYING to destroy consumer relations at Sony?
I agree that Sony didn't purposefully try to suggest racial divisiveness in their ads. It's just that, unfortunately, that's what the ads do.
I also agree that depicting your own products as competing against one another is just not a good idea advertising-wise.
Next time, try the Ying/Yang symbol Sony.
KawF, posting all three images doesn't make it OK to play on racial relations for the sake of an ad, no matter who is dominant in the picture.
Sony went way out of line with this one. I agree with #1 and #2--while Sony certainly didn't intend for this advertising campaign to carry a racial message, it definitely did. Their pitiful defense is exactly the wrong way to play this out. They need to put an end to this ad campaign and issue an apology immediately instead of simply pretending that these images aren't offensive. The longer they wait, the more these advertisements will hurt not only the PSP White's sales but also Sony's image as a company.
Wow... and all of a sudden... thanks to the press and blogs like these, everybody hears that there is a white PSP coming. The number of people who really care will be trivial compared to the amount of people that this ad will gain exposure to because of the bad press. Especially in a country with as much racial tension at the moment as Holland. As much of a cliche as it is, in this case no publicity is bad publicity.
Are you claiming that this ad: http://www.joystiq.com/media/2006/07/sony_whiteiscoming_web_3a.jpg
is racist because it shows a "black woman" in a dominant position over a "white woman"? Whom is it rascist against?
just because the rolls are reversed doesn't make it any better. showing violence between to races will always evoke a negative response. That might not have been what they were trying to do but they should have known better.
lol get the hell over it, if it was a black guy holding a white woman it wouldnt have been seen as anything more than a contrast of colours, but now its a OMGZORS Sony the racist.
The thing is, KawF, that unless you post the ads in some obviosuly paired locations (say, across the road from one another), you can't be sure within reasonable doubt that any more than just the one will ever be seen, or that if two are seen they will be regarded as a pair.
It's akin to writing "I am going to kill you and your family" on a billboard on one side of a city, and "only kidding!" on the other side, and expecting people to read it as one sentence.
Sony is a dead company and we're just witnessing the tail wagging of a dead lizard.
I've withheld buying a PSP (got a nintendo DS), a bravia LCD (got a pioneer plasma 43 inch), a DVD recorder (got a panasonic), a LCD front projector (got a sanyo), and will not buy a PS3 (will get a XBox 360 even though I've had a PS2 earlier).
I am too ashamed to own their products anymore.
They're trying to pull a Benetton with this one. But I don't like *their* ad style either.
Had the billboard been as a nice photoshop I saw yesterday with the "white woman" in a Klan-costume and holding a snare in her hand, then yes, that might imply that it has a racist message. Had the ad said "whites are better than blacks" or something like that, then it would have been racist.
But are you proclaiming that ANY picture cotaining two people that have different skin colors is racist? What the hell? Have you people still not gotten past the skin color issue?
Please read up on the defenition of racism. It's a picture featuring two people for Gods sake. I would say it's racist to claim that two people of different skin colors can not appear in the same picture are the racists. Somehow you think that skin color makes a person who he or she is.
When a white person has a black person in a dominant, (non-sexually) aggressive death grip, the implications are pretty clear. You don't need a bloody KKK hood or a "White Power" sign to realize that the ad is going to be construed as racist! It's a horrible decision they've made. JUST....THAT....SIMPLE.
Please.
I live in South Africa - a country where if someone does something even remotely viewed as a black/white comparison, some idiot cries foul. This is not some racial issue - there are more important things to worry about. Keep it real.
KawF and DC, the point is not that one person in these ads is in a dominant position over the other. The problem is simply that Sony chose to represent the PSP Black and PSP White with black and white people, a decision that should have been given more thought. Sony wants to get the message across that the PSP White, something new and different, is coming. Why is depicting a conflict between a black man and a white woman necessary? Perhaps because it catches the eye. But this ad campaign doesn't just catch the eye--it holds a clear message of racial conflict for anyone who opens their eyes.
