RACISM Is The New Sexy

sony ad

There was a slight buzz among nerdom when it was rumored that SONY’s new ad campaign for the white PSP was racist. I am always bothered by the term racism because it is overused so much in America. Oftentimes we tend to label bigots as racists and therefore empower someone when they have not earned the esteemed title.

Racism is an ‘ism’ like capitalism or fascism or socialism. It’s an economic system before it is a mindset. I can sit here in my boxer shorts and espouse capitalism in all kinds of ways but in no stretch of the mind am I a capitalist. The people that create the legislation that allows capitalism to function and the people that own the means of manufacturing are the only true capitalists. Whether you or I benefit from capitalism is secondary, ne, tertiary to the whims of a capitalist. It is whether the system benefits their needs first and foremost.

Racism fits the same model. Archie Bunker can espouse racism, but he will only be a bigot. He can’t determine the legislation that forbids people from owning property or marrying someone or placing a vote. The people that hold control over those services are the only racists. Other people may support those programs because they feel that give them a measure of security to acheive a class status that would be difficult otherwise without those programs. Those people are simply bigots. Nettlesome, yes, but still only bigots.

The SONY PSP ads depict two women, one white, one Black, in some contentious and provacative poses. I think the ads are hot, and possibly sexist, but who is to say why these two women are arguing anyway. I just know that these ads are hotter than the ones with the Mexican dust mites.

sony white

sony white

sony white

12 Responses to “RACISM Is The New Sexy”

  1. LM says:

    Nice semantics lesson. Not enough people make that sort of distinction. I’d seen the ad but only the top photo before. Doesn’t look as bad with the others included. Doesn’t look good, either, but it’s not as bad.

  2. Candice says:

    Let me play Devil’s advocate….why couldn’t the white vs. black theme happen in the ad with a white model wearing all black? Why did they have to find the crispyest sister with an head full of afro? What say you Dallas Penn?

  3. BoSoxQT says:

    I’m glad you posted all the pictures first off all. The ad in that context doesn’t seem nearly as controversial.

    Honestly, I feel what you’re saying, and you’re breakdown is lovely (in fact, I love reading your site in general because of how you go about expressing you POV). But here’s something to throw out there. While I think we live in a “theoretical” democracy and not a true one, a democracy is how we define our country. So if that’s the case, then wouldn’t that indeed make the Archie Bunkers of the world racist by your definition? We the people elect those who make policy and support democracy. They can’t affect legislation if they aren’t elected.

    In no way am I saying that the term is not grossly overused, and most would think I’m making arguement for agruement’s sake, but I just like to think on these things. Capitalism affects us, but we can only affect it indirectly(boycotts, spending habits, etc.). We don’t vote on a new economy ever 2 to 4 years (at least not directly).

    I’m basically just shootin the breeze at 2 am, so I hope this makes some kind of sense to you. Thanks for a thought provoking post.

    P.S. If this were racial offensive in your opinion, is that how you would word it? Racial offensive? Or should there be a new term coined altogether.

  4. the_dallas says:

    ^greatest comment on a Dp dot com post ever!

    From that question my basis for assigning racism could be crushed. In theory, it is the plurality that elects the legislators that pass the laws that govern our country, but it is still the responsibility of that lawmaker to create laws that are just. Racism’s strength are the laws that empower and affirm bigotry. The bigots themselves are the by-products, much like inflation is to capitalism.

    I thank you for stopping by at 2am (or anytime) to share your thoughts and comments.

    We live for that over here, especially at 2am.

  5. Miss Ahmad says:

    clearly these ads were created to invoke a vicseral reaction. there are few, if any mistakes in advertisting in marketing. the ads portray two things, sex and violence. although my video game days ended right around pac man and centipede, from my knowledge sex and violence are the content of the biggest video games right now any way…so it would make sense that some marketing execs would get right to the source when deciding which toy your kid will come home screaming.

    they’ve made sure you the parent, are aware of their product, and as long as the shit sells they don’t give a damn who they’ve offended!

  6. p-city says:

    D –

    Nice post. Your blog is the only one that shows all three ads, so I have a better feel for what Sony was trying to do. Looking at all three, I’m not as “I’m ’bout to make a picket sign” mad as I was when I just saw just the first.

    But you bring up a bigger point. What exactly is racism?

    We always discuss it as though it is a mental condition that afflicts the people who just happen to benefit from its existence. I agree with you that Archie Bunker is not the real problem, but I disagree with your point that the “people that hold control over those [governement] services are the only racists.”

    Racism trickles down through society. Just like apartheid South Africa had Blacks, Whites AND Coloreds, the good ol’ USA has “the powers that be” AND various additional castes. Without the millions of people who tacitly accept the system only because it allows them to place their boot on someone – anyone – else’s neck, this whole thing would fall apart.

    Now… I’ve got to get back to worrying about Mexican immigrants and
    watching baseball.

  7. kill white tee says:

    I do not agree that the full spread of pictures somehow softens the racial statement that the ad is clearly trying to convey: competition/power struggle between black and white. Interesting debate on the meaning, function and performance of racism though.

    Like others, I disagree that racism is only controlled/upheld by law makers. Racism operates on multiple levels:

    STRUCTURAL RACISM- systems, institutions, laws, culture, media, history serve to mitigate, sort and regulate how we experience this country

    INTERPERSONAL RACISM – exhanges between individuals like Archie Bunker and you and I can operate with definite racial untertones and power can be wielded at the individual level, one doesn’t have to be a policy maker to be racist or have a racist impact. Archie stll benefits from racism even though he’s a working class white man with no policy power.

