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People of UAH,
The latest Coke advert is stupidly insensitive but coming from a multi-national, I am not surprised. Probably referring to the new brand (the 300ml bottle), but illustrating it with the beauty of a woman, this fool says to his mother-in-law: 'She is short BUT shapely' - implying that while she suffers from shortness, her 'short-fall' is compensated for by being shapely. To me this is poignant stupidity and discrimination - the stupid humanities that use stereotypes rather than character to judge people - especially coming from Coca-Cola. Why did they not say for instance that: 'She is portable and shapely', instead of down-grading her shortness.
Unfortunately, these human stupidities abide everywhere. Recently at an introduction ceremony, the speakers cracked so many jokes that satirize disabled persons and other stereotypes. They said for instance that how can a person with 'Ebbango' (Kypho-scoliosis) claim that he/she is going 'to lie down for siesta'. They went on to say that how can a blind man say 'I see!!!' while acknowledging a point'. They talked about people with bold heads, and how a big adam's apple indicates that someone is emaciated and is so poor. I touched my adam's apple and reasoned that this was only satire because I doubt if these guys had any dime to pose about. Then they drifted to short people, and thereafter they delved into how a big fat belly indicates that someone has dime - in a way fueling society's stupid look at obesity. I looked at my cousin who has flat abs and wondered how many people at that ceremony had more dime than him. And all the while, everybody was laughing at the discriminatory satire. My biggest question, don't we have any more manners. When we were young, our parents warned us never to laugh or even look stigmatizingly at disabled persons. Why is our society built on stereotypes?
Reminds me of when someone cracked a very insensitive joke by trying to say a prayer. He prayed: "Dear Lord, I pray that may those who love me continue to love me; and for those who do not love me, may the lord turn their hearts; and if He does not turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so that they are easily identified by their limping" - just as he was finishing and looking very cunning and everybody was laughing, in comes this guy, the nicest guy in the class but with a limp - everybody felt very embarrassed - the prayer was abolished immediately - but it has stuck in everyone's brain as a lesson for us not to make it one of the 'humanities' to satirize disabled people. For all those who stereotype people and judge them on the basis of physics, FCUK You!
I think we should generally wake up and hold most companies accountable about the messages they put out. I listen to adverts by companies such as coca cola and warid and i feel they are simply thoughtless. the coke advert is just dumb, If they don't take action and continue to run what is deemed an offensive or stereotypical advert in endorsing a global brand; please alert me for escalation to the world wide "owners" of the brand!
The antecedent and precedent do not normally go together and that one is expected and the other is not usual. It is a stereotype. Example 'Interesting but terribly overrated' - The first one is positive, the second one is negative, showing it is not expected. Or reverse: Foul mouthed but educative: The first one is negative, the second positive. You cannot say: 'Sam is good but Just' - but cannot be used for two positives or conversely: 'Lucifer is bad but a cheat'. For them to say 'she is short BUT shapely' means one of the two is bad - is it bad to be shapely? No. So they mean that shortness is bad. They should have said 'short AND shapely' or simply ka-portable AND shapely. These are latent stereotypes that look simple, but when multiplied by Coca-Cola, amount to much!
In a marketing and advertising context; despite the usual/expected scrutiny before release of adverts; it is difficult to predict in entirety, the adverse -ve effects an advert would have on targeted markets!
For a brand of Coca Cola's status; any advert that yields -ve results notably; trumping up stereotypical (or any type of garbage or offence) in targeted markets or societies, will be withdrawn immediately and apologies issued; regardless of time and money spent in the production process. Consumer perceptions are highly important.
It is imperative that; Century bottling (Uganda's promoter of brand Coca Cola) immediately withdraws or reviews an advert that has; "un delighted" or offended targeted customers in a given market-in this case Uganda! Top brands quickly learn and dance to, consumer "tunes" and or perceptions!
Prejudices prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances. They are simply the chains forged by ignorance to keep men apart. Judge me all you want, just keep the verdict to yourself, GOD DAMN IT!!
Tolerance is the consequence of humanity. According to Voltaire, we are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature.
Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike. And in the words of Mother Theresa: "If you judge people you have no time to love them".
As God fearing people our creed should be: O Lord, help us not to despise or oppose what we do not understand but to appreciate and respect the diversity of your creation.
