Amy D. sent us this really fascinating South African commercial for a light truck:
Contextualizing the commercial, Amy remarks that, given race relations in South Africa, many companies probably do operate as this team does at the first job with the white home owner. Yet, the commercial presents the black and white men as partners, switching roles so as to maximize their customer base. There’s an irony, though: While the partners seem to be cooperating, their cooperation naturalizes an (in this case symmetrical) preference for those within one’s own race.
Amy is optimistic about the impact of the ad:
The tagline “the bakkie that helps build the nation” is a great play on words. Literally, it refers to the fact that many small contractors – builders, pavers, electricians, plumbers – use this small truck as it is cheap and reliable. Figuratively, the need for nation-building in South Africa is crucial. Although we are 15 years into democracy, there are still huge social and economic gaps between racial groupings, and there is a tendency for people to segregate themselves. The way I see it, the two men in this advert are therefore achieving this nation-building by firstly, breaking racial barriers by running a business as partners, and secondly, in the meta-context, by subverting our racial stereotypes through humour.
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Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Comments 6
Joseph Orosco — June 9, 2009
Obviously, the South African context for racial dynamics is much different than the United States so it's hard for me to say whether this is really subversive of racial stereotypes. Another reading of the ad is that the men are really reinforcing the stereotypes in the minds of their customers for the sake of material gain. I think its also interesting to witness the class privilege and hierarchy assumed by the partners when they switch roles. It naturalizes the idea that labor is menial and middle class people can simply whistle and order others around while they sit idly by.
Reanimated Horse — June 9, 2009
I'm not able to view the commercial on this computer, but I still feel oddly qualified to ask this. Is it possible that the advertisers were actually making the point that something is accepted as normal, and leaving the viewer to deduce that it shouldn't be?
I'm not trying to give credit that's not due or make a statement when I haven't even seen the ad - I am just curious if that's another possibility.
Caitlan — June 9, 2009
Oh, this was uncomfortable to watch.
Gaelan — June 13, 2009
Did anyone else happen to notice that the magnetic sign on the side of the truck appeared to change from job site to job site? I couldn't read the (presumably European) name at the beginning but at the second site the company name read "Ubuntu." Strategic interaction, anyone?
Su — June 13, 2009
The first sign says "Monument Electrical: 24 hour service", in Afrikaans. The second says "Ubuntu Electrical: 24 hour service". Ubuntu is a Zulu word for the concept of only having a value as a human because you're part of a bigger society. A person is only a person because of other people.
Which is very appropriate for the message this advert is conveying. Despite wanting to exclude people from business (the white homeowner wants to only deal with his own race, and the same with the black homeowner), the two electricians are partners and need each other.
As an ex-pat SAn, I'd say this advert is very subversive.
PattiLain — June 15, 2009
I don't know if I'd call it subversive. In SA there are lots of ads showing an ideal world of happy race relations. To me, it's just another feel-good ad because of the relationship between the two men. The joke is on the homeowners if they don't want to deal with the person of the other race.
That's just the impression I got, as a South African.
There seems to be a huge influx of ads trying to push national pride (not just because of the impending soccer world cup) and show people of all races getting along, which is great, if idealistic. Also, I've noticed that in many ads here in SA, if there can be only one model representing a company, it is often a mixed race woman. Especially when ads talk about "the future". "The future" is often represented by a black or mixed-race (or coloured) female child.
It is surprising though, that 15 years into democracy, there is still a majority of white images here. The models in ads should be black 80% of the time if the advertisers care about reflecting the country's demographics.