Post 4 (or, the issue of stereotypes in advertising)

Is it ever right to racially stereotype for advertising purposes?

Simply, no. If you have to resort to stereotypes to sell your product you need a new advertising agency or a better product. By using race or stereotypes as a platform to sell an item I think it reduces the credibility of the product being sold and undermines its quality.

Is racism in advertising a thing of the past?

Clearly it is not. Recent advertisements -- some of which we have seen in class -- clearly demonstrate that racism in advertisement is prevalent. For instance, this recent Ralph Lauren advertisement used images of Native Americans dressed in RL clothes. The cultural insensitivity of taking photos of Native Americans whose people faced genocide and prejudice and applying them to fashion is appalling and undermines the attitudes of Americans during the time the photos were taken.

Celine Cooper writes:

"Native American children were forcibly sent to boarding schools and prohibited from speaking their own languages. Traditional practices were forbidden. Many government policies of assimilation were enforced through threats of violence and imprisonment."

Do advertisers have ethical responsibilities?

I would say so. Mass media messages are being sent out to people in all corners of the country and the world so it would be asinine to assume that anything could be broadcast without repercussion. Advertisers have the ability to persuade the pubic and shape culture and thus should be aware of the implications in their messages.