Search Style Sheets: Your Photos, Your Looks

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• Anonymous

  And this is why Justin Fenner is one of my favorite writers on this site. Keep it real, keep it personal, and then connect it to community and our society, and you’ve got a style and fashion site that’s actually relevant and worth reading. Well done.

• the+wild+man+of+borneo

  what the fuck!?!??? lol, alright ‘am black and i don’t even see what is so racist about this ad. people are way too sensitive…

• Anonymous

  These type of subtle messages are intentional.  It stirs the debate and has us talking about their products.  Their gamble on whether sales increase is measured.

• Anonymous

  These type of subtle messages are intentional.  It stirs the debate and has us talking about their products.  Their gamble on whether sales increase is measured.

• http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

  I don’t get it either, but the dude holding the head is hot. 

• http://twitter.com/Spokker Spokker

  This is what Mayor Nutter told black Philadelphia teens the other day.

• Anonymous

  Here’s another racist commerical which depicts an entire race as cro-magnon men:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F3qzfTCDG4

• The Mangodess

  You are stupid it’s not even funny.

• Jnine1979

  the+wild+man+of+borneo    Your a fucking blind idiot, whos trying too hard to have that happy go lucky attitude to life like your white master trained you to have “just laugh at everything” “everything is funny” “there is no racism no more, everything is just fine”. How can you look at that and say there’s nothing racist about it. If you aint got anything of common sense to say, then shut the fuck up!!! Go back to sucking your white bitches pussy you bo jangle sellout porch monkey.

• Anonymous

  I’m pretty sure they could have made the exact same ad with a male model of another race too. This company basically sells beauty products for men. They are saying that men should use their products to be clean-shaven and have nice hair. What’s the big deal?

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_T45FOLFO6XH46JGYX4ICTP6LGU Bryan N

  Dude has toooo much time on his hands. As someone who is Irish, if there was an ad with a bunch of guys drinking beer and looking like jackasses and it said ‘re-civilize’ I would think..yup..there ARE a lot of drunken irish d bags out there.

  It has nothing to do with me. I have more self esteem than that.

• Dontstepoff

  What a load of poppycock; if a White guy had been shown holding his unkempt hair like that we’d all have laughed!

• Dontstepoff

  really?? and you are not very racist against the honky white girls then?

• Angela008

  Nivia! I don’t get it. Whats the dif whether one is black or white ? Perhaps Nivia really need to think about what “message” they are trying to relay…?

• bozekmm

  It’s interesting that they would have an ad in this direction, especially since they’re one of Rihanna’s sponsors.

• bozekmm

  rude

• Anonymous

  Wow, do you have issues. Chip on your shoulder much?

• SlikRick

  Wow! Somebody’s uncivilized. Anyway, as a black man, I don’t see the big deal. But then, I’m not one to go around with a chip on my shoulder, taking “offense” at everything I can twist so. Way bigger issues in the world to campaign about than this.

• b00

  lol u mad

• Shawnjohn79

  Hmm, I do not see how the ad is racist. As a black man and not the privileged, sheltered, black republican. If the other ad featuring the White guy had the same image how would that be racist against the Black guy. Chalking it up to them using the word “civilized” does not make the ad racist what so ever. People can be a little too sensitive at times.

• KT

  THANK YOU for your voice of REASON. We need to stop playing the victim.

• http://twitter.com/john_KEDINI John Kedini

  I’am BLACK! and i wasn’t offended. if you think this is racist STOP CRYING AND MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• http://impossibledreamsmedia.com Chris Jones

  I don’t think the ad was intended as racist at all. They could have used the same ad with a white guy in it. 

• Sean68

  It will take more than a company that makes facial cream.

• Anonymous

  Let’s say I work for Deloitte.  Conservative, buttoned down, blue chip Deloitte.  If severed head dude walked into my office for an interview, it would last all of 5 minutes.  In fact, I once had a student show up to my office for an interview to be an intern and his hair was blown out and he had on Timberlands and a throwback jersey.  I sent him home.  Now, if I was looking for a writer for a magazine or web site, sure.  You can wear your hair any way you want to.  

  I fail to see the issue with the ad.  Put on big boy drawers and get on with living.  Either that or it’s a slooooow day at styleite.

