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Bryan Eacret
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 4:05pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

I don’t understand the problem with the Cream of Wheat chef. 
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Nathan Greno
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 4:30pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Bryan: I don’t understand the problem with the Cream of Wheat chef. 


From what I’ve read — the guy on the box is a character named “Rastus”, a caricature of Black Americans who was dim-whitted and spoke in broken English. 

(Apologies if the font size of this post is larger than the rest — when I’m using my phone, it seems to have this side effect 🤷‍♂️)


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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 4:50pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

(Apologies if the font size of this post is larger than the rest — when I’m using my phone, it seems to have this side effect 🤷‍♂️)

——

It’s a bit kludgy, but what I do is paste the text into the search/address bar and then cut/copy again. That removes any formatting, including font size. 
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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 4:57pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

I had no idea about Rastus, but looking at this old ad for Cream of Wheat... ugh, yeah totally racist. 

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James Woodcock
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 4:59pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

In the U.K., when I was a kid in the ‘70’s, there was a jam maker -
Robertsons, that had the most racist of racist symbols - you could even
collect badges of them.

@ the time, as someone who was under 10, I had no idea, not the
slightest inkling, that these symbols were racist.

They were eventually removed & I eventually understood just how
racist a symbol these things were.

Just because a racist symbol has been around for years, it doesn’t stop
it being racist. It doesn’t stop it serving as a reminder of the past, while
strengthening a subliminal image.

Just as sexist images do about women.

Just because they have been around for decades, doesn’t mean they
should be kept. Due to the background to those images, whether race
related or sexist related, they should be removed.

People arguing about tradition. Man, they need to realise what that
tradition they are arguing about really is.
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Ryan Maxwell
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 5:00pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

Nathan, use the Font Size drop down.  I believe the default is 3. 
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John Byrne
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 5:29pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

In the U.K., when I was a kid in the ‘70’s, there was a jam maker - Robertsons, that had the most racist of racist symbols - you could even collect badges of them.

•••

I was two decades ahead of you, and as a child never realized Golliwogs were supposed to be Black people. After all, there were several Black kids in my class, and none of them looked like that!

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Bryan Eacret
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 6:04pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

That ad is awful. 

Could a black character represent these brands that are considering changing anymore?

Not knowing the history of the Cream of Wheat chef it seemed like a character that looked similar to Chef Boyardee. I don’t have a problem with Chef Boyaredee. Hopefully, he wasn’t portrayed negatively at some point. Although, I now have an understanding that the history of Rastus is bad, I think his image is pleasant looking. 

I understand the concerns over Aunt J and Uncle Ben. The names of the characters are used in racist ways. The brand names need to go away. 

It seems like the Cream of Wheat chef is at this point mostly an image. I’m sure there are many advertising characters that are still in use that were used in racist ways over the years. Do they need to go away?  How about other characters (maybe Bugs Bunny)?

How does a company use a person of color as an ad icon nowadays? Is it possible to use a cartoon version of a person of color?  Would any image become a caricature?


Edited by Bryan Eacret on 19 June 2020 at 6:10pm
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Doug Centers
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 6:21pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

Land O Lakes recently removed the Native American woman from most of its products.

And speaking of Native Americans, probably one of the most derogatory terms ever used to describe them "redskin" is somehow still used by an NFL team, and that team is in our nations capitol. Even after many schools have abandoned using tribe names they persist. Incredible.
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Pete Carrubba
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 8:46pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

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Kevin Brown
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 9:15pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

Pete, there are so many things wrong about the "food" pictured there....
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Brian Floyd
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Posted: 19 June 2020 at 10:07pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

Doug Centers, what's even worse about the Redskins is that they are owned by Dan Snyder, who is Jewish. Considering the Jews are the most persecuted people in history, you would think he would understand. But he refuses to even consider changing the name. Won't happen unless he's forced to do it, or is no longer owner and someone else pulls the trigger on a name change.

Personally, I think the name Warriors would work. 

George Preston Marshall, the Redskins' founder, was definitely a racist. The NFL added black players in 1946; the Redskins didn't have any until 1962. And that only happened because the U.S. government threatened to revoke the team's 30 year lease on their stadium (which was owned by the government). Robert F Kennedy, the Attorney General at the time, was one of the people who forced the issue, and the same stadium was later renamed Robert F Kennedy Memorial Stadium.

The reason I even bothered bringing George Preston Marshall up? Because a memorial plaque with his name on it was removed from that stadium yesterday.

As a Cowboys fan, I've got reason enough to hate the Redskins, But the fact that they were founded by a racist AND the team's name and logo are racist makes me hate them even more as a human being.

(Sadly, my father is a Redskins fan.....) 

P.S. Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch is the shiznit. 


Edited by Brian Floyd on 19 June 2020 at 10:10pm
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