If the ad showed aggressive animals black vs white would there be this controversy? People need to stop being so amazed that their feeble minds made some kind of unintended discovery about the meaning behind the ad. Why should colors not be allowed to represent themselves in whatever form they happen to appear? Get over it.
Reminder: These ads are in Holland...
ANYTHING can happen in Holland...
A picture of an aryan woman assaulting a black woman, with the slogan 'white is coming' has racist connotations. A picture of a black woman assaulting an aryan woman, (especially with the slogan "Black is coming") would have equally racist connotations.
If it didn't have the slogan, perhaps not.
Sony are obviously not being racist, that implication is ridiculous, and when people post comments here insulting people who see this as bad marketing as being too politically correct and whatnot, it just proves how ignorant they are to the topic at hand.
This is not a question of racism, it's a question of Marketing. Whether you like it or not, people will (read: have) found this extrememly offensive, and it will affect the sales of the white PSP in the locations these ads have been shown. Is it racist? No. Is it extremely poor marketing? Well, figure it out for yourself.
Maybe what they're saying is, colour doesn't matter... Black or white, its the same... Sort of like humans should not be judged by colour... Coz everyone is the same... I know thats not what they meant, but they could use that as their defense...
I think that who sees the problem just already have the problem within.
I'm not a Sony fan, but this is free publicity for them.
I'm not racist, and I'd never saw any racist intent in it if you didn't point it out.
Again who sees the problem is racist (positively or negatively), or feels like others are, just because he/she feel inferior somehow.
Alessio.
Oh and shouldn't Apple get the boot for having discriminate commercials?
Version 1.0 - yeah, that would work, but unfortunately the slogan 'White is coming' pretty much makes that excuse caput. If they had used a slogan like 'black and white' as I suggested earlier, then not an eyebrow would have been raised.
I hate trying to debate an issue on the internet. People always try to take some sort of superficial high ground, oppositional to something that isn't even there. Here we see it played out with all the people acusing people of being subconsciously racist, or 'old fashioned' for noting bad Marketing practices.
Every comment in response to this post that said this was bad Marketing has made pretty clear that they don't think the ad is racist, or that Sony are racist.
And yet people still need to be oppositional to something.. so they come in telling people off for seeing racism where it isn't.
It just shows you how profoundly ignorant the vast majority of internet browsers (and by extension, humanity) are. Makes me wish I was a duck or something.
No one is screaming racist anyway Scrib...
I dont get why a Japanese company can be racist in this. Its only art. We all know rasicm is wrong but theres no need to go overboard on the hypersensitivity.
I thought.... black was the new white. lol.
Whoever says we should look at all the photo's before crying foul, show me where the other three photo's are displayed on a board, they just show images with no writing , which sounds to me were made just to silence people. sony keep alienating customers..i am sure it will work out
Racist?...I don't think so...get a life!
I can't wait till Sony drops the yellow and red PSPs.
Jokes aside, I don't believe that Sony Japan had much to do with this ad campaign. I'm in Japan right now and the Japanese PSP commercials are so normal that the contrast is jarring. Sony Japan's PSP commercials are funny, witty, attractive and stays away from any taboo.
Don't blame Japan since it's obviously not their fault. Sony Europe, however, will be in big trouble once Sony Japan finds out who was in charge. Sony America should also stop with the idiotic squirrel/graffiti campaign as well.
Its a black girl not guy.
All i see is sexual tension in the photo, not hate. Like they want to rip each others clothes off and have some inter racial lesbian sex.
The point is that the ad is open to interpretation and therefore is bound to provoke a different reaction from different people (hence the commentary so far on this blog). The objective of such a campaign is to catch attention and provoke reaction.
However, Sony's marketing dept. should have the known (considering the worlds current social/racial climate) what the overall reaction would've been, and rethink the content of the ads, particularly the slogan.
In my opinion (my interpretation) the campaign does carry racial connotations, mostly due to the accompanying slogan. I don’t know much about the Dutch demographic and maybe there’s a reason this was run in Holland in particular!
Regardless, this is a risk which you’ think an international cooperation would consider a little more carefully.
