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Dear Messrs Sainsburys and Tescos
How lovely that you stock the Black Energy drink promoted by Mike Tyson. I’d like to enter for the “pointing out the obvious massive problems with this” prize. I realise that most people will have got 1) using a convicted rapist to promote anything at all, quite frankly, but I reckon I’ve probably got some others.
This is mostly due to the advert, in which Tyson, sitting at a piano in a white suit, surrounded by thin white giggling women also (scantily, natch) dressed in white, sings “I may be a beast / can’t control myself / but what you should fear / is my body, yeah. / They say that I’m rough / unpredictable and stuff / but this can has more guts / take a sip and go nuts.” He then takes a sip of the Black Energy, hits the piano away from him in one fell swoop, and remarks “That’s how Black works” and does a weird little jig, presumably indicating how nuts he’s going. The girls all simper round him. The slogan BLACK Power! flashes at the bottom of the screen.
Seriously. It’s here, for those who want to check I’m not making this up. And even better? He also promotes a product from the same group called Sexenergy with the slogan “Only for the brave.”
I make this
1) Misogyny: using a convicted rapist to advertise a product
2) Appropriation: of the “Black Power” slogan to advertise a sports drink
3) Racism: The name of the drink, Black Energy, plays on the old “black men are athletic” trope
4) Misogyny #2: Lyrics which clearly reference rape
5) Misogyny #3: An advert which connects a rapist, singing about rape, to sexual success
6) Misogyny #4 & Racism #2: The sexually desirable women surrounding him are all thin and white and giggling
7) Misogyny #5: The slogan on the cans of Black Energy reads “As long as we persevere and endure, we can get anything we want,” with Tyson’s signature underneath. Coming from Martin Luther King that would be commendable. Coming from Mike Tyson, convicted rapist, that is creepy.
Honestly, this makes the Christmas season “mums do Christmas” adverts look like Germaine Greer at Speakers Corner. What in the name of Ctulhu do you think you’re doing selling it? Or do casual racism, misogyny and appropriation just not ring any alarm bells with your purchasing teams?
I look forward to my prize. Or at the very least, a response.
londonfeminist
Please report this to the advertising standards authority and get them fined.
Sadly, the ASA has no powers to fine the producers of tasteless or offensive advertisements. It can politely request that they be withdrawn and ask the media nicely to stop running them, but usually by the time it has passed judgement the ad has done its work and the offender has moved on to a new ad. This is why Ryanair, to name but one repeat offender, continues to produce offensive advertising, be regularly criticised by the ASA, and then produce a new ad.
The ASA needs the power to ban media from accepting ads from repeat offenders. Don’t hold your breath though. London Feminist’s approach is probably the only effective one – go for the retailers who are tarnishing their own brands by stocking the product.
Dear oh dear. When grinking someone, you should at least take care to spell “Cthulhu” correctly… };-)
Haven’t yet watched the video, but the mysogyny and racism sounds just like any Usher music video, or indeed 80% of the music videos which accompany modern rap/hip-hop/shite.
And … there’s no such thing as a “sports” drink!
Response from Tesco: “I am sorry you are unhappy with a product we sell and will make sure that your comments are fed back to our product placement team and supplier for consideration on this.”
Response from Sainsburys: “Hi, thanks for your patience. We do appreciate your concerns. We sell a very wide range of items and believe we should let customers make the decision on what they buy. However, we’ve made the buyer aware of your concerns and will closely monitor all further feedback. Thanks for taking the time to contact us.”
Which is a better response than the auto-one from Tesco, but also demonstrably nonsense: they wouldn’t sell booze to kids, and they pride themselves on not selling products containing caged hen eggs so ethical considerations evidently do come into the buying / selling process. If compassion for hens is a factor but compassion for women is not, then we are not going to see eye to eye here.
Wow you seriously have too much time on your hands….. Mike Tyson is a hero and you are a bush munching lesbian!
Thank you Axe wound, for that incisive comment. I’m sure we’re all much enlightened.
I think I might drop a line to Sainsbury and Tesco myself.
Gosh, axe, you seem to think there is something wrong with being a ‘bush munchinglesbian’. I suppose you can’t cope with the competition; what woman wouldn’t want a bml?
Tyson is a thug with a talent for punching people. That doesn’t make him a hero.
Mike Tyson Vs Bush Munching Lesser….. who would win? I’m backing Iron Mike with an upper gut to the ‘Axe Wound’ but it is open to debate.
More to the point why is there a MrCharley on a feminist website? Must be a BML called Charley but wants to be a Mr and not a Ms….. not very in line with your proud female feminist approach wouldn’t you say?