A Lite-hearted take on Sony's racy PSP ad

@RiskyChris

Actually... how do you even dare comparing nakedness with racism? Are you people actually that mindwashed that you can't understand the difference?

I still can't understand how you actually came to the conclusion that the two were comparable and that you even sat down, typed it in, submitted your heinus statement, and VERIFIED your submission.

You people make me SICK.

Some of the uptight posters above would probably get very frustated living in the Netherlands. Seeing problems and racism where there are none. And yes, i'm dutch, and no, we don't go out of our way to find racism and alike in billboards like this. I agree with Tim Buckley on this one.

I think the comic was really funny but the commentary was naive. It will never be just two different colored people.

I guess that magic wand from the Men In Black movies had more of an effect than I thought.

What saddens me most of all in the discussion of this RACIST ad (the original not the parody) is not necessarily the ad itself but the fact that many white people seem to think racism & its byproducts are a relic of the long-distant past. Like we might as well be talking about the Colosseum of Rome & the Greek City-States.

A long history of trying to sweep the problem under the rug as if it never existed. Never mind the vibrant communities burnt DOWN in the 20th century when black people were trying to achieve. Never mind the family picnic-styled family-outing hangings/torturings of black people in the 20th century (James Byrd Jr. got his torture without the picnic atmosphere in the 1990's, Poor Abner Louima couldn't even be outside for HIS abuse). Never mind that we had to have an "ACT" passed a little over 40 years ago to REGRANT us AGAIN—yes I said REGRANT us AGAIN—the right to vote. Why was it an "ACT"? Why does this ACT have to be "RENEWED"? It is an American RIGHT. Not an act.

You all will NEVER understand because you don't have to *LIVE* it. **THAT'S** WHY you can "forget it" & treat it as "blasé blasé". It might as well be a TV show for you all. And when you get tired of the program you can just turn the channel. Out of sight, out of mind.

Well, *WE* don't HAVE that luxury.
The anger & offense don't end because the problem is *STILL* *CURRENT*.
And if you think a few scattered blacks in high positions here & there mean the problem is over, you're WRONG.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina shoulda have shown you how they felt about that majority black city. And look who's unable to return for the most part as a result of the mishandling of this mess? Blacks! But they can go to Pakistan REAL quick when THEY have a tragedy. Hurricanes in Florida got MUCH prompter relief.

I don't expect you all to understand & I don't care if you understand or not.
It's like a man trying to understand women in pregnancy.
If you have no experience in the matter, you can never understand that matter.
The only way we relate to others is because we've experienced something that resembles what they went through. If you haven't lived it, you won't know it.

We can all relate to being an outsider but the details of that feeling are different depending on the life experiences & history of that person & his/her environment.

That BS line I keep hearing about "only a racist would see this as racist". Few lines piss me off more.
You don't even know what the word means & you make a mockery of this reality with that simple-minded conclusion. A receiver of racism knows racism when they experience it. That doesn't make you racist. Just like the bullied knows bullyism when they see it. They've received it; they don't have to be bullies to know it.

Be thankful you don't have to live this experience black people live. Be thankful that this is all a trifle & a humorous distraction for all of you.

For ME this ad is just a sad reminder like with that Ghettopoly situation from David Chang of how blacks are viewed in the society they built & furnished. American music wouldn't be if it wasn't for blacks. No Rock & Roll. No Blues. No Techno/Disco. No Jazz. No Swing. No Big Band. No Heavy Metal. No Funk. No Hip-Hop. Even popular sayings & mannerisms. Nothing. And that's just a taste of what African people contributed to this world.

You'll never understand but that white woman holding that black woman's face in that manner with all the surrounding visual messages make that ad RACIST.

If you care to understand why that is then Google up some ads from the 1800's & 1900's & check the similarities.

If it wasn't for Cosby black women would STILL be playing maids today. Nell Carter's Gimme A Break from all the way up to 1981 featured her, the headline star, as a maid.