LOL
at least its not a black guy grabbing a white women.
seriously, though. How can people in european countries be so racist? first the comics, now this.
That's what I saw too, Prodigal_Son, but I guess that shows where my head's at. Also the UK branch completely denied any involvement with this.
It kind of reads like a Dutch ad agency taking the piss out of accusations of racism. Two women, could be fighting, could be ahem... doing something else, and let people see what they want to see.
Pretty hilarious from that angle.
I'll give Sony the benefit of the doubt on this, but although they might not be racist, they are definitely stupid. I don't believe that either of these qualities have proven to be good survival traits.
there is a racist connotation here people. One glance at the ad will show you that. This is poor marketing from Sony.. very poor indeed.
I'm not gonna defend Sony for doing something "racist" like this as much as I would like to point out that this is exactly what Sony wants (at least, what I figure). Thing is, we ARE talking about it, aren't we? How much is this kind of advertising worth? How much does it cost to drop a PSP ad onto Engadget, Joystiq, PSP Fanboy, etc etc etc, as opposed to, oh, I dunno, do something like this, pay someone off, like the NAACP, in an out-of-court settlement, and get a ton of free advertisement in the process?
As much as you'd l like to think about it, very rarely is an organization run by a few hundred to a few thousand of people really "stupid". Whatever it is Sony has in mind, they at least know what they're doing. I'm even going to defend New Coke as claiming that it was just a marketing ploy to increase the popularity of Classic Coca-Cola. And it worked too.
I'm a Canadian living in Holland and can see things from both sides of this coin. In North America this just simply wouldn't work. Here in Holland it's very different though.
I'm not saying that -nobody- here is offended by this ad, but I do believe that less people would see it that way as compared to North America or some other parts of the world.
For example, look at one of the biggest holidays in Dutch culture - Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is sort of their version of Christmas with "Sinterklaas" instead of Santa. (Two different background stories behind these characters).
Sinterklaas has a sidekick called "Zwarte Piet" (Black Pete or Black Peter). You can see info on Zwarte Piet here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet
Basically it's Sinterklaas' sidekick / slave boy.
Here in the Netherlands (Holland) in late November / Early December there are Zwarte Piet's everywhere you look. From dummies in shop windows, fake Zwarte Piet figures climbing the outside of buildings, or blond haired/blue eyed Dutch people dressed up in an afro wig and black face.
To the eye of an American it's ghastly, to the Dutch, it's tradition.
The North American in me can understand the reactions some people are having to this ad. On the other hand, after having lived here for almost 7 years I look at it and think "So what, it's a clever ad meant to grab your attention and that's what it does".
I can assure you, 9 times out of 10 the people who live here walk by that ad and don't see it through the same eyes as you would. They look at it, think "cool, new psp" and keep walking and going on with their day.
It's all about culture, people.
If black guy humilates white - we call it "black humour". When white guy humilates black - you call it racism. You americans are truly /enigmatic/ /nation/.
Thou the ad is really questionable.
Mike: I'm more worried about the kind of people who cry fowl at advertisements like this and I would be of the ones who realizes what's going on and yet DOESN'T see it as an advertisement with negative racist overtones. It's the 21st century. Stop thinking anything involving race has been thought up by a racist.
And by the way, it's a black woman, not a black man, for those of you that made that mistake.
And for the issue of marketing, I agree with Tudor. This ad campaign isn't racist, however, the fact that some ignorant people, but people nonetheless, may interpret it as such, makes it bad marketing. However, the only people that would interpret this as racism must be racists themselves. Skin color shouldn't affect how you or I interpret it, only a racist mind thinks that way.
I also agree with Pal. This clearly wasn't Sony's fault as a whole.
And Prodigal_Son makes a good point. It must have seemed like a good idea at the time: "A sexually charged ad campaign! What could be better?"
This lapse in judgement, however, will cause Sony some damage.
Again: Bad marketing. Not racism.
- Eddie
I didn't know Sony was releasing a white PSP, now I do. I see two people in this ad, not two races, people need to lighten up here.
"racism is a part of life". Oh? I'd love to hear u say that in Compton.