• Justin

  Anyone who DOESN’T find this racially offensive really needs to go back to school and take a history class.

• getoffit

  you’re so enlightened. 

• getoffit

  and your definition of “nice” hair is…?

  #underlyingracism

• getoffit

  interesting how you immediately assumed the rest of that person to be outfitted in timberlands and a jersey. stereotypical much?

• i420

  Someone has issues. Major, major issues.

• C1eo

  At first glance I assumed he had decapitated the person with the afro. This ad has many things wrong with it. Racist is just one of its problems.

• Crclark

  It’s really sad that you see racism in this ad. All I saw was a good looking guy cleaning himself up.

• Anonymous

  Assumed what?  I opened my door and there he was.  Unkempt hair, Timberlands, and a throwback jersey.  For an interview.  I saw it.  It happened.  

• Anonymous

  Is it me, or is the guy shot-putting his own head?  Like he is throwing away his uncivilized look? 

  If so, isn’t it racist to say you can’t have a black man throwing away his civilized look?  If it were a white man throwing away his head with viking hair and beard, would that be a statement on the white race?

• Anonymous

  I don’t see racism, but I sure do see  male stereotypes and over the top grossness.

  I’m not male but it gives me the willies to look at an ad with a severed head in it.  THAT is the problem with this ad.  I don’t care what they’re selling, I’m not much interested in looking at it, let alone buying it.

• Cadam72

  If this was a white guy in the ad pullling off this “mask”, would there be a differant reaction?

• Cadam72

  If this was a white guy in the ad pullling off this “mask”, would there be a differant reaction?

• Ganymede

  Having written advertising copy for many years, this is one of the worse ads I’ve ever seen. It’s misdirected, violent, racist in the extreme and just plain dumb. A decapitated head, a black man, Islamic extremists,  and all you fools can say is white man, black man, it doesn’t make any difference. And you wonder why this country is going down fast. A great positive image maker for Nivea products! 

• john.kliber

  Aren’t you the same unenlightened people who saw racism in the Dove ad? You see racism in your soup, car upholstery, stars, clouds and air conditioning ducts.

• john.kliber

  Try replacing the self pity and persecution complex with logic and you might have something there.

• john.kliber

  Every one who disagrees with you simply lacks information compared to you then? Have you ever heard of the Night of the Sicilian Vespas when crankcase oil was smeared all over Byzantine mosaics?

• john.kliber

  No need to call in Sherlock Holmes on this one; it’s obvious Nivea despises black folks and likes to make practical jokes in “code”, just like Hallmark Cards did with the infamous “black hole” card. Both companies are run by coddled 12 year olds who inherited the companies and have enormous power to do evil due to their ages.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_P63E5RDFY4EZKPUDVGKXYR7O24 kayuka

  The racism grows out of the notion that Black people have never been the measurement bar, the standard, the norm for this country. If you consider this thought pattern it makes sense in that context.  What is the normal appearance of a man for this country? It is important to also consider the historical persecution of people in this country. I am not talking about 200 years ago. You can examine the record as far back as 10-20 years.  We still have significant amount of overt persecution of Black men and most recently Latino people.  So the brutality of the severed head, the brutality of the toss, the brutality of violence imagery, the brutality of one human being killing, getting rid of another, even if it is metaphorically, this brutality is what we are accustom to see for Black men in the media.  So that is part of what we call racism, thus making this ad racist, violent, self hating and much more. Just another way of looking at things.

• Justin

  Racism against African Americans is still a relatively recent thing – segregation was still in place through the 1950s – that was merely half a century ago. People who are still alive today can remember not being allowed to drink from the same water fountains, having to attend separate schools, and having to ride in the back of the bus. Referring to something that happened almost a THOUSAND years ago is not helpful in your argument for why this ad is not racist.

• Justin

  And the “correct” way of looking at things. Contrary to popular belief, there CAN be right or wrong opinions and most of the comments on here saying that this ad is NOT racist, are all incorrect opinions. Thanks for this very enlightening comment which will hopefully allow others to see how offensive this ad really is.

