Sony defends PSP ad following accusations of racism

[clen]

Lawl, clipseh just showed me this:

I think the ad is stupid, racist or not...

Lol now that would have been an awsome ad... although then overweight people would get mad.

 

[cloud13]

people are so ****ing sensitive

 

[Tassadar]

I'm not sensitive at all. I found the ad hilarious. What was funny was that Sony would be retarded enough to allow something like this. When your marketing you have to take into account people who might be offended. I wasn't offended... but it's pretty damn obvious to see where someone might be. Sony is lucky they didn't release it in America. That's something I would have loved to see.

 

[Optimus Prime]

It's the social norm to believe we should be offended by anything public that advertises a white and black person together doing anything besides smiling. It's the standard, and if you don't follow the flock, you aren't politically correct. It's an overreaction, but it's the only reaction we are allowed to have.

Wow, you nailed it, right in the balls. And it's sad that it's true.

 

[Tassadar]

It's the social norm to believe we should be offended by anything public that advertises a white and black person together doing anything besides smiling. It's the standard, and if you don't follow the flock, you aren't politically correct. It's an overreaction, but it's the only reaction we are allowed to have.

Social norm to accept a white person and black person smiling together- yes. Social norm to accept a white person grabbing a black persons throat in what looks to me like a very "I'm better than you," fashion- no.

Like I said I'm not offended by this... I could see how some are and some are not, and how either position could be argued. But that doesn't excuse the fact that this was a very poor marketing decision by Sony. Only an idiot couldn't see where this would piss a lot of people off and cause a lot of controversy.
Even though it may be a Dutch exclusive ad, someone must have forgotten there was this thing called the interweb that was made a while back.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Social norm to accept a white person and black person smiling together- yes. Social norm to accept a white person grabbing a black persons throat in what looks to me like a very "I'm better than you," fashion- no.

I'm better than you fashion? Now you're just splitting hairs. I can do that too, to me it looks like they're about to make out.

It's sad that we live in a world where most people blush at the word black.

People are so god damn sensitive.

 

[Gon]

People just want to argue about something for no reason all the time, but I can see why the ad could look racist.

 

[Pieter Paul Rubens]

Just replace the humans with a black and white PSP and nobody would give a damn.. It's silly to accuse Sony of racism because of this ad.. Nothing racist about it, just a simple ad to notify the public that a white PSP is coming..

Now, if the ad would state "The White PSP, because we ****ing hate ******s (n word for black people)", then it would be racism..

 

[frsrblch]

I guess symbolism itself is racist then. Quick, make Darth Vader blue so that people aren't offended by a villain being black.

It amazes me how stupid people are.

 

[Promiscuous Girl]

-- I guess it goes both ways-- people who are too senstive get shot down by people who are just as insensitive-- in a way, it's quite racist. While sure, it's not hardcore lets go lynch a black person (or white person) type racist, but it is deliberately intend to highlight skin color and therefore it is tasteless and racist-- sorry, but you just can't get around the issue.

These images still don't balance things out for me overall though, it sort of reinforces stereotypes of black people being the aggressor and white people having something to fear from them. I guess the problem with imagery, is that it can be interpreted in any number of given ways. They could've easily went with two hot chicks of the same race in different color bikinis-- im sure that would've been enjoyable for everyone.

I suppose the advertisment campaign as a whole isn't really racist though-- but it is one that i would still deem poorly concieved and executed.

 

[SaiyanPrideXIX]

I'm better than you fashion? Now you're just splitting hairs. I can do that too, to me it looks like they're about to make out.

It's sad that we live in a world where most people blush at the word black.

People are so god damn sensitive.

Amen. Racism is so damned stupid I can't even imagine people taking it seriously anymore.

 

[Eon]

Anyone who tries to look for racist symbolism for the publicity, or some kind of "compensation" for their pain and suffering from the "racist" act is beyond retarded, and needs to die.

In a fire.

 

[Adaptus]

There'll always be racism as long as there are people with different appearances (skin tone etc), because that's just the way people are.

Judging these ads and calling them racist could have easily been foreseen. I don't approve of people jumping on them and calling SONY racist, because they aren't, but I also don't think SONY should have gone along with launching the campaign, because, like I said, it could have easily been foreseen that people would react negatively on it.

 

[Pieter Paul Rubens]

Still.. Imagine a PSP Zebra coming out.. The ad would feature a nazi SS soldier grabbing a jew by the troath

No, for real.. I think that them people who think this ad (black vs white) is racistic, are racists themself.. They still look upon people as being different just by looking at the skincolor/religion.. I for one look upon people as humans.. A black guy is the same as a white guy or a red guy or a yellow guy or a blue guy (damn you smurfs).. There are jokes about white people, why is it so racistic to have jokes about black people? There are ads that involves some skinny nerdish white guy being pwned by a beercan, does that mean that this ad is racistic? For crying out loud, people are crying "racism" whenever the color black is involved..

I'm not a racist, quite frankly, I hate pure racists that actually hate people that have a different view/skincolor.. But I've been accused of nazism and racism back in high school because I was having fun with some friends about hitler and jews and black people.. Now, if I had replaced hitler with "bob" and jews with "smurfs" and black people with "joe and bill" nobody would give a damn.. I don't see why people can't make fun of other people/situations without being called a racist?

 

[Raeku]

OMG.. imagine something like that happen in a country like South-Africa.. lol..

I think its an over reaction. Its only a billboard people.. get over it.

 

[clen]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6153816.html
Sony pulls the ad... guess if you make enough noise things go your way to shut you up.

 

[Adaptus]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6153816.html
Sony pulls the ad... guess if you make enough noise things go your way to shut you up.

Like SONY's boomerang controller.

rifk

 

[Tassadar]

Like I said, I was never offended by the ad, but if some random person walks by the bilboard, sees it, and doesn't follow gaming like we do (wouldn't know about PSP black or white) I could definatly see where one might get offended. I know for a fact that it wasn't Sony's intention to offend people, but I'm just amazed at how something like that could have made it past the drawing board. Someone at Sony should have said, "Hey that might piss some people off," apparently that didn't happen.
I can't believe none of you actually think it might offend someone in the least. Look at it from a completly objective standpoint, forget everything you know about the PSP and Sony, forget the fact that Sony was just trying to personify it's PSP Black and PSP White into humans. A white chick strangling a black chick in a clearly superior manner. It's so obvious. Someone is going to be offended by that. The ad shouldn't have been made.