Does that mean Sony should brand this kind of adverts? or perhaps the question should be is this kind of marketing the best for the industry?
Why didn't Microsoft quip in "White is Good, Black is Bad" to underscore the fact that their console looks great in white? I'm sure sales would have risen a hundred-fold if they did *sarcastic snigger*.
And fyi mike, there's nothing ingnorant about discussing discussing an ad like this.. nothing at all. As filipau points out, the ad and the inherent connotonation are questionable.
Jeepers talk about blowing something way out of proportion. I still don't see why it is racism, the only racism I see is people saying you can't have an advert with a black person and a white person. Why not? They're both people?
If this was an advert with two identical twins - only one being platinum blonde and one being black haired there wouldn't be any problem. Even if they were posed in the exact same position as this I dont think there would be any outcry at all. Or if the first round of PSP's were green and the second round of them were red, and the models were body painted to those colours, nobody would have a problem with it either. So why have a problem with something coming in two different colours being represented by two different people?
The people crying foul on this obviously have a problem seeing black and white people on the same level - and are only showing off their own racist tendancies. Just because something involves a black person and a white person does not mean its racist.
I dont see what the big deal it. If the situation was refersed, there would not be an issue.
Then again, they could have used cartoon PSPs to depicts this. Plus, that chick looks like a freak!
"Uh, racism is a part of life."
I don't mean to be an idealist, but this is a known problem...
Personally, I think there're plenty of ways Sony could have gone with this idea. Obviously it would have been easy for them to depict a black person and a white person being friendly, etc etc. So why did they spend copious amounts of money to generate exactly what you see? I find it difficult to believe that a megacorp. like Sony would experience a lapse in judgement for every person this ad was approved by. Nick15 a few posts above me had a wonderful point about advertising strategy... And Sony's excuse.. People are calling it lame, but perhaps they don't apologise for a specific reason. It's seems obvious that an apology and admission in judgement lapse would satisfy most offended customers, but an apology is missing for some odd reason.
As an example, I remember once when I was in a camera store with my cousin, he explained how Kodak brand film and generic film are more or less identical, but the extra money you pay for Kodak is the money they use to advertise their brand to you.
In other words, big companies have advertisement and brand name trust on their side. My best guess is that too many people have gone in the direction of Conrad Benedict (post above) and gone with other brands, and Sony is getting desperate to push their name back in to the spot light.
In the end, I say they're just desperate. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Sony is going to die, but I'd generally say the only time big companies feel the need to spend for brand advertisement is when they feel they need it. Consider Sony as the squeaky wheel for now.
I agree with some of the defenders of Sony. The advertisment is most like not that offensive /where it was printed/. While us crazy Americans see racism everywhere, apparently some European countries do not. That being said, of course it would be a bad idea for Sony to copy that ad here.
But no corporation is stupid in their advertising, ads don't just get spit out and printed willy-nilly after all these things cost major bucks, so you got to believe there are tons of approvals, focus groups and the like.
About the ad itself, I think what sony is going for is a sense of dichotomy, to get people riled up enough to defend one or the other. This would encourage them to think along the lines of "do I want the black or white PSP?" rather than "do I want a PSP or DS?". With the first question, it's a win-win for sony. I bet that Coke was thinking along the same lines for the New Coke product, by getting people 'for' one or the other, they will disregard other companies' offerings. So having dueling PSPs isn't such a stupid marketing idea after all.
You lot are looking at a Dutch ad through American eyes. Your society is nervous as hell about black/white racism because of your recent history of segregation. This just isn't the issue it is in the US over here. Ask black servicemen who served in Europe in WW2 and were amazed to be allowed everywhere here in the UK except the segregated sections of the US army bases.
My guess is that the Dutch, black or white, will look at this as an advert for video games and leave it at that.
actually I think they both look freak-ish but that's not the point ;-)
If it was a big black guy like Mr T holding a white bell boy like that, no one would think it was racist.
I realy beleve that Sony imagines white to be Japs and black to be Americans. You amis just don't get it with your super powers. Seriousely now.