    INTERNALIZED RACISM – when the oppressed start to view themselves as inferior to those with racial power while those who are racially privileged think of themselves as superior, each person is walking around with a fucked up/warped perspective of themselves and others. Coupled with the other levels of racism, this sort of racism is a real bitch.

    Racism happens on many levels. Stucturally white people benefit from it, interpersonally white people benefit from it and internally white people do not have to suffer a collective inferiority complex, they benefit from feeling white and right. In the end society tells us White “is right” and Black is worthless…in a way, that’s what the Sony ad is also going for. The Black version had become too popular/powerful, it needs to be disrupted and replaced with all powerful white.

  8. An enlighted sistah says:

    Hmmm. So an “ism” is a system, before it becomes a mindset? I think your logic is backward. Thoughts precede action. A system cannot exist unless it is first imagined, and then implemented.

    More importantly, these “bigots” you refer to above are not simply red-necked overweight hillbillies in rural America drinking moonshine all day. These bigots are managers, presidents, legislators, teachers, police officers, landlords, traffic cops, store clerks, commissioners, mayors, judges, doctors, nurses etc. If 90% of employed Americans, hypothetically, were racists, the system of racism would continue indefinitely as long as bigots taught their children to be bigots. All you need is bigot cop, a bigot judge and 12 bigot jurors to make the “ism” of racism a reality. All you need are a majority of voters and consumers to make the “ism” in capitalism a reality.

    When will privileged white folks begin to take responsibility for the systems they create and the effects of those systems? When will privileged white folks stop acting like all of this “stuff” happens at the hand of some ellitist group that the masses are either too lazy and/or complacent to challenge? When will the American public take responsibility for this country and stop acting like victims?

    Therefore, your “bigots” can’t escape responsibility for supporting racist policies, institutions and legislation. Neither does a capitalist or socialist system continue w/o support from the masses. Racism, capitalism, socialism, sexism, they are systems. They are not acts of nature. They are social constructs, which require human support. It’s not like rain or snow that are naturally occurring without human input.

  9. the_dallas says:

    dear readership,

    please note that it was an ‘enlightened sistah’ who came into my house and told me that the paint I had chosen was the wrong color. this is why I don’t complain when they decide they need ‘something new’.

    nonetheless, ‘enlightened sistah’, ‘p-city’ and my peeps ‘kill white tee’ have all raised good points on this thread. I can’t complete a reply that would do them all justice since I am typing this from my cellphone’s bootleg keypad. suffice to say this debate will rage on. my first contribution to the next round will be the replacement of the word ‘RACISM’ with the term ‘SUPREMACISM’.

    I think we are so conditioned to the artificial notion of race that we are missing the actual factual system at work here. Supremacism is what is really at work in our lives and we manifest it as racism because we can’t grasp the omnipresence of this force on people other than ourselves. Just this week, the Russian premier called out the vice-president for using the term ‘democritization’ in the same manner that colonial governments wanted to bring ‘civilization’ to other lands. the last time I looked Russians were white people too, or are they not always white?

    forty years ago white watched the incessant replays of John F. Kennedy’s wig getting split. if that ain’t enough to put your azz in line with whatever is clever then I don’t know what else you need.

  10. TRee says:

    Is it because she is spittin truth that you haven’t addressed the enlightened sistah? Are you the only one on your blog who has all the right answers?

    Unfortunately, in this time, most cultures are subject to what you call supremacism. White supremacy/Racism is the foundation of the U.S.- so that’s what we call it. Of course in a different cultural context such as Russia, they call the oppression something else. In the context of this American culture, the ad is both racist and supremacist. Until we stop fighting about what’s the best way to argue about theory and who’s being oppressed and who’s not that oppressed, supremacy will continue to be the order of the day. Unfortunately, we haven’t fully awakened to the fact that we are active participants in whatever is going on in our world. I’m glad to hear how much you know about what’s going in Russia. Unfortunately you didn’t address the sistah on her commentary on what’s going on in the U.S. Understanding that we have a common struggle is key, but it’s not sexy to deny a very real experience like the politricks of race in American culture. Look at the American prison population, look at an already dumbed down American public school system, look at the amount of youth being fed drugs to calm them down. Majority of us being experimented on in these research projects for the benefit of vampire culture bandits are economically oppressed black and brown people. There is a definitive plan of action being used in this country to downpress not only African people, all black and brown people, and all poor/ working people who have any sensibility and an awareness about their culture and don’t buy into the pimp culture of America. I don’t know what world you live in but we are all accountable. The more we understand the need for solidarity, the less supremacism (in whatever form it takes) we all have to experience. The question is who is willing to sacrifice their comfort levels and experience the world as an us thing rather than us against them. As much as African Americans have to deal with their internalized racism, European Americans do too. Believe it or not, a mindset fixed on racism, power/ powerlessness, privelege/ underprivelege, white/ minority is constantly being consumed by us and it is the glue that keeps this capitalist/ supremacist culture together at every second. It becomes necessary to acknowledge it and call it what it is. Racism is alive and well until all of us can fully function without it/ Without the need to deny the traumatic experience of African Americans and the accountability of the whole of us to this struggle against supremacism.

    World culture in it’s current state is in a downward spiral. Look around you. Are the majority of people easy like sunday morning?

  11. the_dallas says:

    tree, everybody that dropped a comment here spit some truth to their mind. I dont believe in empowering bigots and I cant cry racism at every Heckle and Jeckle cartoon. I pick my fights with the big dogs.

  12. suga says:

    “this racism is killin’ me inside!” -dave chappelle 🙂

Leave a Reply