Microsoft in web photo racism row

[TimberWolf]

Why don't we see adverts for skin creme with the women all dressed in burkhas?

Faceist!

[d000hg]

We had similar a few years back with Ford(?). People want ads that are relevant to their own nation/culture. Ugandans would not expect an ad with white people either. Beats me why people are so stupidly sensitive.

I don't think this is being overly sensitive. Editing a photo to remove the black guy is like saying "we're happy to endorse your dislike for black people".

I normally dislike the whole PC thing, but this seems to be a case where it's deserved.

[SueEllen]

We had similar a few years back with Ford(?). People want ads that are relevant to their own nation/culture. Ugandans would not expect an ad with white people either. Beats me why people are so stupidly sensitive.

I wouldn't hold Ford up as an example of good practise as the photo was being used in France. France use to have colonies and if you go there you do see non-White people. In fact L'Oreal in France has recently lost a court case over how they recruited people to sell their products as they wouldn't recruit anyone who wasn't White.

[George Parr]

Editing a photo to remove the black guy is like saying "we're happy to endorse your dislike for black people".

Why? If I was marketing in China I would feature Chinese models, Black models for Botswana, etc., They are just trying to click with the locals.

[Board Game Geek]

G Parr wrote : Why? If I was marketing in China I would feature Chinese models, Black models for Botswana, etc., They are just trying to click with the locals.

Makes sense from a target market perspective.

You sell/appeal to the largest target group.

People "see and imagine themselves" when a model of their race / culture / creed is wearing clothing, for example.

They don't imagine a different species, race, colour or whatever wearing the clothes.

I think it's a non-story, that is being used by some to play the race card again, or just have a pop at MS, or both. These people wouldn't see reason anyway, being the brood of Cyberman.

[xoggoth]

It isn't anything to do with dislike of black people d000hg, it is just about having an advert we relate to. Adverts are also oriented to the target social class, age etc. You wouldn't aim Rap CD adverts at pensioners.

It is a perfectly natural human thing to empathise/be with people like yourself, everybody does it, it's why migrants always go to where their compatriots are. It is nothing to do with disliking others.

Of course if it's whites doing what everyone does it must be racist.

[TimberWolf]

I think it's more to do with the fact that the guy was ugly than black.

[OwlHoot]

I think it's more to do with the fact that the guy was ugly than black.

Can't be anything to do with his head apparently not being attached to his shoulders straight, because the replacement guy seems to suffer from the same affliction.

[xoggoth]

You're right. The original black guy's head looks just as Photoshopped. Maybe it was originally a white guy and they put a black guy in to up the ethnic quota then lost the original.

Perhaps there should be automatic software to do this sort of thing, how hard can it be? I would keep clicking the big tits filter personally.