1. There is a thing called semiotics and it studies the underthones and meanings of an message. Every expert knows what this ad is telling people. (whites are better than blacks, blacks are loosers, etc....)
2. In Europe such racist acts are prohibitet by law and Sony shuld be charged by felony charge. Do not think Europeans don't see racism. Just watch the Stop Racism Campaign on the Soccer World Championship, where before match every team is photographed behind a stop racism banner. BUT, there IS a Japanese problem with Japanese atitude in racism and a looong tradition in doing such shameful practices. Way to go Sony.
To be fair, theres not really anything wrong with this ad, not when theres other ones that are contrasting it, eg: http://www.joystiq.com/media/2006/07/sony_whiteiscoming_web_3a.jpg
where sony have evened it out. its just a picture, admitdley, i dont really like sony, and ive never been a fan of the playstation series, though i must admit i bought one but i had good reason! those being amplitude and Guitar heroes, which have gont to be some of my favourite non-nitendo console games ever. Though you wouldve though sony mightve been a little wiser with the advertising, y'know, if it'd been the other way round, like, "Black is coming", I dont reckon there wouldve been mucho's of a fuss. Its all these bloomin "omgz0r l00k at that! it's like pro white 0mg, kill lol....!11!1235" sorta people that cause this, get over it , its a poster.
Pfff so a PSP is a person .. a black PSP doesn't stand for a black person, a white PSP isn't a white person.. sjees
I'm dutch, i have seen it, i don't care
Well, I live over in the Netherlands, and reading Engadget it is the first time that I see that there is apparently a controversy over here on a racist Sony ad.
Seriously, no one as far as I know has interpreted this ad as being racist. Why should it be interpreted as such? For me this seems a over-reaction out of political correctness instead of something else.
Personally the ad is doing nothing for me, so I do not think it is a good ad either, but being offensed by it? No.
once again goes to show that theres a large group of people creating problems where there aren't any. Everyone is soooo busy pointing the finger.. get over it.
better yet, get a job and mind your own business.
be productive for a change
FACT:
This article failed to include several other posters from the campaign, including one where the roles are reversed and the black woman is beating up on the white woman. Think it's racist now? Or is it only "white on black" violence or threats that are bad, and not "black on white"?
So clearly it ain't racist, it's just crass and ill-advised.
I could go into an entire rhetorical explosion about why peoples' opinions toward this issue are completely ignorant. Especially in the context of American history where race has profoundly affected the socio-economic and class demographics of this country. To ignore the insurmountable affect that past images, actions or attitudes of racism has had on our nation is completely absurd. That being said, I notice that some white people often enjoy finding an opportunity to distort logic and play the "victim" role by playing off of their utter and complete lack of comprehension concerning African American attitudes toward race. Some Whites commonly make race a one-dimensional issue where the burdens of race are for whites are on parity with that of blacks and that blacks are simply "whining" when they acknowledge the existence of racism or even their own culture and distinct identity as black people. This is why some whites say "well if the roles are reversed, it wouldn't be racist" or "why is there an NAACP" or "why isn't there a White Entertainment Television". Let me point out a few major flaws in this attitude without even mentioning the considerable extent to which the attitudes that existed prior to the Civil Rights movement have retroactively affected the level of racial divisiveness that exists today in housing, education, health, and politics.
1. Black America is a distinct culture within the United States. White America is a plethora of unique ethnicity from Europe, therefore isn't as distinct. For this reason (and many others), you can't say that the sole difference between Black Americans and White Americans is simply skin color in when attempting to make any type of logical argument concerning race. This is an oversimplification of this issue that is way too common in these types of discussions. Beyond this, in American, White Americans essentially view themselves as "raceless" or simply "American", while minorities (particularly Blacks) are forced, by default, to live life within the enigmatic microcosm of race. If you examine how this nation works, you'd see that even Blacks that attempt to live a life void of the issue of race, our society thrusts it upon them with statistics, disparities in housing, disparities in schooling, racialized political and marketing techniques, the existence of people there own race who perpetuate the negative stereotypes and the list goes on! All the while, the "majority" of the US (i.e. Whites) are oblivious to this and continue to swim in their own pool of ignorance and simplicity. The irony, the paradoxes, the conundrum and the contradictions concerning the issue of race should all be obvious by what I've written thus far.
