Here's Diversity (Abraham Lincoln was black) Inc. on the ad:
The print and TV ads showed a small Mexican wrestler using the flag of Mexico as his cape standing next to an American cowboy twice his size. They were shown in Spain and the United Kingdom. The Mexican ambassador in Spain raised the outcry, asking that the ads be pulled because they used stereotypes of Mexicans.
Well let's see The entire ad stereotypes not only Mexicans but US citizens as well. After all Americans are not only white males but are also white females, blacks, Asians, etc. So the ad excludes all those people. But nobody really expected any advertising for a burger to represent everyone and every type in America did we? I didn't think so.
Secondly, Not all Americans are cowboys (or gals for that matter). We are urban, metro-sexual, suburban. ghetto, countrified, etc. But this ad takes on ONE particular segment of "Americana" and puts it on the ad. A segment that is stereotypical of America. But there's no mention of that in the Diversity Inc. piece. Nor in the Burger King "apology."
Moving on.
According to The Associated Press, a Spanish newspaper published a front-page story titled "Denigrating advertising," which said the ads "show Mexicans as notably inferior to all Americans." Mexico also has laws against using its flags in a derogatory manner, but the ads did not run in Mexico.
Well the fact of the matter is that the cape of the "Mexican" is not in fact the Mexican flag. It is a cape of the Mexican colors. The Mexican flag has an crest in the middle with an eagle on it. The "Mexican" in question is adorned in Mexican colors No different than someone in the US (or England, or France) wearing Red, white and blue. Simply wearing a countries identifying colors does not equate to wearing the flag of said country.
Secondly the short Mexican is a clear exageration of the relative average height differences between white American males and Mexican males. White American males are on average 5' 10". On average Mexican males are 5'7" That's a full three inches which is very noticeable. SO it is clear that the advertisement is not only taking broad liberties with cultural icons of both Mexico and the United States, but also with general biological differences between the two countries.
Therefore there is nothing offensive about an advertisement chock full of overblown cultural and biological symbols used to make a funny point about the coming together of two groups who currently are having political issues around immigration, to make something new and "exciting."
What is offensive is that some people take the opportunity to make wild and clearly unfounded accusations. It is offensive to have such bullshit land in my inbox by a company claiming to be defenders of diversity.
It is offensive that such a publication didn't feel compelled in their writeup to point out the issues I did even IF they thought that the advertisement is offensive.
As for Burger King, I understand the business case for their apology. a company never wins an argument with a customer. They are in business to sell red meat not to score political or sociological points with newspapers and company's claiming to be represent diversity. But it is unfortunate that they could not. And of course with the racket DI runs, BK wants to stay in their good graces.
Fin.
