A Voice Against Modern Day Racism

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Introduction
Racism is a well-known type of discrimination that is causing an uproar of different definitions
and mutating to each and every center of our world. There are different definitions to what
racism really is but that all narrows down to on single thing, which is discrimination of persons
by their skin color or race, and an accompanying belief that this makes them inferior in
comparison to existence of other races. People turn out to be racists as they grow up with beliefs
that members of a different race are inferior or naturally superior to one another in the same
ideology a society may turn out to be racist its practices and treatment of the individuals in the
society is based on each persons racial identity. (Hoyt).
My Topic is an advertisement on a racist Chinese Advertisement on a detergent (link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq-I0JRhvt4). The advertisement is about a lady who walks
to a laundry room to do her washing. Later on a black guy approaches the Chinese lady from
behind and she tries to woo her. The lady appears to be falling for the black guy but instead tricks
him towards the laundry machine where she throws the black guy in the machine and applies the
detergent in the machine, after a moment of waiting the guy that comes out of the machine is a
Chinese guy. The girl later embraces the new guy from the laundry machine. From the
advertisers point of view symbolizes that the detergent can wash a black filthy person to become
a clean and adorable Chinese person hence portraying that the black people are inferior to the
Chinese people. The video clearly lowers the social status of the black persons just at the start by
the mere look of him, paint all over his shirt and face and as he enters he is swinging a brush
with a paint can on his hand clearly showing that he was just from doing painting. The video
continue to show social backwardness as the approach style of the black guy is uncouth whistling
and winking of his eye to get attention of the Chinese lady, The description of the detergent from

the view of the advertisement is one that washes all that social backwardness, filth and dirt of the
Black people and creates new beings that are of a lighter skin texture (Chinese origin).
Racism indicators in a society often include inequalities in power, treatment and
policy that only tend to affect only one party. Lets take an example which lasted for decades in
the American society well renowned as the Jim Crows Laws and the Grandfather clause. The
Jim Crow rules were constituted by leaders in the mainly in the southern and border states
between the years 1877 and mid-1960s they were a series of stiff anti-black laws that kept the
black mans place in the society low and of despise (Pilgrim). After a later on fight of
abolishment of the Jim Crows laws the leadership of the time corrupted the constitution even
more by placing clauses like the Grandfather clause that limited the black people of the time to
vote since their grandfathers were not voters. This was very unfair considering most of the black
people came to America as slaves and hence did not have any grandfathers of their own. The
same view that the American leaders such as of the time had about the black people is the same
view that the advertiser on the advert has about black people as being inferior and lacking the
capacity to act as normal human beings hence deserving treatment close to that of animals.
The inhumane treatment of the black person in the advertisement by the Chinese lady is
racism as the method by which she throws the black guy in the washing machine is using
forceful means and the guy is seen trying to resist but he is too late to react to the already current
situation which finds him in a washing machine and already bleached by the detergent which
transforms him from a black gut to being a Chinese guy. The lack of appreciation for blacks in
the advertisement is clear that the black people are regarded to as having a problem and should
be eradicated from the world and replaced by white people who are more suited to survive and
are a more better race than the black people which is not a case since all the people are made to

react and mutate according to what life presents for them, Herbert Spencer who furthered his
research in Charles Darwins studies in the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection
clearly highlights points that Charles Darwin left out indicating that given the social, political
and psychological set up of the society in matters surrounding race relations in the late 19th
century the application of Charles philosophies would most likely lead to scientific racism in
which the ruling race would always be favored while the black race would time and time again
be looked down upon. (Berkeley)
The above stated advertisement is socially incorrect and the message being sent out
does not in any way reflect the black peoples way of life of social standards, morals and their
interaction with other people, The belief that there is inferiority in the black race should be shun
and their rights upheld just like any other race. The description on the advertisement should be a
basis of what the detergent should do and how it is suited for use for all races based on a nodiscrimination routine whether for the black people or for the Chinese people because despite of
the racism displayed in the advertisement there are a lot black people who have made a great
difference in the world by reconstructing what the world knew as backward and uncivilized is
slowly turning to what the world is treasuring. Social icons such as Oprah Winfrey and Barack
Obama are all black people who have risen above peoples idealism of the black and made a
difference in this world proving that being black doesnt make you dirty, unwanted or socially
backward. The advertisement is therefore spreading news about a social evil that we should all
hold hands and declare as a worldwide war against racism and focus on building a world
governed by love and appreciation of all races no matter their sizes, color and ancestral fathers.

Works Cited
Berkeley. http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_02. 2013. 16 July 2016.
Hoyt, Carlos. "The Pedagogy of the Meaning of Racism:." National Association of
Social Workers (2012).
Pilgrim, Dr. David. http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm. 2012. Article. 16 july
2016.