2. The dominance of Western/White culture and history at a national and even international level is irrevocably one that gives an inherent privileged to those of that persuasion. And any image that portrays this dynamic, by default, will be more questionable and invoke much stronger emotions than one that shows the opposite (i.e. Asian supremacy, Black Supremacy).
3. An image that implies Black Supremacy would also be EXTREMELY offensive, albeit for very DIFFERENT reasons. An image of a Black person that is holding a white person in a submissive position would perpetuate some of the strongest negative stereotypes that exist! I'm surprised nobody has pointed that out. It would reinforce the idea that Black people are violent, impulsive and a general danger to White people. This would actually be more harmful to Blacks than the the ad that currently exists because of the pervasiveness of negative racial stereotypes.
The bottom line is that race (in America, due to its history) is perplexing and enigmatic and no one really has the correct answer to any issue concerning race, however, the best thing you can do is keep an OPEN MIND!
This is all for now, I hope someone out there will be able to gain some sort of broader understanding of racial attitudes from what I have written.
I don't understand people who claim this is a bad marketing move from Sony. Wii, anyone? It wasn't that long ago. Check out some of the Wii controversy:
http://www.godmodeonline.com/d/20060501.html
http://www.godmodeonline.com/d/20060503.html
Sony's pretty much doing the same thing.
Oh, and by the way, why didn't you 'see behind the message' people cry out loud when Apple released their 'Cool Mac guy' vs 'Nerdy PC guy' ads? It's discrimination, I tell ya!
Seriously, get a grip on yourself. Just because Americans have a guilty conscience on the issue doesn't mean that the rest of the world has or should have one, too. If the ad was released in the US, then I agree, Sony's marketing dept must be the embodiment of stupidity. But it's not released in the US. Consider the cultural differences.
And for the people who proclaim this to be a bad marketing move, look around! You've already escalated the PSP white issue to a lot grander scale than previously intended. Care to explain how this won't help boost Sony's PSP sales?
I don't see anything wrong with it!
before you guys bash me for it (I haven't read all the other post above) I am Iranian and non white, if that make the slittiest bit off diffnce.
This is my uptake...
I think this whole 'rasist' card is JUST WRONG! it has been use for propaganda and has no place, I detest racism and I DO NOT CONDONE IT IN ANYWAY! but why is it when we see a a 'non white' up on stage taking (saying) racist things it is deemed to be ok?! I have never got that, but when a 'white' guy says anything about a 'non white' all hell breaks loose!
This in it's self is problematic and causes more problem in our society, also i find that laws that 'combat' things like racism do more harm that ANY good. I say the media should maybe show that this is racism in other cultures and not just the 'white' community!
man I can point you to LOADS of people I know that could be deemed as racist but nothing gets done about it because they are 'NON-WHITE!'
So I say leave Sony alone I for one will still buy their products and have no problem with seeing images like this as they could be deemed as 'images of human nature' IE: ART!
I am African,Black and a proud owner of a shiny black PSP. I think the hulabaloo over this ad is frankly stupid. Self confident,regular blacks shouldnt have a problem with such advertising. If the black female had been replaced by a causcasian male, I dont think they or you guys would devote much time to it.
Lets all FOCUS on improving our individual and collective lots and make the world a better place.
Enough said.
Its from Holland, isn't that wierd?
If the image was reversed, with a black woman dominating a white man, would it be offensive? What about a black man dominating a white woman, or a white man dominating a black woman?
I do not see anything wrong with this ad either. Seems like some engadget editors need to be promoted to a british tabloid.
White PSP is a bad decision anyways...
Good *idea* in using black & white colors boldly in the ad, but VERY bad idea using people to depict those colors...yikes.
Who knows, maybe over there it's not an issue like it is in America. But when you're a worldwide company...
