Darlie Toothpaste. It used to be called "Darkie" Toothpaste. If you look closely, you'll notice the logo is a minstrel character that has now been modernized like Aunt Jemima's hair-do; easy on the eyes, but still just as offensive. Now I'm going to interject my African-American expat opinion: Asian folk born and raised from Asia don't have the best tooth-care/oral hygiene practices to begin with. So on a positive tip, Thank you for admiring the naturally crest-white teeth that exist among most Africans. What can I say? We just got it like that! Add it to the long list of other natural talents like dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, sports and staying creatively fresh.
However,
This is 2011, and playing off of an ethnic groups stereotypes to market products is so 1933, the year that Hawley and Hazel (the company who created Darkie Toothpaste) was created. Although the company has tried to clean up their act and change the name, you can't hide the original derogatory meaning. You can mask it up with "minty fresh", But I'm sorry, What the hell does a Black Man in a top hat have to do with "fresh breath"???
This posts reminds me of a rap group I saw on my favorite Manga creators VLog, the groups trademark was that they rapped in Japanese.
ReplyDeleteYou can find some videos on youtube, just search by 黒人天才 kokujin tensai.
This video is pure comedy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyarIYNmWk8
Ha ha I just realized I put this link in the wrong post.
ReplyDeleteI'll check it out Mister Campbell :-)
ReplyDelete