• Laura

  Hey, Sister….I’m really glad you have a humor about it…I’m not black, but furious…this is unbelievably disgusting…its like they wanted to say this how they really feel, and finally got to!! They started with the “white” men commercial, so they could lead up to this..you’re probably young, and dont understand the ugliness of this…on “Living Color” the head is funny…this is disrespectful, incorrect, racist and downright cruel..peace….

• Vasallese

  I did not take the ads as rascist, but I have seen them several times and wondered to myself “do I want a man I know using their products?’ I don’t think so, cause they make stupid commercials. Don’t care if the product is any good. Uf this how you want people to see the product, then I am not interested.

• Nature Freak

  Nivea has apologized for the advertisement.

  I guess there was something to the accusations. This ad was blatently racist. If someone is already racist, they may miss this fact.

• Nature Freak

  Nivea pulled the ads. Nivea deserves every single bit of scorn and criticism they are getting.

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/nivea-pulls-re-civilized-ad-that-sparked-racial-controversy/2011/08/19

• http://www.blueopt.blogspot.com Traline DeMon Spencer

  Unfortunately to some people this ad and anything like it will never click for them as being racist.  I have some of the most open-minded progressive thinking (white) friends, and I know a couple of them would never see the racism in this ad no matter how eloquent and descriptive I made my explanation.  This use to bother and frustrate me like nothing else until I had one of Oprah’s “ah-ha moments” (lol don’t we all miss Oprah).  My friends weren’t purposely refusing to see racism, or purposely ignoring things with racist connotations… they weren’t doing that at all.  When they look at me and other minorities, they were looking at us without any historical context.  They saw me and other African-Americans the same way they saw themselves.  Not figuratively or metaphorically… but they actually saw no difference.  So when stories like this would pop up, they would judge it by putting themselves in the situation and base an opinion on how they would feel or react.  They wouldn’t understand or see the racism.  Like the hair issue with this ad.  It’s saying that African-American hair in its natural form is uncivilized, and the racism there is pretty clear to me.  Sure there are degrees of racism, but racism of any kind big or small should not be tolerated by anyone who believes in equality.

  So my advice to those who are white and have a problem with understanding how things like this could be seen as racist would be this:  If you have a close African-American friend who you respect and trust to always tell you the truth, and you believe them to be rational thinkers in every aspect of their lives, and they confide in you that they are offended by something because they found it to be insulting and racist… BELIEVE THEM.  They have experienced all types of discrimination and racism throughout the course of their lives, so why not trust that this friend is better equipped to recognize this when it happens.  Being flippant or dismissive about it is hurtful and it shows your trustworthy respectably friend that you in-fact do not trust their judgement (which more than likely came from painful real-life experiences of racism against them).  I know this is not your intention because you see life from a totally different perspective, but the next time something like this occurs and you’re discussing it with an African-American friend, please keep this in mind.

  http://www.SociallyUrban.com

• Small Thoughts

  The ad is clearly racist and should be excuse enough for a riot or two.

• Lt042590

  You’re correct Mr. Writer, the ad is blatant racism.  Ignore the Nivea PR goons and envious non-blacks who spend 90% of their lives hating on us.

• PJ

  If you don’t see the issue, then you need to look a bit harder. It’s really not too difficult to see… except of course for people who hold racist feelings themselves, whether White or Black (and yes, Black people can have racist feelings towards their own race).

• PJ

  There is another ad, if you’d actually read the article, you would have seen that that was mentioned. BUT the article with the White model says nothing of ‘Re-civilizing’ yourself.

• Hay

  It’s an advertisement for a product you don’t need. Why do you care so much?

• http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Marrou/100001026744729 Chris Marrou

  I know it won’t matter to anyone whose mind is made up, but the ad does say RE-civilize yourself. That would presuppose that the person in the ad had been civilized and was just getting back to being so. Now, “civilize yourself” would have been clearly racist, but re-civilize is the sort of thing one would say to a couple of guys who’d been hunting for a week or so.

