Month: September 2018

“I Carry A Gun Because A Cop Is Too Heavy”

Via Etsy

This bumper sticker relates to the issue of gun control. A lot of people have different opinions about this topic and there has been many arguments about whether there should be stricter gun control laws. People who are against stricter gun laws believe that their 2nd amendment right will be violated. This sticker appeals to people are against gun control.

The sticker says “I Carry A Gun Because A Cop Is Too Heavy” and the message implied is that people should be allowed to carry their guns because they can’t rely on protection from police all the time. The implied message is also that  The ideology that this sticker appeals to is the ideology that everyone has the right to protect themselves by baring arms. The logical appeal comes from the line that says “A cop is too heavy”. It’s a logical statement because no one would be able to carry a police officer, it’s not practical. The statement is easy to get even if you have different views about this topic.

Stricter gun laws has been a very big topic recently due to many mass shootings. There has been mass shootings at schools and other public places. People feel unsafe and want guns not to be so easily accessible to people who abuse this right. There has been many marches, walk-outs, and protests to call for gun control and to keep our children and communities safe. The commonplace is that everyone should be safe and protected but there is a disconnect in how people believe we should go about it. This sticker works logically but it is a very over dramatic statement. The sticker could have made a statement about their views but without such a sarcastic tone. Gun control is a serious issue but the sticker makes it seem like a joke by saying that a cop is too heavy to carry.

A photo of a walk-out held at my high school. Image by Mya Rivers/PicsByMyxx

“Believe In Something. Even If It Means Sacrificing Everything”

http://https://youtu.be/-grjIUWKoBA

Video via The Guardian

Colin Kaepernick has become a very symbolic person in our lives when it comes to protesting and standing up for what we believe in. Kaepernick is an American football player who in 2016 protested racial injustices by kneeling during the national anthem before the start of NFL games. By kneeling during the national anthem he caused a lot of controversy. People began to call his actions unpatriotic and disrespectful.Ultimately Kaepernick became a free agent and filed a grievance against the NFL accusing them of collusion after not being hired after the protests.Fast Forward to now. Colin Kaepernick is still advocating for equality and social justice and has won multiple awards.

This Nike commercial  was released September 5, 2018 and is titled “Dream Crazy”. The ad enforces the importance of acting now no matter the hardships or sacrifices. The ad features Colin Kaepernick, Serena Williams and Lebron James who have all been through struggles but have been successful in the end and has earned multiple awards. This commercial comes at a time where people are scared to speak up, follow their dreams, or do what they believe is right in fear of what others may say or think.

The commercial was released before the start of the NFL football season. The kairos of the commercial comes from the fact that Colin Kaepernick who is the narrator of the commercial still doesn’t has a job because he spoke up about injustices. It is relevant now because as the beginning of football season starts it is a reminder that Kaepernick has sacrificed his football career by protesting. Nike’s slogan is “Just Do It.” and the message is to do whatever you believe in and do it now. Colin Kaepernick’s message is still relevant, there are still injustices and he is still dealing with the effects of protesting. Kaepernick’s message at the end of the video was to ” Believe in Something. Even it it Means Sacrificing Everything”, this means that you have to take action now no matter what may happen. Kaepernick’s way of protesting definitely gave him attention so that he could make his message clear, he didn’t wait around thinking about if he should  do it not, he just did it. The video sends the message that if he can do it, so can you and you should do it now.

 

H&M’s “Coolest Monkey In The Jungle”

Image by H&M via The Guardian

Another offensive ad, not so surprising is it? As we are approaching a new year in a couple of months let’s just say we had an interesting start for 2018. On January 7th a picture of a young boy modeling a particular hoodie went viral. A Twitter user by the name of @CharlesMBlow noticed the ad on the H&M website and decided to call them out. After he sent his tweet more people went to the website and saw the very offensive and poorly thought out ad which was featured on the company’s UK website. After all the tweets and Instagram posts about the picture, people began to boycott the brand. The singer The Weeknd and rapper G-Eazy who worked with the company decided to end their partnership with them while others celebrities like Lebron James and Diddy also spoke up about it.

Now let’s talk about Why it’s offensive. The phrase on the 5-year-old Liam Mongo’s hoodie says, “Coolest Monkey In The Jungle”. Time and time again a Black person is called a monkey. The word monkey has been used for years to put down and belittle Black people. Comparing black people to apes goes back to years of slavery. Slaves were often dehumanized by their masters to justify their actions and were treated like animals. The phrase itself isn’t racist but getting the Black boy to represent that phrase is. The question that everyone is asking is “why was he the one chosen to wear it ?”,  while the other young model of a different race was chosen to wear a different one. If the other model would have worn it, it would not have been offensive. There is clearly a negative connotation associated with that word when it is used in relation to Black people. Why did it have to be a monkey? Why not any other animals in the jungle? In my opinion, it was definitely a conscious decision.

The ad takes away from the actual purpose of it, which is persuading people to buy the item. This does the exact opposite. Instead of looking at the item and thinking “maybe I should buy this”, it makes people not want to support the company at all. It also singles out a group of people. When doing things and especially having a company, you have to think about everyone and how certain things can affect them. As an African American, I was definitely offended and very disappointed. H&M was actually one of my favorite places to shop because of their cute styles and affordability, but after this happened it definitely made me reconsider. Oddly enough, I’d just bought a sweatshirt I really liked from them a week or two before this happened and I definitely thought about returning it.

Ads are supposed to appeal to the consumer’s emotions but instead, this ad made them feel disrespected. When I saw the picture it made me mad, upset and confused. I was mad because it was very disrespectful and it made see that that’s the way they view Black people. I was upset because this was a company that I liked and have shopped there a lot. I was very confused on how this got approved by their marketing team. Even though this isn’t H&M’s first controversy this one has caused a lot of problems and even riots.

On the other hand, in response to the negative emotions caused by the ad, people decided to turn the picture into something positive and make the hoodie the way they thought it should be. They made a hoodie that represented the way we view the little boy instead of the way H&M viewed the boy. We saw him as a handsome young king.

Image via The Source