Controversial SONY PSP ad:

[breathe.couture]

The following ads really save Sony. Alone, the first ad looked blatantly racist, but with the others, there is atleast some context...

Those ad's are still weird for a portable video game though

 

[BerlinRocks]

^ They can't really make another ad like this for the black one as the PSP initally only came in black. Now they're adding a white version hence the ad. I heard its marketed for Europe? I doubt a random European would notice the "racial undertones" to be honest. A lot of peopple have been wanting a white version (maybe because of the iPod stuff) so I can understand why they would make such an ad. If it were to be put up in America though it'd be a different story.

i don't know if it has been underlined (oh it has been)...but this really schocks me!
do you really think european cannot understand this?! are you kidding?

the black PSP comes first. and white is after. but honestly i guess it's what the AD & publicists wanted : a controversy. this is so big!!
the white taking the head of the black girl being a bit agressive in her expression and the black girl being so "docile". ahahah. once again everyone jumps into it!

 

[pavement]

I do think Sony is pretty stupid for releasing it. You'd have to be pretty dim to not suspect people will be offended by it.

But personally, when I looked at it I mostly noticed how the woman was pure white. That struck me as kind of otherworldly, and that it was just an artistic choice. One character is fully black and the other is fully white. I think the person who shot it was probably so comfortable with skin color that they didn't think it was offensive.

I think the expressions on their faces are appropriate. It's all about a new product, not slavery.

But in the end, I think they could have chosen something less touchy. I also think this thread shows that we're all not over racism yet. I'm not saying we should pretend we're not thinking about it, but it will take a long time for society to heal.

 

[pavement]

I just looked at the ad again. I think that even though her face is being grabbed, her facial expression doesn't look entirely dominated. I might even push it to say that it's a slap in the face to just assume she isn't an empowered woman.

It may be insensitive to use their skin colors to portray a product, but it might also be the least racist thing I've ever seen. Why can't black and white woman fight?

Am I the only one who sees it this way? Don't bag on me please.

 

[sabshine]

i think they actually took advantage of the fact that people would "over react" or at least talk about this ad. mainly because racism is something quite delicate yet, as so is homosexuality .

 

[Nemova]

- Apparently none of you has noticed the cross turned upside down around the white woman's neck. I think it says more about the ad and the intentions behind it than the colours themselves.

- There are three ads and the concept seems to be the confrontation of 'good' and 'bad'. The white woman represents the evil trying to overcome the good, but the good is the ruling power, hence the black background. Finally 'good', being a perennial force, defeats evil and proves its superiority and ability to evolve.

There, my two cents.

 

[Erzébeth II]

sony is smart, and are getting tons of attention.

 

[Hotel de Paris]

I don't see what the big deal is.
Is it supposed to be racist towards black people?
I personally, think the ad is cool. The two people cnotrast eachother amazingly.

 

[MUXU]

i remember seeing this on soompi
the person really didnt thought about the outcome..bad

 

[happycanadian]

wow.

i'm quite astonished by those ads, to say the least.

i'm astonished that they were given the "OKAY" by however many people are required to do such a thing for a huge SONY advertisement.

i'm also astonished that anyone could look at that ad and NOT see it in a racial context.

and funkaliscious -- your viewpoint is one of either "American Idealism" or just ignorance to American culture. sure, it would be fantastic to live in a world where there are no lines dividing people in terms of race/sex/sexuality, etc. however, we don't. and CERTAINLY not in America, where racism is still running wild and people are STILL dealing with it on a day-to-day basis. perhaps you live in a European country that has a different viewpoint on the issue, but for Americans it's just too idealic as of now to have this advertisement be taken as simply 2 people representing the playstations.

 

[happycanadian]

ah. whoops!

i posted that response after only viewing page 1 of this thread...

erm ...

now i think that its just a sad and pathetic attempt of SONY to try and capitalize on some controversy.

hmmm... not sure actually. i'll have to think more. lol.

 

[justinleaddict]

Yes that first ad really annoyed me, however, after seeing the ads on page two, not so much. Perhaps they did that to cause controversy, or they just did not realize what some of the ads looked like on their own... because imo some of the ads are not as bad.

 

[kanita]

This ad is 'racist' because there are racist people and (almost) all people have prejudices. Thats why we see is a 'black' person and a 'white' person in those ads ands not 2 models who were cast because of the way they look (like all models do), there 'look' fits the ad, and not there 'race'. (I personally don't belive that there is something as race, we are all the same, but we look different because we evolved that way)

 

[Likwidstar]

I think the Ad has nothing to do with racism at all!
Through history, we have had so much rasicm and segregation and it has dissolved slowly through time, now, it doesnt make a difference. I think this signifies racial equality..."But how? the white chick is protrayed as the powerful one while the black model is being passive? HOW DOES IS THIS A SYMBOL OF RACIAL EQUALITY?"... Well, I think we are at a time where racial issues (especially between white and black) have been dissolved almost completely, Black people are not a minority anymore. So the taboo of tiptoeing around things like that shouldn't be problem anymore... I think what sony is trying to say is that "We live in a time where people wont say, omg! this is that protraying white people as superior to black people?, but its just "Oh the white chick resembles the hot new colour taking over the new one and the options are there". Nothing to do with racism, but is has everything to do with human diversity and it doesnt seem to be a generlazing label. Enjoy the creativity and genius of the ad, we don't live in ancient times anymore.

 

[woot4]

I don't think that it was specifically supposed to be regarded as a black submission to the white but either way it certainly looks great as a contrast.

 

[misssakura]

They should have just had different clothes on, like somebody wearing white and somebody wearing black. OR they should have had like, them at least interacting as if one person wasn't better than the other. I do find this a little insensitive. I think that maybe the idea behind it was fundamentally clever but the execution is flawed, and this is coming from somebody who thinks political correctness has reached ridiculous levels.

 

[Uchina]

^^ I agree 100% with oolie coolie. *karma*

I know you probably didn't mean it in THIS way, but given the racial matter of this thread, the coincidence is rather amusing.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=coolie&x=0&y=0

As far as the ad, if Sony didn't "notice" how the content might be offensive, they must be blind. If you want to create controversy, you feature Kate Moss' breasts, not racism. Shame on Sony.

 

[Neo_Classic]

Understand one thing, they are selling game consoles and then ask yourself; how does the colour of a game console become the colour of people? How does the colour of a game console make it superior to a game console of a different colour that does the exact same thing?

When Apple started marketing its Black iPod there was no marketing it as superior to the White iPod because they both did the same thing, so why is the white PSP being marketed as being superior to the Black one and why use a Blond haired white woman grabbing the face of a desexualized masculine looking Black woman with an Afro? Also, notice the white woman is taller and bigger than the Black woman and looking down on her. This ad is espousing white supremacy even though we know white skin and white consoles are not superior to anything.

The irony in the ad is that we know that the White PSP will do the exact same thing as the Black PSP, making it its equal just as we know white people are not capable of doing anything Black men and women can't do.