• http://www.blueopt.blogspot.com Traline DeMon Spencer

  You should read my blog where I  go into more detail about why I feel this ad is racist.  It’s not just because of the word “re-civilized”.  I believe charges of racism should never hinge on semantics… so the word “re” is inconsequential to my argument.  I’m not sure if they will let me post my blog address, but I’ll try anyway.  I’d love to hear your thoughts after you’ve read it.  http://blueopt.blogspot.com/2011/08/who-knew-racism-sells-skin-care.html

• Golfdude

  Really in 2011 racism and discrimination is still a topic of discusion. You people need to move somewhere else in the country if thats still the case I just re-rear the above and was about to post when I realized someone will probly find you people offensive, that’s a shame because it was directed at everyone.

• ScottinAK

  Come on get real – most ads aimed at men paint as us stupid, uncivilized and offer some product or service to make us more than cavemen!  Just a general statement to incite since my first might not – I find it ironically that, almost without failing, those that are the first to cry racism are the biggest racists around!   They know what’s offensive because they practice it so much I guess …

• Star56burst

  I’ll be!! Damn if you can satisfy them. Damn if you do and damn if you don’t!!! I am sick of all this racist stuff, it ain’t the white people any more.

• fossafun

  Cro-magnon are not a race….they are a sub-species of humans. They are us. We are them. All of us. Why does this truth offend you.

• j. grant

  Whoever Justin Fenner is, he could be the poster boy for the sort of PC media weasel that would love to tell everyone else what is OK to say or not to say, think or not think etc. The Left is about control – of you – by them. The notion that a free society might include things you might not like or agree with and therefore requires mature citizens who can handle it and who value freedom above all  is beyond such people. Everything they say ends up as a pronouncement that someone or company or product should be condemned because a PC rule was broken or that someone (usually the writer of the piece was “offended”. This is a wish for the ultimate in controlled societies – the gulag. Fenner seems to have a problem with the fact that whites created an extremely advanced society, unmatched by others. The other day another tribe was discovered in Africa which did not have contact with whites. Any guess as to their level of achievment. Stone age of course. And all the Fenners of the world is not going to change that.

• j. grant

  Your comment demonstrates the fraudulence of Political Correctness. If re-civilize is fine but “civilize” is racist then one cannot say “civilize” and must pretend for PC purposes that Black Africa had a civilization. Sir Kenneth Clarke in his PBS series “Civilization” noted that there are clear definitions which involve permanance (as opposed to nomadic) societies: ie. the construction of cities, institutions, a body of knowledge too extensive to be passed orally (therefore schools): science (missing in Black African culture and a written language (also missing – ps the ancient Egyptians were not Negroid but the Hamitic branch of Caucasians i.e. migrated Persians from what would be present-day Iran). In other words one would have negate or deny the facts of human history to be PC. In most cases this is the choice. One can either speak the facts or be PC. Rarely can one be both. PC is political censorship. Nothing more.

• J. Grant

  You seem to have no sense of the danger of a society that brings “charges” not against criminality but against “isms” it doesn’t like. This is how the Soviet Union and Red China operate. Charges of “capitalism’, “imperialism”, “euro-centrism”; ‘anti-communism” etc. are used as if they are crimes like murder, rape and assault. They are not crimes. They are disagreements. Charges of “racism’ are no different which is why “hate crime” laws are unconstitutional. Outlawing thoughts and feelings those in power don’t has no place in a free society. The basis of a free civilization is that our laws are based on objective acts proscribed. Murder and rape for example. In the bad old days of Monarchies subjective acts were outlawed which to us today seems barbaric and irrational. If your comment that the king has a fat ass was overheard and reported to him and if he found it “offensive”; it would be off to the dungeon. Or worse. On the other hand, if the king happened top be in a good mood that day and laughed it off – then no jail time. When citizens are at the mercy of how others might subjectively feel about what they say with charges brought as a result, they have just lost their rights and protections (free speech etc) modern man (white men specifically) has created based on objective laws. A return to subjective ones is a return to nightmare societies where people were sent to the gulag for “offending” a Party member. What you advocate is dangerous and ignorant beyond belief. If it is popular it some quarters, well so was the Politburo to its members and the third Reich to it’s insiders. What you advocate is also an unamerican, backward society. A return to the dark ages where the law was not a clear codified guide referring to acts. But applied capriciously based on mood, feelings and agendas of those in power. As Chris Hitchens once said, “When I hear someone tell me they’re offended, I’m still waiting to hear their point. Feeling offended is not an arguement.”