Whether you see it or you don't, the reality exists.
And it is not a game.
John Lucas

John Lucas: It's not about forgetting the past and pretend it never extisted. That'd be the worst thing of all. But for our society to grow, you need to learn from the mistakes of the past and accept the mistakes, but not clinge on them and force coming generations to be ashamed of what their ancestors once did.
The ultimate goal would be for everyone on this planet to not see any difference between a black and a white person except their skin color. But everyone who finds this ad racist, DOES see more of a difference there. Why, I ask?

KyleK:
"John Lucas: It's not about forgetting the past and pretend it never extisted. That'd be the worst thing of all. But for our society to grow, you need to learn from the mistakes of the past and accept the mistakes, but not clinge on them and force coming generations to be ashamed of what their ancestors once did.
The ultimate goal would be for everyone on this planet to not see any difference between a black and a white person except their skin color. But everyone who finds this ad racist, DOES see more of a difference there. Why, I ask?"

KyleK, I'll explain it to you as best I can.
And don't get me wrong. These kind of ads don't make me lose sleep at night. I just acknowledge what's there. It's really same old same old to me. It's really the inabilty or refusal to see what was conveyed that rubbed me the wrong way.

I am a light-skinned black man. I have a sharp arrow nose & some people have mistaken me for Hispanic. Puerto Rican & such. Or they wonder if I'm mixed.
Well if you go back far enough yeah. I have a white great-great grandmother & american indian blood on both sides of my family but my ethnicity is pluralily African. Black.

You don't know this but have you ever heard of the saying "good hair"?
Good hair. That's been used in the black community EVEN TODAY as hair that is "not nappy". Not tightly curled as most African-heritaged people's hair is.

To be mixed ethnically & come out with straighter wavier hair was "good hair" as opposed to "bad hair". "Nappy hair". "Black hair".

Why do you think nearly all black girls have straightened hair? They go through this process in their toddler/early childhood years. Straightening combs. Hot combs...to style the nappy fluffy hair into a straighter fashion. Those who DO NOT go through this process are seen as less beautiful by many. That's been changing of course but this is still real.

I tell you the hair example to show you that black people and every aspect ABOUT black people have been culturally linked & associated to inferiority. 2nd class-status & worse. Something to be reviled, repulsive, & rejected. And ironically this same phenomenon actually draws some non-whites CLOSER to blacks. Rebellion against status quo. Sort of like the nice guy/bad boy phenomenon. Wrong side of the tracks kind of thing.

Our skins, our hair, our cultures, our dialects, our habits, our cuisine, our music, our dance, our names, our interests, our physical forms. All to be seen as lesser. Less valuable than another.

This is not a temporal status. This is institutionally reinforced. All these things are just aesthetic variations just like height, weight & everything else.

When Europeans slavemasters found a boon in enslaving blacks for labor they created this system of features-based discrimination & devaluation. They had it "scientifically" vouched for to further validate & legitimize these mind games only designed to keep up this economic system that used blacks as its fuel.

Have you ever heard of the Hierarchy of Races? This was created in the 1800's in a pseudo-evolutionary tale about the different peoples of the world & where they fit in civilization.
http://paradox.rso.wisc.edu/sp99/art5.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_race
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauer

Blacks were at the bottom along with Aboriginal Australians which remind you of African blacks (and coincidentally called 'blacks' by Australians)
It was a hierarchy that put whites at the top as the ideal and the closer you are to that ideal the better you are. Model Minority anyone?

Do you know that this tale drove imperialism by America & European countries in the 1800's & 1900's? "Civilizing the savages" as it were. Manifest Destiny? How DID America find itself WAY over in Hawaii, Guam & Samoa?

What I'm trying to tell you is that this myth & pseudo-science is still being practiced today. And some don't even realize it.
You don't have to say N*gger & burn down a black church to practice it. You may not even be a racist. But the land you live in conditions you to conform to some of that ideology. The ideology is practiced in the culture-at-large.

Blacks are STILL seen as the bottom. The gutter. The lowest level. How CAN a new immigrant conform to the same kind of racist ideologies of the land when he himself is a newcomer?

