["Bad Breath"__Getty.com via Yahoo.com homepage]SEE the image above? Today it was associated with a Yahoo.com homepage article on bad breath. Talk about inappropriate. In fact, I was so irked by it, I just had to register a complaint. Not because I believe it'll make a difference in how the Yahoo art / graphics department deals with racial profiling (the sceptic in me says it won't), but because if I don't say something, my head will explode. Sometimes, speaking up can be an emotional release, a way to express frustration, even when there's no way in hell it'll lead to positive action. Still, who knows, maybe someone at Yahoo - or Getty for that matter - will see where they've erred, and remove the pic, but I highly doubt it. If certain basic notions about race are so ingrained that a person can approve a picture like that without thinking twice, well then I hardly think a complaint or two is going to change their mind about it. No, I believe my complaint will be dismissed as "taking things too seriously", or illicit the "what's the big deal, it's just a picture" response, but at least I'll feel better having done something about it. It may not matter to them, but it'll matter to me. (As for the photographer, well, he or she is a lost cause.)
I hereby present the Yahoo.com feedback form I filled out. Behold, it's a thing of beauty...
RE: "Five Foods That Fix Bad Breath"
The picture associated with the article is RACIST. The black woman's mouth is covered by a white woman's hand. COME THE FUCK ON. Don't white people get bad breath? I've met MANY who do. Are black people inherently stinky? NO, they are not. It's bad enough that you used a black woman's face to symbolize the bad breath issue, but to have it covered by a white hand? That just takes the cake.
This is the 21st century and somebody at Yahoo needs basic training in race relations.
SHAME ON YOU.
And THANK YOU for listening.
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Some people left comments beneath the article, reminding me once again why I love the Internet:
Quick question: Why does the picture of the person with bad breath have to be black? That is a racist picture.
The image used in this article is inappropriate-- a white hand covering a black face. This is totally unacceptable. Images like this are perceived to be racist and if so, that is the intention of the editorial staff. Who is responsible for this content? Perhaps the Ontario Anti-Racism Secretariat should be made aware of the liberties taking by Rogers Communications?
I agree that the picture seems racist. If you had used Black and Black or White and White it should not offend anyone.
The photo is very racist. I've seen racist images on Yahoo before but nothing like this. The pic they used for this item crossed the line and I sent in feedback to complain. Shame on you Yahoo! You should know better!!
ummm that picture is super racist... a white woman's hand covering a black person's mouth... i'm sure it was not on purpose but that's in very poor taste
Mar, call me old fashioned but I still believe that impressions matter. As a psychologist, I can confidently infer that whoever put the picture up is subconsciously racist (well aren't we all). I suggest impression management on the internet to avoid getting people offended. The people in the display photo should have been the same race. I rest my case.
And then there's this gem from freddy_6909:
SEE THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH RACISM!: I saw a few comments nagging the picture, I am white and i didnt even freaking notice that it was a black person and white hand. If you black people would just shut the hell up and stop b*tching about racism, we would hardly even see things as racist. Pointing out racism just makes it more noticable, and thus, more public. If something doesnt appear racist to 90% of the population, then it probably isnt very racist, and thus, stop drawing attention to it and just read the damn article.
Of course, I had to respond:
Hey freddy_6909,
Your head's stuck so far up there I'm surprised you managed to read the article.
Bwah! Stay tuned, this might get interesting...or freddy_6909 might get distracted by porn and never come back. Who knows? It's the fucking Internet, for chrissakes.
Ok, take a deep breath...
@ Mar and freddy_6909: What you two are adressing is not so much an issue for those who say that there is racism, but rather an issue for those who say there is not. When people start to believe that there is no such thing as racism, it makes indicators of racism (such as the advertising picture for this article) far less noticeable to conscious thought and therefore critique. In turn, this makes the messages being portrayed, as you both pointed out, a normal part of non-racist life. While I can appreciate that these images do not influence you to hate people of varying hues, there is something else which I think is being missed. Even if the images do not persuade people into thought processes of hatred, what they do in the long run through repeated exposure is persuade people that others who fall into varying group categories demonstrate particular qualities or characteristics; in essence they help people to build stereotypes. While the stereotypes being built in today's common media are certainly not as directly negative as the discourses of hatred and seperation present 100 years ago (which I should mention still exist, though to a lesser extent), they still serve as a basis of discrimination for many. This is very much characteristic of the types of racism many people suffer from today. Part of combating this is actually recognizing and pointing out the messages of racism (be them minor or extreme) which do exist, thereby allowing the public an awareness of the subject and consequently an ability to challenge it.
Word.
["Hand Over Mouth"__Getty.com via Yahoo.com]Fixed.
Whaddyaknow?? Someone did listen and changed the homepage picture.
Ha! I think I believe in Santa Claus now - and just in time for Christmas, too.
Power to the people!!!
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