Dry Grad Poster Racist? Seriously?

[Dizzy1]

The Province's "Letter Of The WeeK" ...

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/03/08 ... c-society/

I was in a liquor store recently and they were asking for donations to support a dry-grad program that sponsors alcohol-free grad parties for high school seniors, a sound and progressive thing.

But one of the main images in the advertising for the campaign depicts a smiling young white couple in the foreground with a smiling black couple behind them. This is offensive to some black and mixed-race British Columbians like me.

Why are the couples segregated by race? Is this 1958? Gee, even my parents did fairly well 42 years ago in Alberta!

And why are the white kids so obviously in front of the black kids? What is that supposed to suggest?

Further, why were there no East or South Asian kids — who make up a large proportion of Lower Mainland students — not in the picture?

My father, who is black, happens to work at a B.C. liquor store and is forced to see the offensive image all day long. He was the first one in our family to be offended by the image and brought it to the attention of my cousin, who is also of mixed race and who has a background in advertising.

What this amounts to is lazy advertising: the ad agency behind the image should be fired. The image is likely a stock photo purchased from a U.S. catalogue. The creative director totally missed how ridiculous this image is and how it so does not represent a reasonable cross-section of B.C. youth.

It would even have been better to just have white kids or the whole politically correct, United Nation-looking, “one-kid-from-of-every-race” angle like they use in commercials for The Keg restaurants.

The dry-grad image is racist and should be removed from all B.C. liquor stores and from the government’s website.

To protest the ad, I will no longer shop at the government liquor stores. I will spend a few dollars more at the private shops.


Here is the "offending" picture ...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

OK, I'll start ... is this guy for real? Seriously, what is it like to live a life where one looks at everything trying to find something that "offends" them? Are we really in a society where we can't have a simple poster depicting two happy couples? Do we actually live in a society where every picture advertised has to have every ethnic race/sex/creed/gender/religion just so we don't "offend" anyone? Seriously, who the frack cares who's in the front and who's in the back?

[Snman]

Perhaps it would be best if the poster depicted several teens of varying races and colors, except white of course cuz they're scum, all having interracial sex. Who could complain? Oh yeah, the gay and lesbian community. So better have some lesbians and some boys kissing too. Who could that offend?

[Dizzy1]

Perhaps it would be best if the poster depicted several teens of varying races and colors, except white of course cuz they're scum, all having interracial sex. Who could complain? Oh yeah, the gay and lesbian community. So better have some lesbians and some boys kissing too. Who could that offend?

The Church of course LOL! They probably can't even depict a picture like this ...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

... 'cuz you'll offend all the recovering alcoholics

[Snman]

^^^^^^^^ Haha, I thought about the church but the only poster image I could conjur would have offended the Catholics. Sorry Father.

[Sn0man]

It would even have been better to just have white kids or the whole politically correct, United Nation-looking, “one-kid-from-of-every-race” angle like they use in commercials for The Keg restaurants.

Three words:

Go pound sand.

[Sn0man]

Perhaps it would be best if the poster depicted several teens of varying races and colors, except white of course cuz they're scum, all having interracial sex. Who could complain? Oh yeah, the gay and lesbian community. So better have some lesbians and some boys kissing too. Who could that offend?

Oh, and there is a man in the front of the photo - that might offend women so a woman should be in front. But not a white woman of course.

[grammafreddy]

Hahahaha ...

I am WOMAN. Hear me roar. I should be in front!

[Dizzy1]

Racism is still alive and well today and its not something that should be taken lightly and needs to be addressed, but letters and people like this do nothing to help fight racism, infact, I find it does the complete opposite, its almost like they're looking to pick a fight with people about something that isn't even portrayed. Perhaps by turning nothing into something, they are the true racists?

[underscore]

What a stupid letter. What are they supposed to do, change the picture to a single stick person? Otherwise you need to account for every possible combination of couples, and that's one hell of a big poster.

Racism is still alive and well today and its not something that should be taken lightly and needs to be addressed, but letters and people like this do nothing to help fight racism, infact, I find it does the complete opposite, its almost like they're looking to pick a fight with people about something that isn't even portrayed. Perhaps by turning nothing into something, they are the true racists?

Racist against non-mixed couples perhaps?

[Dizzy1]

What a stupid letter. What are they supposed to do, change the picture to a single stick person?

That would be offensive to the "obese" community or maybe even the bulimic's.

Otherwise you need to account for every possible combination of couples, and that's one hell of a big poster.

But then that would be offensive to same race couples ... there's just no end ... LOL!

[underscore]

That would be offensive to the "obese" community or maybe even the bulimic's.

Ah right. Crap, I really thought I had it there!

But then that would be offensive to same race couples ... there's just no end ... LOL!

Exactly, you'd need every combination of same/mixed race couples, sexual orientations, etc. And then someone will still complain that they don't see a 1/4 Scottish 1/4 Vietnamese 1/2 Spanish person in there.