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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 26, 2009 at 8:45 pm
I have to agree with leo here. In China, you'll find adverts with Chinese people in them; in Egypt (because I've been) you'll find adverts with Egyptian and other African (black) people in them. In a country that is predominantly white, you'll find adverts with white people in them.
It's just marketing, and whilst it may appear "racist" for us, I suspect it's probably because we live in a multi-cultural society used to seeing black people on adverts, an generally in society.
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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 27, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Leo, you are , I think, looking at this from a business perspective and you do not see any racist connotation.
I, on the other hand, see a black face changed to a white face and an apology offered by the outfit making the change, but no defintive reason ofefred for the change.
I will take an awful lot of convincing that an element of racist thought did not bring the change about.
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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 27, 2009 at 3:46 pm
It's not up to me to convince you, you asserted that Poland must have a problem over black people. You have yet to demonstrate that.
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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 27, 2009 at 3:56 pm
(August 27, 2009 at 3:46 pm)leo-rcc Wrote: It's not up to me to convince you, you asserted that Poland must have a problem over black people. You have yet to demonstrate that.
You misunderstand my point about Poland. I was suggesting that MICROSOFT made the change because THEY perceived a problem with showing a black man and changed it to a whitey.
I'm no expert on Poland but I know they have white supremacists there and I think there has been problems with racial taunts of black footballers in that part of Europe.
Anyway, I smell racism, what you smell is down to you.
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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 27, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Okay, then answer me this and then we can put this one to bed:
What if instead of photoshopping a white guys head on the stock footage they had, they spent the extra money and they got three actors, made a photoshoot, and published that as the add for Poland. No black guy in that picture. Is that racist?
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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 27, 2009 at 4:58 pm
(August 27, 2009 at 4:27 pm)leo-rcc Wrote: What if instead of photoshopping a white guys head on the stock footage they had, they spent the extra money and they got three actors, made a photoshoot, and published that as the add for Poland. No black guy in that picture. Is that racist?
As much as the other except they wouldn't have been caught 
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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 27, 2009 at 5:08 pm
But there aren't any Eskimo's in either picture, that's racist.
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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 27, 2009 at 7:36 pm
(August 27, 2009 at 4:27 pm)leo-rcc Wrote: Okay, then answer me this and then we can put this one to bed:
What if instead of photoshopping a white guys head on the stock footage they had, they spent the extra money and they got three actors, made a photoshoot, and published that as the add for Poland. No black guy in that picture. Is that racist?
I'll try and answer you. Are you suggesting that the original photo wouldn't have been shown? Rather, someone would have censored it and do what you are suggesting? If it had been shown then would they have apologised and do what you suggest? And if so, need only whiteys apply for the shoot?
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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 28, 2009 at 4:58 am
(August 27, 2009 at 7:36 pm)bozo Wrote: I'll try and answer you. Are you suggesting that the original photo wouldn't have been shown? Rather, someone would have censored it and do what you are suggesting? If it had been shown then would they have apologised and do what you suggest? And if so, need only whiteys apply for the shoot?
No, the stock footage has been used in the US already. The marketing dept of Microsoft has to launch a new campaign in Poland. Instead of using the picture of the first campaign, they decide that that is not a setting that would be commonplace in Poland (which it isnt, with less than 3 percent of the Polish population being any other color than white the odds of a Black guy and an asian guy in a Polish office is negligable), they opt for a new photoshoot. The result is picture number two, but its not a photoshop but a real picture. Is that racist?
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RE: BBC: Microsoft in web photo racism row
August 28, 2009 at 7:01 am
(This post was last modified: August 28, 2009 at 7:02 am by Retorth.)
In my opinion, if they hired 3 more actors and did a proper shoot, it would still be considered as having racial stipulation, but it's a more sensitive approach. To take an older picture and do a photoshop job (much less a really bad one) is outright insensitive to say the least. Again, just my opinion =]
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