The situation with David Chang & Ghettopoly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghettopoly
The man emigrated from Taiwan & had no other reference & contact with black people outside of MTV & videogame screens. This resulted in these stereotypes he put out on this ignorant game. This was all blacks were to him.

There are people who apply for jobs who get turned down SOLELY on the type of name they have on the application. A name like Tanisha or JaQuan or Malik or Alethia will be instantly thrown in the trash REGARDLESS of qualifications. She could have a Masters & years of experience in her field but no dice because of name (somehow Condolezza got lucky but that's a long post for another day). This is black reality. This is the kind of shit we face on a day to day basis. We are ALWAYS reminded that we are of lesser value. Always told that we are less worthy, less valuable, expendable. The fact that many blacks are also poor compounds it.

In a movie when you have two leads, a black & a white, who do they name first? Chances are the white. Bruce Lee & Avery Brooks know firsthand about the ethnic sidekick role. The star is a white guy but the non-white does all the real work. Green Hornet to Bruce Lee's Kato. Robert Urich's Spenser for Hire to Avery Brooks' Hawk. Same goes in Star Trek with more capable 'alien' Spock deferring to Captain Kirk. Worf in ST:TNG.

There's a long history of blacks being portrayed as inferiors in advertisements & cartoon editorials. In media from past & present. Either made to be looked down upon or demonized at the other extreme.

This latest ad Sony used to usher in a new color for their product used this long-standing tradition. THAT'S where the problem lies.

It would be ONE thing if they looked as if they were challenging each other in an even-handed contest. But the taller, more glamorously attired, & photo-focused White Woman holds the shorter, less glamorously attired, & photo-obscured Black Woman by her **FACE**.

All the while there's this big haze of white surrounding & enveloping the picture.
The words say "White Is Coming".

The white woman looks aggressive & dominant over the submissive & subjugated black woman as she STANDS OVER HER, LOOKS DOWNWARD AT HER, & HOLDS HER BY HER **JAW**.

It is making the message of "Know Your Place. I Am Your Superior. And I Will Always Be."

I want you if you have any black friends, ESPECIALLY any FEMALE black friends, to show them that billboard pic. I want you to see their reactions to that. Co-workers even. I guaranTEE you they will not look favorably on this.

The focus point of what makes this truly racist is not just the manner that the white woman approaches the black woman but THE BASIC FACT that SHE HOLDS HER BY HER FACE. That is disrespectful. Got her hands locked & wrapped on this woman's mandible with all of the other imagery going on in the pic. The way the black woman looks back in response seals the deal.

How many people couldn't even tell that the black was a woman? That's how bad the focus on that pic was. The black woman was made to blend into the background (back of the bus) while the holy light was supposed to radiate around the white woman.

This reaction will continue as long as that ideology is practiced in the culture. When that is truly over THEN we will see these as merely two people who "happen" to have different skin colors.

For those who are not black & don't have to live with the subtle & overt everyday residues of a racist society this option is yours. It is not ours.

And let's get this straight. Racism is not about color AT ALL. It is about culture. The color is used as a launchpad, as a pilot light. But in reality racism against blacks means to invalidate our very existence. Our essence. Our value. Our very humanity.
To say that blacks should not even exist & if they DO exist only on terms we see fit.

In closing I'll add one more thing.
Remember when I said I was light-skinned. This same ideology affects me EVEN from my own kind. Darker-skinned blacks get treated worse than lighter-skinned blacks because just as with the hair, the lighter skin makes you closer to the "ideal". And in fact I may have benefitted in life BECAUSE of my lighter skin in comparison to a darker-skinned black. I may seem "less threatening" & easier to invite in to company.

It's the old House Negro/Field Negro phenomenon.
House Negro is slavemaster's house doing less strenous work than the Field Negro fighting the elements & bugs working the rough fields. Privileges to the negro IN HOUSE compared to negro OUT HOUSE. Usually House Negroes were results of sexual encounters between slavemasters & their female slaves. Hence the lighter skin & the slightly better treatment. And hence the resentment from the darker-blacks.

