This ad first caught my sister’s eyes and then mine. And we kept wondering how come such an international, much hyped, reputed, blah blah blah organization went ahead with such an ad…
It is the kind of ad which you could use it in first year classrooms to teach students an example of racist advertising (the teacher in me takes over)…
Look at the employer: Clean-shaven, suave, fair, upper class Indian male. Hands in his pockets to show off the power. Staring straight at the camera. Posing, in other words. Look at his central position. Look at his body language: as if he is not even aware of the presence of all those subordinates.
Then, look at the employees: All black. All servile (though I understand it is a sports position): knees, heads bent. All shiny muscle (black is brawn, white (even in its palest indian version) is brain).
Before, Intel advertises its Leap Ahead series, it should remember the adage LOOK before you LEAP. Conforming to every textbook example of racism is never going to take a company places. If such a major MNC is going to rehash the dirtiest (and, not to mention, most prejudicial) stereotypes, how are customers going to believe that you have something new and innovative to offer? Will they not think that the product is just another recycled trash like the racist ad?
This is really disgusting!!!
How about lodging a complaint at
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/contacts/india_mail.htm
What about our racist matrimonial ads and vegetarians only rental
ads
I think this site might help lodge a complaint . not sure if it might work , but its a good start
http://www.ascionline.org/two/howtocomplain.htm
Dear Meena,
I found your site through another’s and was quite surprised to find you blogging. I attended both your readings in Bangalore – poetry as well as prose. The first time I heard you reading your poetry, I was very touched – the main reason being that you were so comfortable in your skin, in your vocabulary, in your accent. Many a time I have seen many Indian poets trying to read with a polished intonation/accent that somehow sounds like artificial accessories to me. The second time I heard you reading your prose, I lost you. Yes, it was reaaaaalllly HOT but I lost the beauty of anguish in your delivery. You performed like a dancer who was very much aware of her beauty and keen to project it. I wouldn’t go to the point of calling it ‘playing to the gallery’ but it was almost a stone’s throw away from it. I understand its very exhilarating to sway the audience in a frenzy and maybe you tried to take a fun break and yeah, its good fun. but once the personality seeps strongly into the performance and the words to almost overwhelm the work, it fails to work as art…thats just an opinion of a listener who really enjoyed knowing your work.
Another thing on the racist note: I remember the discussion we had at your poetry launch. Somebody asked you whether you translated tamil words into english before writing as there was such a strong sense of rootedness…you answered NO and you talked about the beauty of Tamil which has different words for a single emotion and I remember you made a remark off the cuff that Tamil is not like Chinese, which has mono word for mono emotion. My language has its origin in Tibetan-Burmese-Chino lingo. We say NO in more than five ways. ‘Talle’ to say a lazy NO. ‘Natte’ to say a definite NO. ‘Ngammoi’ to say an active NO. ‘Tounu’ to say a dismissive NO. ‘Oiroi’ to say an arrogant NO. and many more. Somewhere I read ‘racism can be from ignorance. but disrespect is a choice’.
Dear Swar,
I never said anything in a manner that wanted to degrade Chinese. I love all languages, one of those weird reasons I did my masters in linguistics.
What I said is the popular perception, made even more current by novelists like Amy Tan. They say that Chinese don’t have a way of saying direct no, they answer things in a roundabout manner or some such thing. Amy herself says that this linguistics bent of her language, affects the way she thinks and writes…
This is what I meant when I said that though I am not consciously thinking in Tamil all the time, it affects my world-view.
(Something that derives from the famous Sapir-Whorf hypothesis…)
Please don’t take hurt at what I said…
[...] Outside, Intel Inside Published by bhupinder March 29th, 2007 in Racism. Meena Kandasamy writes on the racism in an Intel advertisement. Look at the employer: Clean-shaven, suave, fair, upper class Indian [...]
first, this is not to debate whether this ad is racist or not. I just think intel isnt the least bothered about the racism in this ad (if any) because majority of the people who view this ad wont realise it. Racism is a problem only if the larger audience can pick up and realise its racist. As of now they wont. Unless a bunch of people scream, by which time they might have pulled this ad out of circulation. To put it simply, it wasnt worth intels trouble to chk the racist undertones in the ad, since only a few who do possess the knowledge can pick on it.
the ad is very american and is perhaps not very appropriate for India. This ad doesnt make me think that the man in the center is all powerful- he has just delegated his problems to some real fast performers. I think todays very fast runners in the world are black, with muscles and skin headed (to increase performance). If some one else conjures another image in their minds, it is perhaps due to lack of knowledge about reality of today’s international sports.
I am not surprised to see this advertisement. I mean, the Fair & Lovely ads that are pasted around India speak for themselves, right?
And regarding Revathi’s comment: I’m not sure if it is “very American.” People here are more conscious about race (especially white-black tensions) and it would have been picked on right away, I think…
I would rather try and convince than just delete the opposing statements.
You denied me education if I were wrong. You hid the truth if i was right.
at times.. expressions can be overlooked if intentions were good.
I rate their marketing department for poor taste but I would give them(intel) benefit of doubt for their intentions.
voice your queries directly to http://www.intel.com/intel/general.htm and I trust that would work much better than any complaints.
forgiveness is good place to start any change…
apparently, Intel has experimented a variation even in America… (After the Indian Ad, I guess)… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-court/inside-intel-is-there-a-_b_60011.html and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-court/intels-slave-ship-ad-i_b_60615.html (hee, one of those articles links here)…
Wow, great, i guess i have become your fan.
The way u use your words, its absolutely amazing.
And after reading the article in Hindu and your blog, i guess i will be frequenting this place.
All the best and do write about the social issues.
i tend to agree with Revathi .. don’t think there were any racist intentions to this ad. the employees chosen are black maybe only because most of world’s greatest athletes are black – look at marathon winners anywhere in the world! if you want to take a totally contra view – it might as well be a compliment that africans are ‘fast’ and ‘powerful’. can’t make out very clearly but the 6 ‘black employees’ might be the photo of a single athlete replicated & morphed and thats why they are all black. and the ‘white’ guy in the centre is chosen to be indian probably because their consumer in this case is the indian corporate.
might sound very naive, but it is always easy to allege and be outraged at others’ actions. give them benefit of doubt and there’s possibility of peace
I don’t find anything offensive in this advertisement. People getting down on knees need not be necessarily slave or inferior people. This ad just projects how you can use the power of Intel to give you an edge.
Now white people can come forward and say this ad is an insult to white people, you showed black people with muscles, hunk type and the person standing is normal looking white male in loose dress.
After all, it all defends how you take it. But I believe this is plain ad with no wrong intentions. Sorry to be rude but you have exaggerated it.