• J. Grant

  If a law was passed that prevented whites from eating at the same counter with another race, or sit in a classroom next to another race they would not feel deprived in the least. It’s you who has the problem.

• Mediagringa

  I am Hispanic, married to a black man, and I do not see the racism of the ad. The ad is just bad advertising. But, I’m racist, since I fail to see the blatant racism.

• http://www.facebook.com/people/Alfreda-Payton/1276030631 Alfreda Payton

   
  So what?!! THE NIVEA AD SAID TO BLACK MEN WHAT BLACK MEN SAY TO BLACK WOMEN ALL THE TIME! NATURAL, KINKY, BUSHY, OR TOO TEXTURED HAIR IS UGLY, UNSOPHISTICATED, AND NOT SEXY!
   
  Why is this a racist  message/standard when  black men are held to it, but if Puffy, Spike Lee, Tyler Perry, Eddie Murphy, Black Men’s Magazine, BET and tons of regular “brothas” OPENLY cast (and date) only lighter and/or  straight haired “Glamorous” women  that is just their preference…..and if any black women are offended, they just have low self esteem or are  imagining things and need “help”..
   
  {{{{Black men are NOT the most stereotyped anymore!! Black women, black children, black PEOPLE, immigrants, muslims…..there are plenty of folks who get it more! It has long been off limits to even specifically criticize black MALES. We have a black male president (and another in the running- Herman Cain). Racism exists, but black males are dishing out as much – OR MORE- than they are getting}}}}

• CH

  And if it were a clean cut white man in the ad with a Grizzly Adams head in his hands would this be an issue? No. So who’s the racist? People cry racist when a company doesn’t show enough blacks in it’s staff or advertizements, then when they do people cry about things like this? It almost as if the company was being set up: You’d better show a black man in your next ad! Now you’re a racist for showing a black man in your ad!
  I’m so proud to part of this human race which shows it’s ignorance and stupidity every single day.

• Anonymous

  this is funny…
  “I’m sick of this racist stuff…will you just let me oppress you in peace?”

• http://www.facebook.com/people/Alfreda-Payton/1276030631 Alfreda Payton

   
  Jeez dude. Most Sub Saharan Africans were NOT nomadic!! How could they be. Most have lived in there same lands for thousands of years, protecting territory from neighboring tribes and being wary of nomadic groups.
  Are  you stupid? Do you really think there were NO Written languages in East, West, or Southern Africa- just bunch of mud and straw huts clucking their history to each other?
  Africa was not the pyramid and black Jesus Super civilization that afrocentrics talk about, but it was also NOT the knuckle draggers in animal skins (except for the white africans) that you made up.
  I hate when racists try to be academic about their crap. Your brains only retain info that fits your message.
  Do yourself a favor, go into the kids section of the library and pick up books on Africa. I’m not kidding or being insulting. That is a great place for you to start with simple stories and info on the country. Then move onto the more complex stuff with so much info that its easy to skip to the parts you need to prove your theories.

• J. Grant

  Good point. Remember the “Black is Beautiful” Madison Avenue campaign? That was in the 1970′s when black women proudly wore their huge Afro’s. Ten years later when taking the train to work in Manhattan everyday I would see scores of black women on the train, and hundreds on the plaftform and it occurred to me not one, NOT ONE had a ‘fro’. They all had processed, caucasionized hair with soft, long flowing locks. The black men with their kinky hair looked (at least from the hair standpoint) as if they belonged to a different race.

• Jerrold_n

   i just see a person didn`t realize it was a black person til you brought it up.so who has the issue?

• really?

  really? is that what the ad said? because what i took away from it was that black men *cough* boys *cough* should stop running around like fools. dress properly and act like how a grown man would act… if you can keep a fro good for you but you don’t have to dress in clothes 8 sizes too big

• Alan

  Idiot.  This is why almost every commercial you see involves a dorky white guy being “corrected” by the cool black guy.  Advertising is the most racist industry there is.  They are so afraid to encounter exactly what Nivea has with this commercial, they go in the exact opposite direction.  It’s a commercial.  Grow up and have some personal responsibility.  How can we heal as a country when every single little thing any white person does is labelled as racist????????   Just maybe…….it’s just a f’in commercial.