All those old designs from the past STILL affect black people to this very day because these designs are still being practiced in some degree or another.

That's why the ad has this kind of resonance.
The person who made that 9/11 analogy was dead on.
They aren't just a plane & two buildings.

The way Sony's going I wouldn't be surprised if that's next.
Hope this clarifies things, KyleK.
And yes it pays no one any good to dwell on things like this. But to act like it doesn't exist is foolish. You can't dwell on pain but you sure as hell can't ignore it either. Pretending it doesn't exist won't make it go away.

John Lucas

@ John Lucas

Reading your comments was like reading my own and I agree with 100 percent. I mentioned this before and I'll say it again. These people that constantly cry about "getting over it" and "we need to move on " don't get it. Racism still exists today. I see it everyday. I work in a corporate environment, I live in a area of Philadelphia that has a concentration of white and black people and the division lines are obvious. Keep your head up and never forget what has happened, I advise that to any black person I have this conversation with. Because to forget about it, would make it easier for it to happened again. "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."

@ Kyle K

That's total bull@#$% to use black people "not letting go of the past" as an example for a society not being able to grow. The reason why we won't let it go is because society still shits on black people and does it in ways that are subtle and sometimes not so and then blows it off as us being hyper-sensitive when we call foul. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Paul Robeson, James Baldwin and many many others were labeled as trouble makers and in many cases communist and anti-american because they spoke out about the blatant racism that this country was built on. The FBI started a smear campaign to discredit Martin Luther King Jr. because the United States government didn't want to hear anything about racial equality. That's one example of many. Black people were/are not meant to advance or elevate in this country. If you don't believe that the look at the quality of education from a black neighborhood school vs a white school.

I was told by my American History teacher that he had a meeting with the administration and was specifically told that Black history was not to be taught in his class. My teacher argued, how can one teacher American history without teaching black history? He was then told, if we find out that black history is being taught, you will be fired. This was in the mid 90s, not the 70s or the 80s, at Dobbins Vocational School in Philadelphia...part of the illustrious Philadelphia School District.
That same teacher came to my class after the meeting and told everyone that once again, the powers that be doesn't want us (young black students) to know about our past. Our great contributions to the world were to be hidden from us because they can't have a generation of black students that know where they came from and what their people have accomplished.

Like I said, this is not even a generation ago so how can you sit there and type that nonsense and expect anyone to be able to turn the other cheek when once again it's shown that the strings are being pulled because of the fear of a race and what they can accomplish.
That's like asking a the families members of a victim of murder to continue on with their lives without an arrest or a trial and then make the murderer mayor or some other city offical....oh wait....that happened too, after countless black people were victims of lynch mobs and racially motivated violence. Explain to me again how we're supposed to get over it. My own mother tells me stories to this day about how the police in Philadelphia would turn dogs loose on them as kids growing up in Philadelphia. My father tells his own stories about black leaders rights were violated and civil rights were ignored to foster arrests for these "troublemakers."

So I say to hell with that "forgive and forget" mentality. Ask the Native Americans to forgive and forget. Their land was stolen, their tribes were attacked with treachery and disease. Their women were raped and their children were murdered. Then the media went on to portray them as savages and uncivilized mongrels that deserved their fate. They fought nearly to the last and paid the price for it, defending what was theirs. Blacks were labeled as souless from the church, we were portrayed as dirty, filthy mongrels as well, without the intelligence to bring anything constructive to society. The government said that black men didn't even count as a whole man individually and black women were even less. THIS is America's history. My nieces and nephews will know about the past and what we had and still have to endure. They WILL know.

ummm.... not on anyones side but my own... while people make some good points.. some of you are forgetting that theres 2 other pictures.... as someone called one neurtal and the other the black woman overpowering the white chick. people really shouldn't deny the existance of those two pics seeing they shine more light to the whole thing. on other sites i've read that people are sending the first ad to big news sites without even mentioning the other two. that kind of thing is pretty ignorant.

