Forums → WEPR → Are white males portrayed as "wimps" by the media?
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I've seen it all to often- a white male, usually very untanned and soft looking (as if to exaggerate the point), is made to look either wimpy, stupid, slow, or all of these things on a TV commercial. The person portrayed as intelligent and informed in such a commercial is almost always non-white or female. Before we continue let me state that I have absolutely nothing against non-whites in any way at all. Some of the nicest people I have ever known have been non-white. Now continuing on, do you think that there is or notice such a media-generated stereotype of white males? I find it difficult to think that there isn't; from car insurance ads to tech commercials I find it very annoyingly present and lame. Now I obviously don't disagree that there are white males are like this, because there just are. But there are wimpy men in all races as there are strong men in all races. Thoughts? Comments?
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Yes, this is very juvenile as well as partially wrong.
6, 11, 13, 16, and 18 are very much wrong and this is a bit of topic- what is this? Is this a fetish website?
Anyway, let's pick apart their fallacies, it'll be fun!
6.
Racism is the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races, not necessarily the prejudice that all whites are greater than all blacks. Nonwhites can be equally racist as whites can.
11.
Blacks kill other blacks just as whites kill other whites. The wording makes no difference.
13.
Hip-hop culture is very violent, anti-woman, vulgar, and low. Ever listen to hip-hop?
16. What the heck does this mean? A blank facial expression usually indicates a misunderstanding. If the other person said something as stupid as this, I would have a blank face for lack of understanding.
18.
They are if they bring up the former injustices against them by (usually southern) whites.
, do you think that there is or notice such a media-generated stereotype of white males?
Nope.
Thoughts? Comments?
The topics you keep making and the arguments you use for them are representative of white nationalists who believe minorities are taking over the USA and that white males are under attack as a whole. It's a common view I've noticed that racists hold. Not that I'm saying you're racist (nothing you've said so far makes me think you are) but I'd suggest actually getting data before making claims like these. Write down how many different commercials you see and what the roles of all the people involved are, and I think you'll find reality to be a bit different.
white nationalists
You got me, I'm white. And yes, I love my nation (America)
who believe minorities are taking over the USA
Nope, not until they are called majorities.
You got it right that I'm not a racist though. Just let whites be whites and don't confuse white culture with racism.
white culture
I'm white and I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.
have you considered that since there are so many white males in the country, some commercials just happen to have dinky white guys?
That could be the case if it was a "real people" commercial ("We asked real people to do X". This generally doesn't apply because most marketers select actors/actresses very carefully and style them to convey a visual message (such as adding pens in a plaid shirt pocket and glasses to exemplify the "geek" stereotype). Did you think the team that made the Cheerios commercial just happened to randomly choose a racially mixed family to film?
I'm white and I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.
It doesn't mean racism, just as black or latino culture don't. White culture in my opinion is just things like going to the movies together on a Saturday night or a camping trip in the mountains (no offense, but I have never seen African Americans camping in my 15+ years of camping experience). IDK, I could be wrong, but I seldom see distinct groups of minorities out doing the "all American" stuff that whites do. I guess I've always assumed that they are in the inner city rapping and at soccer events and whatnot.
It doesn't mean racism, just as black or latino culture don't. White culture in my opinion is just things like going to the movies together on a Saturday night or a camping trip in the mountains (no offense, but I have never seen African Americans camping in my 15+ years of camping experience). IDK, I could be wrong, but I seldom see distinct groups of minorities out doing the "all American" stuff that whites do. I guess I've always assumed that they are in the inner city rapping and at soccer events and whatnot.
as another person said before. they ARE minorities. the chance of you seeing a black person on the street is already much lower then seeing a white person, add to that the further elements that decrease chance like "going to movies" or even worse "camping" and the precentage drop.
going to the movies on saturday night isnt an american white thing. its pretty much an international thing to anybody who has a cinema. and camping is pretty much something only certain people with that hoby do. its really not anything special to white culture.
The answer is fairly simple, actually. Modern businesses are not willing to risk being perceived as being racist or promoting racism. If an advertizing agency has a commercial plot involving one bufoon, jerk, criminal, or similarly unflattering character in an otherwise "normal" cast, the worst thing they could do is give the role to a member of a racial minority. If the ad features people of both sexes, they may opt for a male character to avoid accusations of misogyny.
Yes, this is very juvenile as well as partially wrong.
6, 11, 13, 16, and 18 are very much wrong [...]
What about 4: No such thing as reverse racism? The author is using an overwhelming exception to rule out everything short of the greatest extreme, as though racism only applies to facist dictators bent on exterminating or enslaving all other races.
Also, 10 seems to be confusing racism-targeting with racism-promoting initiatives.
That could be the case if it was a "real people" commercial ("We asked real people to do X".
Not even. "Real people" includes paid actors. I sincerely doubt that more than 1/3 of the people you see there are voicing their own opinions. The rest are being selected for their opinions.
White culture in my opinion is just things like going to the movies together on a Saturday night or a camping trip in the mountains
Neither of these strike me as particularly "American" activities, or even things caucasians would be more likely to partake in.