• Alan

  This is why almost every commercial you see involves a dorky white guy being “corrected” by the cool black guy.  Advertising is the most racist industry there is.  They are so afraid to encounter exactly what Nivea has with this commercial, they go in the exact opposite direction.  It’s a commercial.  Grow up and have some personal responsibility.  How can we heal as a country when every single little thing any white person does is labelled as racist????????   Just maybe…….it’s just a f’in commercial.

• GET A LIFE

  Good God, quit your damn pitiful whining….i hope they never put another black person in an ad or commercial if all you do is look for a reason to claim racism. GET OVER IT

• J. Grant

  What you call “being academic” is the introduction of the historical record. Tribal Africans did not produce a written language or math or science yet discovered. Such skills when achieved are transformative to a society. Archeologists also over time tend to find them when they exist. The Egypitian forms – sakskrit, cuniform, heiroglyphics etc were not from black africa and date back 3000 years or so and have been studied for centuries. The books you are referring to I am familiar with. No serious person or historian regards the revisionist politically correct “history” books mandated by the nation’s politically correct education boards as legitimate (and neither do most whites). Including the college courses of “profs” like Leonard Jeffries of the City University of New York (since fired over it) where he taught in “black studies: that blacks were flying around in Egypt (claiming the Egyptians were black is a standard carnard of black studies) in planes they invented out of bamboo (I wonder what they used for fuel?), and that a Dr. Haiku invented the white race in a test tube under a palm tree. Insanity like this was taught all over the place in “black studies” courses around the country for self-esteem purposes by self-appointed black “historians”. At some point the nonsense became too great even for the white leftists that encouraged such ersatz “courses” based on the theory that somehow there had been a conspiracy among the world’s historians to cover up the incredible achievements of the black race. The nonsense that produced and the pure, undocumented fictions taught became a joke to most white people, despite the fact that the cowardly PC media avoided the issue. So it was amusing when at the grand, self-esteem event, The Million Man March in Wash DC, Louis Farakkan began speaking of the “Mother Ship” circling above us. The PC media weasels were caught on air trying to give credibility to another nut of this type and looked lost until they simply dropped the subject. PC revisionist history was designed by white leftists to raise self-esteem of the target group. It was hotly opposed by rational whites (who you probably would call “right wing” or the magical “r” word. No one seemed to consider what would happen if people actually began to believe this stuff. Not having the guts to simply it from the colleges and risk the predictable  allegations and campus turmoil, it began to co-exist with real history courses as a sort of alternate universe.  Regarded by faculty members like  the teaching of Toilken’s fictional novels. At the present time the policy seems to be the less said about this the better. The colleges greatly diminished academic standards in favor of greater “diversity” among the student body. In some areas there is practically no real standards at all. But with dhalf-empty classrooms after the baby-boom generation graduate, the colleges wanted to do nothing to alienate other races. There is also a ton of private and public funding attached to “diversity” levels (which is not about diversity at all, but a euphemism for simply how many non-whites are attending. I’ll stop here. This could go on and on. Sorry for the “academic” approach which apparently is your term for facts.

• getoveryourself

  If it’s racist, why is there a black man taking part in it? The only reason could be for money, unless he never considered it racist himself. Either way, the racist charge is unfounded, unless he sold out for money, in which case he is a paid for black racist. Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black. 

• Thomasyuma

  Arguing about this is about as tupid as whos fault the toilet seat is up or down.

• Jamman

  How the hell can you ‘re-civilize’ these creatures?  They’ve never had civilization, they just exist off the white man.

• jes

  Interesting commentary Jerrold.  Maybe it’s my screen, but with the backlight and all I didn’t realize this was a “black” man and didn’t realize he was holding another black man’s head.  But referencing a comment by another poster his bod, yes he looks in VERY good shape.  Why the hell are people taking commercials so seriously?   