I didn't even understand that they were fighting until I saw the other two ads. I thought they were just having a quasi-lesiban moment.

I'm yellow, by the way.

I'm gonna agree with Tim Buckley here. This isn't an american ad, it's an ad running in the Netherlands. Yes, there will be some people taking offense by it, but not because it's being racistic towards them, just because they think it's racistic. Like some of you are thinking right now. But the rest? They wouldn't even notice.
You see, we don't have lots of racism towards black people here. We don't have that many anyway, about all fairskinned people here come from mediterrean areas, the Middle-East, India or China. Towards the immigrants from the first two there's a great bias here, and the whole war-on-terrorism made that far worse. And there are more and more people being jackasses towards gay people.

But towards black people? Nosirree.

Oh, and I do hope you guys realize the Dutch originally were responsible for an awful lot of slavery, because they sold the South slaves. I recall stuff in the media about official apologies being given for the crimes of our ancestors and all that. We admitted the mistakes of people who have nothing to do with us, who have been dead for centuries.

So don't you dare getting on our back just because we aren't as racistic as your countries and thus don't even see it that way.I'm gonna agree with Tim Buckley here. This isn't an american ad, it's an ad running in the Netherlands. Yes, there will be some people taking offense by it, but not because it's being racistic towards them, just because they think it's racistic. Like some of you are thinking right now. But the rest? They wouldn't even notice.
You see, we don't have lots of racism towards black people here. We don't have that many anyway, about all fairskinned people here come from mediterrean areas, the Middle-East, India or China. Towards the immigrants from the first two there's a great bias here, and the whole war-on-terrorism made that far worse. And there are more and more people being jackasses towards gay people.

But towards black people? Never heard of it. There's prolly a few racists around, but I never heard anything in the media about it.

Oh, and I do hope you guys realize the Dutch originally were responsible for an awful lot of slavery, because they sold the South slaves. Something many people in our country have a complex over. I recall stuff in the media about official apologies being given for the crimes of our ancestors and all that.
We as country admitted the mistakes of people who have nothing to do with us, 'cause they have been dead for centuries. We apologized for nothing more but history. So don't you dare getting on our back just because we aren't as racistic as your countries and thus don't even see it that way. Can we help it the USA still has a reputation of being extremely racistic?

I despise racism. If that ad were one running in the USA, I'd assume the guy who thought it up was, in fact, a racist. But as a dutch guy, seeing a dutch ad, I just see an ugly ad, and that's all.

"America would be simply outraged." Because you see racism.
"Where does that leave Holland?" Sane.

Just because you're wielding a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.

Oh, something else that I just found out. You know how you guys are all complaining about racism because the way that white woman is holding the one in black?

Well, could someone tell me why not a SINGLE ONE OF YOU even -mentioned- the second of the two ads? You know, the one where the black woman is assaulting the white woman?

Oh wait, that's black violence, thus it's racistic as well because we're implying that black people are agressive beasts, right?

Racism is bad, and what's even worse is that many people don't learn from the mistakes from their ancestors.

But we learnt. So give us a break already.

http://www.pspweb.nl/index.php?p=nieuws&id=953

KyleK: it's white people who need to "learn from the mistakes of the past" as you put it. And the fact of the matter is, many (not all) white people like to think that racism is behind us and we should just "move on." That's not learning, that's denial. Racism is quite alive and is thriving in the US. Against all persons of color. I mean, look at the discussion about latino immigrants to the US. And look at how ALL muslims are being treated these days. Racial prejudice against whites is a little more suspect in the US because whites are clearly in power in the vast majority of contexts here. So I'm not sure it's considered "racism" as such. But it exists.

I agree that we shouldn't look at a person and judge them by what we think we see in their skin color. Unfortunately everyone does it. We've not progressed that far, and honestly I highly doubt we'll get there this century. Our positive role models are scarce, while the negative ones are all over the place.

John Lucas: thanks for setting folks straight.

