NAACP Take Issue With Dutch PSP Ad
Wow, to think Sony wouldn't think that a white girl grabbing a black girl by the neck and saying "White Is Coming" is racist? I mean, no way, man :: blink ::
From Gamasutra:
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The controversy that erupted earlier this week surrounding a new
advertisement promoting the release of the new ceramic white PSP model
from Sony in the Netherlands has now drawn pointed comments from
California Assemblyman Leland Yee.
The long-time anti-violent game advocate and politician, along with the
San Jose/Silicon Valley chapter of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), has condemned the billboard
advertisement, which is not running in the UK or North America, and
from which pictures appeared online earlier this week.
According to
a GamePolitics report,
Yee issued a formal statement regarding the Benelux-only advertisement,
which features a white woman holding a black woman by the jaw and the
tagline 'PlayStation Portable White is Coming'. Titled “Sony stoops to
new low with racially charged ad”, the statement expresses Lee's
displeasure with Sony's decision to run the ad, though Sony has noted
that the advertisements were simply designed in a way that would show
contrast between the existing and new PSP colors.
“I am deeply disappointed in Sony's senseless decision to publish this
racially-charged advertisement,” noted Yee in his statement. “I can't
begin to determine Sony's motivation but I believe this marketing
strategy is unnecessary and is clearly offensive to many in our
community.”
He added: “Whether in the US or abroad, using differences in skin color
to articulate the fact that your video game console now comes in white
can be interpreted as insensitive at best and racist at worst.”
In addition, Rick Callender, the chapter president of the NAACP has
issued a similar response. “The days of blacks being portrayed in
minstrel shows are long gone, and with good reason," commented
Callender. “The minstrel show was an awful chapter in history and this
ad smacks of that age and time. It is even further unacceptable that
some corporations still think it is okay to use racially charged media
images.”
He concluded: “The latest Sony ad conjures up bad memories of when
stereotypical and offensive images of people of color were accepted
means of selling a product. Sony should immediately apologize and
discontinue these archaic, advertising tactics.”
This marks the
second time
in recent months that Sony has come under fire for its PSP
advertisements overseas. Recently Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
was also called out for its PSP advertising campaign, which included a
series of posters depicting phrases such as "Your girlfriend's white
bits here" and "Take a running jump here" that were primarily placed in
outdoor locations, as well as on billboards and buses. However,
UK-Government backed Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) eventually
opted not to uphold the 45 complaints filed against Sony for the
campaign.