• JOEJOE

  Im black and Im SO fuc$ing tired of all my bothers and sisters of color whining and complaining about this type of shit. If it were a white guy and it said to “re-civilize” nobody would blink an eye. We have BET (Black Entertainment Television), but if there was a WET it would be racist. We have black history month, if there was a “white” history month, it be racist. Cut the double standards. Lets all get over ourselves, learn to look past the color of anybodys skin, and live as one race, the human race. If any thing, I’m tired of black people. Have pride, but you were never a slave, nor will you ever be a slave. If we as black don’t move on ourselves, we’ll never get anywhere. I just always find it amazing that a person of color can say whatever the hell they want to anyone, be it black, white, yellow, orange, brown, fuc$ing purple for all I care, and its not racist. But a white dude says one thing, not meaning to be racist, and all of us with color, pull the race card. You want the white man to stop being racist, get over it yourself first.

• Ginger

  Um, yes, most of us certainly would. Especially if the service that came with one counter was more respectful than the service that came at the other counter, or if the classroom was, say, in a better school district. Sorry, but you really don’t get to speak for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US.

• Dougie.B

  All it takes is some one to holler “racism” for a corporation to withdraw and apologize….doesn’t mean it’s racist, just means our society’s too damn full of hypersensitive crybabies who see racism or unfairness or inequality in everything and coporations scared to death of offending anyone!

• Dougie.B

  whatever that meant……..

• Dougie.B

  LOL, yeah sure the vast majority of comments are wrong because the different than YOUR opinion which is oh so obviously right, and self righteous……Hey, maybe it’s you who are the bigot for considering any ad featuring a black man as racist!

• Dougie.B

  so if they stuck to their guns (as they shoud have), they wouldn’t deserve it?  Simply because they caved to the oversensitive doesnt mean that criticism was correct…..You may as well say “might equals right”….where have we heard that before……

• Dougie.B

  Sorry my friend, but simply because someone has a skin color other than white and is offended by something doesn’t mean that it should be automatically deemed as justified simply for that fact…….the issue should be explored as opposed to simply accepting sensitivity as justified,

• http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1110081029 Ron Dickinson

  While the first part of your comment is very open minded and well thought out, I’m not convinced by the second part.  I have several black friends (and no they do not call themselves African-Americans, not one of them) and I don’t hesitate at all to discuss things like this with them.  But to say that I should blindly accept that something is racist just because they say it is, does a disservice to all of us. 
   
  I would rather discuss it and question them as to why they percieve something as racist when I do not.  I don’t believe that any of them are insulted or hurt, they appreciate the fact that I want to know why they feel the way they do, and that I’m also willing to explain my perception.  I’m can’t imagine why anyone would be insulted or hurt by someone being interested in hearing their views and trying to better understand them, I believe it makes for a much stronger friendship, but maybe I’ve got it all wrong. 
   
  Oh and by the way these guys I’m referring to are the same guys that when they first met me would make “secret” (to me at least) jokes right in front of me, such as “Damn I’m hungry I gotta get me some CRACKERS” (crackers extra loud) and they would all laugh.  Being from up north and having moved to south Georgia, I had never encountered the term ”cracker” before, so I had no idea it was directed at me until months later, but even once I figured it out, I still wasn’t bothered by it.  We’re all friends now and they don’t call me cracker anymore.  Intelligence, reasoning and understanding triumph again.

• Dougie.B

  whatever that meant……..     

• Bfuldner

  Wasn’t Obama supposed to fix all this? But then I just remembered he’s half white.  What we truly need is a true black president Herman Cain.  Unfortunately the liberal media has ruined him through the recruited help of Gloria Alred with bogus lies.

• cincybaby513

  or could ir be nivea isn’t racist or they would have hired two whites guys instead oof two black guys for. so if they were racist the company wouldn’t want to give a black man or a black woman their companies money to support and survive their families they would of helped the white man or woman to take care of their families and thats just commercials. do you think the models work for nivea? i’m sure they pay good money to all races from their corporate office to the warehouse. so how is that racist again?

• guest

  So with all the terrible things going on in the world a possibly off color commercial is deemed important by Americans.   This is why people think we are dumb. 

• http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1110081029 Ron Dickinson

   While the first part of your comment is very open minded and well thought out, I’m not convinced by the second part. I have several black friends (and no they do not call themselves African-Americans, not one of them) and I don’t hesitate at all to discuss things like this with them. But to say that I should blindly accept that something is racist just because they say it is, does a disservice to all of us.