Oh, the other two ads are totally irrelevant, and certainly do not "cancel out" or mitigate the situation one bit.

what bothers me the most is the fact if a white person hates a black person its considered racism, but if a black person hates a white person some people wont even bother to call it racism. thats pretty messed up in my opinion. this is the way it should be if a person or any color hates a person because of thier color thats racist. i dont see why people still dwell on the slavery thing.. i'm not saying it was a good thing what i'm saying is people who owned slaves or were slaves are pretty much dead. so theres no one left to say sorry... and you cant' take it out on todays generation because they never existed when slavery was around thats like blaming someone for a volcano erupting. people shouldnt' forget what happened back then.. but they should move on. what i think is people are still fanning the flames even though the fire is almost out. as much as people should move on they probably never will they'll continue to use it as an excuse just to get themselves to "pass go and collect $200".

i need a nap or something. >.>

I really don't understand the big deal here. The ad wasn't racist. If all the pictures were the black girl overpowering the white girl/showing her inferior, no one would've even said anything. So stop crying about slavery and do something other than bitch about something NO ONE today had ANY control over.

IT'S A FUCKING HARDWARE AD!

My my... what short memories we have.

"But.... but... if we ignore racism, it'll just GO AWAY!"

Lemme fix that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GbUUh_j46U&search=PSP%20ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgciDwjSmOs&search=PSP%20ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAM7jrHQ5Ik&search=PSP%20ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqHd4UysK9k&search=PSP%20ad

And you WONDER why we thought Sony was being racist?

John Lucas: I hear what you're saying, and I suppose I do understand your viewpoint. Maybe I should've clarified that I'm from Europe, Germany to be exact.

I think this shows exactly how different our societies are (European and American). And it also shows you why this ad is shown in the Netherlands and not the US.

I honestly don't know any person, that sees black people or non-white people as inferior in any way.

So please, to all the ones that condemn this ad, take into account that it was made for the Dutch, not the Americans (just as Tim pointed out in his comment).

Honestly, in the age of the Internet, it is imperative to consider the cultural impact EVERYWHERE, not just where the advertisement is directly targeted. This is a perfect case in point. While the Netherlands may not have a problem with it, the expansion of this image over an instant transmission medium like the Internet managed to offend and anger a much larger population. This is a huge blow given that outdoor billboards are considered the worst forms of advertising given the limited traffic and horrendous noise associated with it.

Whether Sony, or anyone else, likes it or not, the world's biggest market is also the one that takes the most offense to any form of differentiation among each other based on uncontrollable genetic related facts. It was the same when "blackface" comic strips and humor from Mexico filtered into the USA not too long ago, that only added fuel to the anti-illegal fire. Mexicans saw no offense in racial discrimination (and even openly practice it legally), but the behavior filtered into America and caused tensions to rise.

That is the pure reality of things. There is no longer such a thing as a targeted market advertisement anymore. Everything can get posted on the web and the Internet is just a springboard into traditional media outlets. Once it hits those places, there is not turning back.

True, there are many who simply don't care, never once think about race in their entire lives and work purely on the merits of each individual (fortunately, I see this population rising), but there are plenty of those who actually base decisions on race, be they the "oppressed" or "oppressor". But, it is never about what one individual thinks, it is about what major populations think. And when the most racially sensitive population also has the most money to spend, doing anything that is remotely insensitive is a stupid move.

"It's easy to ask the question when the people that ask it are not the people that were oppressed."

Funny, I thought all the slaves were long gone. If we aren't colorblind, then how are we going to stop racism? Give me one alternative besides "give it more time" and I'll shut up.

Comment 49 your massive historical error made me laugh so hard i wet myself, 10 times. How could the US have civil right problems in 15th, 16th and 17th centuries when it only became independent in 1776 which is the 18th century? And the first succesful European (well English) settlment was established in 1607 which is the 17th century so and i cant be bothered to search wikiedpia for when Native Americans were first encountered.
Also before you spurt all about your history get it right or like me just do some double checking in an encyclopedia. Also remember that in Europe we did have slavery but unlike you (Americans) we get over things. I'm English and i could scream racism anytime i see a continental European on the TV or in the street as his grandad probably killed a family memeber of mine in one of our many wars but i don't, why? because it's in the past.

Just thought i'd also say, lets find the women that are in the Ad and ask the black woman "did you feel like you were being oppressed?" and see what she says

It seems like nobody can spell "ridiculous" right these days, doesn't it?

Lessee...
First of all: I'm from the Netherlands, and although I'm often ashamed of my country, this is NOT the case here.
#9: It would leave us thinking "CAT FIGHT! WHOO!"
#26: Those are different situations. Showing nudity and a censor bar at two different times, is not the same as showing the white woman apparently winning in the cat-fight, and the black woman apparently winning the cat-fight, on different billboards. Sony's ad campaign is about the two versions of the PSP clashing: hence the 3 pictures. Are you saying they should have shown all three pictures together on the same billboard?
#56: Actually, I HATE my curled hair, because it's a pain to handle (I'm part Indonesian, 3/4th Dutch, and light brown (or whatever it's called)).
Back to the matter at hand: you seem to have missed the other two images. Out of curiosity: how would you have reacted if you'd only have heard of the third image (which, by the way, looks more like they're about to make out than like they're fighting, but still)?
#70: So we also shouldn't advertise a product with women in bikinis, if the same product is also sold in countries where they take offense to people with "loose values", even though the ad isn't shown in those countries? Or should we only NOT use certain ad ideas when the average USA citizen takes offense to it? I think it's egocentric to say "You can't show an ad ANYWHERE if WE take offense to it, even if the ad wasn't meant to be offensive!"
Because it wasn't. This ad wasn't shown in the Netherlands because we think racism is "a-okay", but because racism against black people isn't a big issue (maybe not even an issue, but I'm not 100% sure about that) here, and therefore we wouldn't make a mountain out of a cat here (because it's not a molehill to begin with).

Personally, I think it's an interesting ad. "PSP White and PSP Black are going to duke it out: let's use an ad with two women duking it out!" Considering that, the ad's not even THAT bad: they could have been at each other's throat with knives.

Oh, one more thing: when I saw Tim's image with the DS and the DS Lite, at first I though the rest of his newspost was sarcastic, since from what I've heard, the DS Lite is better than the DS, but the PSP colours don't matter. After reading all his comments, though, I realize it's not that.

Hm... I wonder how many people took offense to Black and White claiming they had already made a first choice by picking the black/white package of the game?

"Oh, the other two ads are totally irrelevant, and certainly do not "cancel out" or mitigate the situation one bit."
Care to explain how it is that while the whole picture shows the white woman isn't constantly overpowering the black woman, the whole picture is in fact irrelevant and you think ripping one of the three ads out of context is a good idea, then? Or are you going to call the other two ads racistic as well?
Because let's face it, the three ads all show a fight between them, with a different side seemingly winning on all three (white, black, neither). So it is clear that this specific version is a part of the entire series, thus either the whole series is racistic, or the whole series is not.

So irrelevant? Hardly. Either you explain why the entire series is an evidence of racism in the Netherlands, where the only thing people are racistic to are the immigrants who look like muslims, and problems with black people are virtually nonexistent, or you lose the discussion by default.

Oh, and do feel free to explain, looking as a dutch person at it, why this series would be racism? It's not about whether YOU think it's racism, it's about whether its intention was racism, and the dutch sorta disagree with you.

Newsflash: The world doesn't revolt around the US.

If you despise the advertisement you must be a racist, you wouldnt be so anal if you werent.

everybody in the freakin world is a racist, prejudice fool somewhere in their minds, it doesnt mean they really want to be and they accept that... these are the kind of people who dont mind the advertisement and see it as cool and clever...

on the other hand there are people who haven't accepted it or trying to conceal they're own racism... i think they're being self righteous which is also a prejudice

I think its a fantastic ad, sheez if it were a dove pwning a black raven we'd have all the animals rights activist inside ourselves churning our protests, of course not you baka! thats because we care about stupid things