Seriously guys: who invented this article. Sony is NOT, I repeat NOT under fire in Holland. NOBODY and I mean NOBODY even is making any comments about the ads, except some overzealous Engadget author. There is NO reference in whatever way to this advertising in any Dutch media.
This is what I call a hype created by someone that is actually trying cause a riot by emphasising something thet isn't there.
GET OVER it: this is JUST an AD!
Sjeezzz...
Oh, and I like to add: this is commercial advertising for a LOCAL market not the US market btw. All this political correct stuff is getting our Dutch nerves btw!
Ok so the ad campaign is controversial... but wow, what a way to editorialise, Mr Block.
It seems that a lot of people can't contextualize. Just because a white person is fighting/threatening a black person is immediately racism?
People need to get their heads out of the ground.
I believe it's a beautiful campaign with two beautiful models, which enhance the contrast of the two consoles. It's not a Sony-is-racist-or-insensitive stuff.
Lighten up people... racism is more deep than this, and far more dangerous.
Here's another Dutch guy. I hadn't seen the ads before reading this, but if I *had* seen them, I certainly wouldn't have come to the conclusion that these are in any way racist.
Racism does exist in Holland - but one can find racists in every nation, every culture, and even within the same ethnic groups. But in general, we Dutch are a very multi-cultural and ethnically diverse nation.
I'm white as a snowflake. One of my aunts is from Curacao and is black as night. My grandfather was German, my mother is Frisian, my neighbours are Turkish, most of my friends are American... it's all good. Anyone who's been here will agree that the Dutch react far different to ads like this.
This is a sign in Europe. For those who don't read anything more than Engadget, Europe has had a spike in skinhead movement. THIS AD IS NOT GOOD and is harmful.
Bloody oversensitve Americans..
It matters. It matters because not everyone will pass these ads off as artistic expressions. Not everyone will be able to pass it by and think, fantastic imagery. For every one person who sees the 'campaign' for what it is, there will be another who, even on a subliminal level, will be making a link with all the white 'supremacy' and black subjugation arguments ever mooted in society today and yesterday.
It matters because it will be seen by millions and commented on by another million. It matters because it's irresponsible and ill-thought through, and yet another example of why global business is going to hell in a hand-basket when so called ad campaigns like this are not only allowed to run in a society not exactly noted for its racial tolerance but is also defended as being nothing more than a company's attempts to publicise new hardware.
At the risk of alienating whole peoples, some suit, some clever suit, has decided that this is a good thing because it achieves what ads all set out to achieve in the first place – get product noticed, get it in the public's eye.
Well this is one in the eye for the clever marketeers because this cynical manipulation of racial stereo-typing to recapture a market for a device whose popularity is sinking faster than the Titanic will no doubt come back to bite some celver dick on his or her ass and I cant say he or she wouldn't have been worth it.
Scrib: "If it was a black woman grabbing a white guy..."
That + "White is coming." = HILARITY ENSUES! >_< Sorry, just had to say it.
Looking at the picture, it's obvious that the idea was taken from Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill 1" , but contrary to the movie, the implication here could easily be (mis?)understood as racist.
Sony continues to act without regard to peoples race or religion (think how the handled da Vinci code in India). The management of this company should be spat on. The Sony name hangs in shame.
The comments on here are laughable. "oh i'm white and i don't see any problem with it" or "oh i'm black and don't see any problem with it" or even better "oh i'm dutch and don't see any problem with it." Like being Dutch means you have a divine sense of sensitivity or judgement?
The fact of the matter is, most of my friends don't want to have anything to do with black people. But they hide under a PC mentality, or just brush it off as "it's just my preference". And its not just my friends either, i have heard others say the same thing.
In contrast, someone i know didn't want to talk to a white person on the phone for customer support. I know MANY black people don't want to have anything to do with white people.
So please don't tell me this is not a problem! And its worse with people who are technophiles with disposable income for 250$ slow game systems because of race fatigue they just kinda think its not an issue, just a silly ad.
I don't really see the problem here, as many of you have said, once you look at the other images the whole 'racsim' debate opens up completely, black v white = good v evil for centuries and in its initial incarnation it was never meant as a racist attack. Also, how many white people stood up and said it was racist before a black person gave out? It tends to be a certain group who decide what the rest of the world should think about these things; let there be controversy, let people form their own opinions and let's get on with getting on. That's the most important thing isn't it? Well done Sony, you've got people talking, that's got to be worth a fortune in advertising.
The reality is that we wouldn't be having this discussion if the ad were of a black model holding a white model saying "black is coming" Why? Because that would be excused as just a "black psp taking a stand against cultural and institutional racism" The truth is, when we all see an ad like this we piss our panties in indignation because of our fear; the fear that if we don't make a big stink out of this we may be perceived as being racist. Lest we risk being viewed as a colonial plantation owner, we take what is no more than a distasteful ad and apply all sorts of connotations to it as well as pontificate on the intentions of Sony's ad department. Well ladies and gentleman, it may come as a surprise to learn that maybe over there in Tokyo they aren't as inundated with "cultural sensitivity training" as we are here in the States. yet somehow, without this "vital tool" of cultural sensitivity, this little Island in Asia managed to drill its way to the status being the worlds 2nd largest economy. SO yes, maybe they lack our "cultural sophistication" in how we can manage to see racist overtones in almost anything we see/hear/read, but it could just be that we American's have our heads up our asses. And quite frankly, the view from here just plain sucks.
If this is Sony's ad campaign for the White PSP, I hope they don't ever develop a Pink model. I shudder to think of the embarrassing possibilities; like a billboard depicting a gay character (dressed in pink of course) forcibly kissing another male character depicting the white PSP.
Or worse still....
No, on second thought I'll just stop right there. My mind is beginning to travel down a dark alley that I'd rather not venture.
Racist? Violence? The kid is about to get really lucky! That's how I see it anyway.
Here's a billboard I shot for a local roller derby league ( http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5924/3043/1600/BBoard.jpg ).
Real violence between races. But I suppose I haven't heard anyone cry racism because, well... that's just what they do in roller derby.
Is anyone else not offended by much?
They serve great sushi in that restaurant under that billboard!
If you don't think that Sony knew EXACTLY what they were doing when they created this ad then you obviously don't understand big business. I'm sure at least one Sony exec somewhere said, "Hey, people might find this controversial and racist!"
Please don't think Sony is that naive. They are just playing the controversy card to get attention. They spend millions upon millions of dollars on ad campaigns like this so don't think for one second that this ad was "accidentally racist" on their part.
(/satire)
EDIT: Endgadget removes 'greater/less-than' symbols.
In response to Boyd:
If you take a few minutes to step outside your Ivory Tower, you may realize the sky is blue, the grass is green, and not everyone is as hung up on race as you are.
How hilarious would it be if Nintendo created a black character from Super Mario World and contrasted it with Mario to advertise the black DS Lite? Pretty hilarious I think.
In Response to Michael C:
"The Japs"?....Okay Mike World War 2 ended a long time ago...and we left Japan with a Constiution that leaves them militarily castrated, I think you can relax and rest easy knowing that we won't be needing to storm the Island of Okinawa anytime soon.
If you think this ad is racist, then I would have to assume that you think the old Spy vs. Spy comics are racist. I mean, come on people. The racists here are not the makers of the add. The racists here are those who think that because the models have different skin colors it is a racist add. This problem will never end until we stop bringing up the race issue every time people of different colors are pitted against each other, whether in a political race, in a sports match, or in this add. So one person is black, so one person is white. Who cares. It doesn't matter.
Its seems you have to be a White Racist American to view this as Racist. Is there some problem with the idea of Black and White mixing together? Is there an automatic judgement of better or worse based on skin colour?
Racist?
Not really.
Attention Getter?
Of course.
I mean c'mon it is obvious the Sony is trying to find a new retro way to advertise their new product, but they're not being racist. Apparently the PR's over there didn't view this add like every one else was going to see it and it was misread by the general public.
The two models obviously represent the two different colored PSPs and nothing more. What if they had used black and white monkeys? Would we still be having this discussion?
I don't think so. Point proven.