  I would rather discuss it and question them as to why they percieve something as racist when I do not. I don’t believe that any of them are insulted or hurt, they appreciate the fact that I want to know why they feel the way they do, and that I’m also willing to explain my perception. I’m can’t imagine why anyone would be insulted or hurt by someone being interested in hearing their views and trying to better understand them, I believe it makes for a much stronger friendship, but maybe I’ve got it all wrong.

  Oh and by the way these guys I’m referring to are the same guys that when they first met me would make “secret” (to me at least) jokes right in front of me, such as “Damn I’m hungry I gotta get me some CRACKERS” (crackers extra loud) and they would all laugh. Being from up north and having moved to south Georgia, I had never encountered the term “cracker” before, so I had no idea it was directed at me until months later, but even once I figured it out, I still wasn’t bothered by it. We’re all friends now and they don’t call me cracker anymore. Intelligence, reasoning and understanding triumph again

• Cblojr54

  what direction?

• Arnoldbailey

  It should have been two females and she was holding her by the hair of her……snizz….    lmfao 

• Arnoldbailey

  No… this is why people want to kill us..

• Never

  Did you say RE-civilize????  RE-civilize????  Since when was civility ever there????

• jvkatzen

  “Nice”  hair begins with clean, groomed, and cut/styled to make the most of a person’s features. 
  When I see long dreds, I assume they are not  particularly clean since the are exposed to/drag through everything. 
  I have the same reaction to any other elaborate hair fashion that is not washed daily. I’m old enough to remember beehives and they made me shudder at the thought of what could be living in there.

• Fed UP

  Ever been overseas.  The locals get more respect and better service than the tourist.  So is that racists?

• Anonymous

  I couldn’t even tell the man was black, and the head with the afro just looks like a fake head with a terrible wig.  “Civilize yourself” just came off as more (mildly) offensive to men than anything racial, honestly.  That kind of crosses the line from “playing on potential customer’s insecurities” to “outright insulting.”  Men aren’t cavemen or animals, no matter what color they are.  No matter what the product or the problem with its advertising, I wouldn’t buy it if they insulted me in their commercials …

• M. Specialfxlady

  I’m glad to see this perspective finally seeing the light of day. When are people going to wake up? Oh right, when we start voting with our dollars.

  If you need new haircare/skin care products, check out Oyin handmade. I love their stuff!

• M. Specialfxlady

   

  We live in a racist society plain and simple. They don’t need White history month because all they teach in the schools is a history which makes whites out to be the heroes whether they deserve it or not, until February, and then half the time they don’t even get that right.

  And just so you know, the owners of BET are all rich white guys. Whenever
  I hear this lame and tired “argument” about BET I think to myself, “now here is a
  person who’s never actually sat down and watched BET.” Because if they
  had, they’d know we do not “have” anything in this channel but a
  white-owned, misguided attempt to represent useless, harmful, and dated
  stereotypes which do not realistically reflect Black culture.

• http://www.discountoakleysunglasses-usa.com/ Oakley Sunglasses Discount

  Agree with what you say. The
  more friends, usually there, we just add them to friends, without continued
  with a wonderful social relations.

• Pico

  im NOT GOING TO SAY THAT THIS AD IS RACIST.
   BUT I DO KNOW ONE WEIRD THING ABOUT THIS AD….. ONCE THEY ADDED THE RECIVILZED PART AND  THE MESSY BLACK MANS HEAD, THE ISSUE BECAME A SENSITIVE POINT.
  BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE(MOSTLY WHITES) USED TO SAY THAT BLACKS WERE UNCIVILIZED( EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE NOT) WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED FROM AFRICA.
  SO IN ORDER TO FIT IN SOCIETY WE HAD TO CHANGE OUR APPEARANCE.
  I KNOW MANY PEOPLE HERE COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT.
  NIVEA SHOULD HAVE USED MORE OF A FASHION AND STYLE APPROACH IN COMPARISON TO THIS UNCIVILIZED PIC MESSAGE TO BLACK GUYS OUT THERE.

• http://www.facebook.com/michael.wuulf Michael Wuulf

  man get off that bs. you need to be writing to these young black men and state the same, LOOK LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN!