Happy Black History Month: Pass the Collard Greens
By Adam Platt
According to Neal Justin’s Star Tribune blog, KSTP-TV spiked a story on the above-linked Rainbow Foods advertising circular aimed at black customers. The premise of the story was the ad was racially offensive.
David Brauer picked up on it at his excellent Braublog, adding essential context and additional reporting. He noted that a Super Valu-owned grocer is under assault by the NAACP for similar ads on the East Coast, which also offer Barack Obama commemorative trinkets. (The local NAACP didn’t care enough to comment for KSTP, Justin says.)
I’m not interested in the media story but more in the subtext added by both Justin and Brauer that the ad was in poor taste and on some fundamental level shameful. (David actually advocated both sides of the argument but seems to have come down on the tsk-tsk side.)
Yes, the ads traffic in stereotypes, but stereotypes exist because they contain kernels of truth, just too broadly applied. President Obama supposedly ate salmon and broccoli every night on the campaign trail. And I like carnitas. But that doesn’t deny the essential reality of African American and Jewish-American food cultures.
Would Latinos be offended by a Cinco de Mayo ad offering rice, beans, tortillas, and inexpensive cuts of pork? Norwegians a Syttende Mai ad hawking herring, potato flour, and lingonberries? Christians an Easter circular selling canned ham? (Admittedly, Black History Month is not associated with feasting.)
Should businesses be shamed out of advertising that targets ethnic or racial groups based on product affinity? (Would anyone argue that per capita consumption of collard greens is not highest in black America?) And is that advertising less than honorable if it traffics in representative stereotypes? (Brauer begs the inevitable watermelon analogy—it’s not in the ad, by the way. Watermelon might be pushing it.)
Look at the products advertised on black or Latino-targeted cable networks. Corporate America knows what we drive, what we eat, and what we can afford in our zip code. Trust me, Popeye's is not advertising on Telemundo, Viagra is not on Lifetime, Charles Schwab is not on MTV.
Brauer references the Age of Obama. The premise is that in an age where America elects a black President, Rainbow Foods would fill its Black History Month ads with wild salmon filets and broccolini.
Or is that a liberal fantasy, unlikely to be realized, even in a colorblind America?
I’d spin it oppositely. Now that it’s the age of Obama, can we get over the socialized guilt and accept the fact that Jews eat more lox, blacks more collards, and Hispanics more tortillas, and not be offended when Madison Avenue (or its lesser equivalents) acknowledges as much?
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We're talking about the issue you're interested in for our Good Question segment tonight (Tuesday) at ten. People are also commenting about it on my blog.
I got interesting response in North Minneapolis today (I'm so racist--- going to N. Minneapolis to get comments!)
Anyway, I do think that food has historically been used as an instrument of racism against black people, and so that's why this may be different than the other examples you cite above. The tougher question is how to you market to an ethnic group without "stereotyping." And what's the difference between stereotyping and market research?
Posted by: Jason DeRusha on February 10, 2009 at 4:19 PM
It's all stupid IMO. If they have a black history month, there should be a hispanic, islamic, oriental, caucasian, indian, you know where I am going. I do like the the little dribbles of info on the tele though. Like a black guy invented the wrench and stuff like that. Not that I care what color he was it is just interesting to know who invented it and why.
Posted by: davecamaro on February 17, 2009 at 8:22 AM
As a Black woman born in America, I can with all honesty state that I'm not personall offended by the stores advertisment. I thought the store cited what is now known as Black History Month. At the same time they have given an incite to others that may not be aware of the major contributions of the men mentioned.
In regards to statement made by Jason DeRusha: European(Caucasian) history is taught to all children in america with very little emphasis of the vast contributions also made by American Indian, Asian, Latino (Hispanic), Islamic Americans. Do you have the same sentiment during Passover when Kosher items are advertised?
I would love to see ads during the Jewish and Islamic holiday season with a brief history so that we can gain a better understanding of their beliefs. If this were a normal practice taken on by all corporate citizens then maybe ignorance wouldn't be so rampant.
Just my 2 cents
Posted by: Demedw on February 17, 2009 at 11:42 AM
I am not African-American (or Black, if that is your preference), so I will not attempt to speak for them concerning the ad. As someone that does have roots in ethnicities that have been or are still oppressed, I will say that I would not be offended were a grocery store to tailor an ad catering to my background. In fact, if it is presented tactfully, I would salute them for their inclusiveness. Wouldn't it be boring if we were all the same?
As someone that does not fondly remember the PC (political correctness) movement of the early 90's, I think we all need to be cautious of being overly sensitive. If questions become taboo, there can be no debate. If there is no debate, how are we expected to grow?
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