--
"My best songs: http://soundcloud.com/kibirige64/arise-final-mix, http://soundcloud.com/kibirige64/revolution-final-mix, http://soundcloud.com/kibirige64/president-final-mix
-- The latest Coke advert is stupidly insensitive but coming from a multi-national, I am not surprised. Probably referring to the new brand (the 300ml bottle), but illustrating it with the beauty of a woman, this fool says to his mother-in-law: 'She is short BUT shapely' - implying that while she suffers from shortness, her 'short-fall' is compensated for by being shapely. To me this is poignant stupidity and discrimination - the stupid humanities that use stereotypes rather than character to judge people - especially coming from Coca-Cola. Why did they not say for instance that: 'She is portable and shapely', instead of down-grading her shortness.
Unfortunately, these human stupidities abide everywhere. Recently at an introduction ceremony, the speakers cracked so many jokes that satirize disabled persons and other stereotypes. They said for instance that how can a person with 'Ebbango' (Kypho-scoliosis) claim that he/she is going 'to lie down for siesta'. They went on to say that how can a blind man say 'I see!!!' while acknowledging a point'. They talked about people with bold heads, and how a big adam's apple indicates that someone is emaciated and is so poor. I touched my adam's apple and reasoned that this was only satire because I doubt if these guys had any dime to pose about. Then they drifted to short people, and thereafter they delved into how a big fat belly indicates that someone has dime - in a way fueling society's stupid look at obesity. I looked at my cousin who has flat abs and wondered how many people at that ceremony had more dime than him. And all the while, everybody was laughing at the discriminatory satire. My biggest question, don't we have any more manners. When we were young, our parents warned us never to laugh or even look stigmatizingly at disabled persons. Why is our society built on stereotypes?
Reminds me of when someone cracked a very insensitive joke by trying to say a prayer. He prayed: "Dear Lord, I pray that may those who love me continue to love me; and for those who do not love me, may the lord turn their hearts; and if He does not turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so that they are easily identified by their limping" - just as he was finishing and looking very cunning and everybody was laughing, in comes this guy, the nicest guy in the class but with a limp - everybody felt very embarrassed - the prayer was abolished immediately - but it has stuck in everyone's brain as a lesson for us not to make it one of the 'humanities' to satirize disabled people. For all those who stereotype people and judge them on the basis of physics, FCUK You!
I think we should generally wake up and hold most companies accountable about the messages they put out. I listen to adverts by companies such as coca cola and warid and i feel they are simply thoughtless. the coke advert is just dumb, If they don't take action and continue to run what is deemed an offensive or stereotypical advert in endorsing a global brand; please alert me for escalation to the world wide "owners" of the brand!
The antecedent and precedent do not normally go together and that one is expected and the other is not usual. It is a stereotype. Example 'Interesting but terribly overrated' - The first one is positive, the second one is negative, showing it is not expected. Or reverse: Foul mouthed but educative: The first one is negative, the second positive. You cannot say: 'Sam is good but Just' - but cannot be used for two positives or conversely: 'Lucifer is bad but a cheat'. For them to say 'she is short BUT shapely' means one of the two is bad - is it bad to be shapely? No. So they mean that shortness is bad. They should have said 'short AND shapely' or simply ka-portable AND shapely. These are latent stereotypes that look simple, but when multiplied by Coca-Cola, amount to much!
In a marketing and advertising context; despite the usual/expected scrutiny before release of adverts; it is difficult to predict in entirety, the adverse -ve effects an advert would have on targeted markets!
For a brand of Coca Cola's status; any advert that yields -ve results notably; trumping up stereotypical (or any type of garbage or offence) in targeted markets or societies, will be withdrawn immediately and apologies issued; regardless of time and money spent in the production process. Consumer perceptions are highly important.
It is imperative that; Century bottling (Uganda's promoter of brand Coca Cola) immediately withdraws or reviews an advert that has; "un delighted" or offended targeted customers in a given market-in this case Uganda! Top brands quickly learn and dance to, consumer "tunes" and or perceptions!
Prejudices prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances. They are simply the chains forged by ignorance to keep men apart. Judge me all you want, just keep the verdict to yourself, GOD DAMN IT!!
Tolerance is the consequence of humanity. According to Voltaire, we are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature.
Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike. And in the words of Mother Theresa: "If you judge people you have no time to love them".
As God fearing people our creed should be: O Lord, help us not to despise or oppose what we do not understand but to appreciate and respect the diversity of your creation.
--
"My best songs: http://soundcloud.com/kibirige64/arise-final-mix, http://soundcloud.com/kibirige64/revolution-final-mix, http://soundcloud.com/kibirige64/president-final-mix
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