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Author Topic: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)  (Read 2032 times)

anth

Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« on: 28 October, 2009, 02:06:36 pm »
Yes. The Model IS black...

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clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #1 on: 28 October, 2009, 02:09:27 pm »
That's plain weird.

Someone actually thought that was a good idea ???

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/_OA4PghOpbM&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/_OA4PghOpbM&rel=1</a>
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Really Ancien

Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #2 on: 28 October, 2009, 02:17:53 pm »
Well teeth are white aren't they? Or am I missing something?

Damon.
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clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #3 on: 28 October, 2009, 02:24:36 pm »
Either you are missing something, or you're being obtuse. ;)
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Really Ancien

Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #4 on: 28 October, 2009, 02:51:07 pm »
I'd expect a company producing teeth whitening products to use the word white somewhere in its strapline. Using a dark skinned model emphasises the whiteness of the teeth. There was an interesting show on BBC 1 about the pressure on girls in some communities to whiten their skin, I'm no particular fan of cosmetic dentistry but it's nice to see a greater diversity of skin colour in any advertising.

Damon.
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clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #5 on: 28 October, 2009, 02:59:29 pm »
Yes.  You are missing something.
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David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #6 on: 28 October, 2009, 05:17:13 pm »
Quote from: clarion on 28 October, 2009, 02:59:29 pm
Yes.  You are missing something.

Like what? Please be explicit.

..d
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"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #7 on: 28 October, 2009, 05:47:21 pm »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/cOxOR3x8FBQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/cOxOR3x8FBQ&rel=1</a>

Or it may not.
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Pancho

  • لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #8 on: 28 October, 2009, 06:32:38 pm »
Are you saying it's odd because the model is black? But teeth are white?

I can see the Yanks getting their knickers in a twist over the "do the white thing" pun but I don't think that really happens over here as much as the Daily Mail makes out.
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pcolbeck

Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #9 on: 28 October, 2009, 10:06:20 pm »
I don't get why this is odd either. And I am not being obtuse. It's an advert for teeth whitener yes ?
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I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #10 on: 28 October, 2009, 11:22:44 pm »
Yes.  And the model looks racially vague from here - she could be southern euro white, hispanic, a range of black, or just a honkey with a tan.  I really can't tell. 

(I think in the realm of race thinking that put her in the "non-threatening-black-to-white-folks" and the controversial "successful-black-cos-she's-a-bit-white" groups, but that's well outside my purview; she's a model so she's 80% photoshop anyway)

Atomic white teeth are absurd and offensive anyway, without the race thing.  It's only being invoked because the word "white" is dual-purpose and the viewer isn't using it to mean "marbley and high-albedo".

It doesn't say "Do ze Aryan thing"

In fact if you really want to overthink it, it could be saying "Don't you wish your teeth gleamed out of your face the way dark-skinned folks' do?"
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It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

anth

Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #11 on: 28 October, 2009, 11:59:42 pm »
Meh, fair enough.
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Really Ancien

Re: Do the White Thing! (and other odd adverts...)
« Reply #12 on: 29 October, 2009, 09:39:05 am »
I think there's a sense in which 'black' people are available to us to make political points about a range of social issues. It's nice that people champion those who feel themselves marginalised, but people's lives should not be about race. I listen to Baroness Warsi for instance and I don't hear South Asia, I hear the West Riding.  .
   The Conservative Party | People | Peers | The Baroness Warsi

In contrast to the Spike Lee clip I was reminded of this.
<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x1hp2f" target="_blank">http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x1hp2f</a>

Damon.
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