Mountain Dew Commerical

There is a lot to be said about this Mountain Dew ad that was pulled after many complaints. After talking about it in class, some interesting opinions about it came up. 

First, my opinion. I do believe this ad is racist. I believe as a human, despite your color, heritage, sex or gender etc, we are all held to a higher standard than what this ad shows. I do not believe racist slurs should be used by anyone, some people believe it's acceptable when used by those of the same race, but I very much disagree. This concept applies to this ad as well. Although a boundary-pushing African American man was the creator, it still does not make it okay to further promote racist stereotypes, even if it is about other African American men. In regards to the black men in the line up being Tyler the Creator's friends, this is an unfortunate accident that should have been considered. Those making this or any ad, must always consider creating a diverse cast in order to promote overall acceptance and to help eliminate extremely unhealthy stereotyping.

I am an avid believer in self-reflection. We must always consider our actions and the way they affect others and change them if needed. I heard a comment in class while talking about this commercial that really disappointed me. A fellow classmate said, almost verbatim, "Well, obviously he's going to have black friends." While discussing racism a racist comment came about without any flicker of regret. We all say things without thinking, but I really hope we can look at what we're saying and doing and change our actions when they are harmful. Racism, unfortunately, is one of the most difficult issues to tackle, and to do this we must always be conscious of how our words can promote the stereotypes we are trying to get rid of.