That could be the case if it was a "real people" commercial ("We asked real people to do X". This generally doesn't apply because most marketers select actors/actresses very carefully and style them to convey a visual message (such as adding pens in a plaid shirt pocket and glasses to exemplify the "geek" stereotype). Did you think the team that made the Cheerios commercial just happened to randomly choose a racially mixed family to film?
Regardless, if a country's population is 90% black, then 90% of the people in commercials will likely be black. Some of them will be manly, some will be dinky. Which was my point.
What about 4: No such thing as reverse racism? The author is using an overwhelming exception to rule out everything short of the greatest extreme, as though racism only applies to facist dictators bent on exterminating or enslaving all other races.
Also, 10 seems to be confusing racism-targeting with racism-promoting initiatives.
I know, I just didn't have time to get to all of them.
Neither of these strike me as particularly "American" activities, or even things caucasians would be more likely to partake in.
Brothaz don't camp.
As for pretty much everything else that has been said on this page after my last post- I can agree with it.
FYI, I wasn't supporting the list when I linked to it. It was just for discussion.
I tend to go with the "target audience" explanation. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of subconscious thing going, but I do not think that white males are systematically portrayed as "wimps".
I tend to go with the "target audience" explanation. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of subconscious thing going, but I do not think that white males are systematically portrayed as "wimps".
^ This.
Tech/car advertisements *can* look somewhat "whimpy" (There's bound to be a better word for it) but I think (as HahiHa) pointed out, it's the target audience - thus, white, professional males.
And to throw it in, surely there isn't a "White culture"?
I'm Irish and white, OP is American and white, and our culture is 100% different.
I've watched a lot of TV over the years, and I've developed some theories as to why certain people are portrayed a certain way in certain commercials. They may be common theories, and the may be total hooey, but I have thought about it before ever since I heard a comedian (Steve Byrne, perhaps?) bring it to my attention. For the sake of debate, and the fact that I haven't made a very long post in a very long time, especially one at the top of a page, I'll bring my speculations to your attention.
I wouldn't use "wimps" to describe most of the men on these commercials, but I do see what you mean when you say that white guys are often portrayed as stupid on commercials. However, I don't think racism has much to do with it. I agree with it being based on who the target audience is, and I would go as far as to say that white men are portrayed as stupid because they are the target audience.
In most commercials I've seen, guys, white or not, are portrayed one of two ways. There's the more traditional style where the man is portrayed as more "manly" and robust, and then there's the portrayal of the more "stupid" man. In the former, he is almost always an attractive, fit male who uses the product being advertised the way it's meant to be used. These are the "be this guy" commercials. These commercials are effective, but some guys, like myself, don't find them very memorable. The "stupid" guy commercials, on the other hand, usually feature a less-attractive, often out-of-shape guy who, at least from what I've seen, is doing something incorrectly and is the butt of some joke. These are the "don't be this guy" commercials, and they are meant to be humorous and often appear in the middle of comedic shows. I fall under the category of men who respond best to humor, even if I never buy any of the products I see on TV, so I am more likely to remember one of these commercials than a "be this guy" commercial.
Most guys watching TV are going to relate somehow to both the "be this guy" guy and the "don't be this guy" guy. If white males are the target audience, they are going to relate most to a white version of both of those guys, even if it's subconsciously. If an average-looking white guy is watching a commercial on TV, and he sees one featuring a very attractive black man and one with a very attractive white man, he knows he's never going to be a very attractive black man, for obvious reasons, but something in his mind may tell him upon seeing the very attractive white man that he could look like the man in the commercial. The idea that an average Joe viewer could look like or be like an attractive man in a commercial is essentially the idea behind the "be this guy" commercial, and if the average Joe is white, so is the man in the commercial.
The same applies with the "don't be this guy" commercials. Joe is watching TV, and he sees a guy on a commercial whom he perceives to be less attractive and/or less intelligent than himself, so right away he is glad he is not that guy (it doesn't necessarily occur to Joe that the man is a paid actor). If Joe is watching his favorite TV comedy and one of these commercials pops on, it would not be a stretch to think that Joe would also be in the mood to laugh at whatever Mr. Don't Be This Guy says or does, or at least recognize the humor. At the very least, if he's paying even a little bit of attention, he'll think "That's stupid" or "Is that supposed to be funny?" or something along those lines (I've experienced all of the above from different
"don't be this guy" commercials), but he'll at least remember the commercial from having thought about it, and he'll associate that product with that commercial, and/or vice-versa. He's now still more likely to buy the product than if he found the commercial boring and hadn't given it a second thought.
So do "be this guy" and "don't be this guy" commercials exist when the target audience is not white? Of course they do. They aren't as common, of course, but you will see them if you keep your eye out for them. There are also, of course, commercials that combine elements from the "be this guy" and the "don't be this guy" commercials, including the trending "be this guy, but don't be this guy" commercial, where the guy does something funny and/or stupid with the product being advertised.
I would conclude that, yes, some white males on American commercials are portrayed as stupid, while some are not. If you remember the commercials where they are portrayed as stupid, you probably respond well to humor, and are therefore, whether you know it or not, part of the company's target audience.
As for commercials that target females, there are an entirely different set of rules for those that I haven't yet figured out.
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