[Duncan]

What are VW playing at?

Volkswagen told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the video had been pulled and that “we can understand the outrage and anger.”

“Without question: the video is inappropriate and tasteless,” Volkswagen wrote. “We will clarify how something like this could happen, and there will be consequences.”

Volkswagen pulls ad after outcry, apologizes for racist overtone

Germany’s Volkswagen has pulled a social media ad for a new car and apologized after an outcry over its racist overtones.

www.marketwatch.com

 

[Tooks]

What a bizarre advert!

Somebody will be looking for a new job shortly I expect, at least one.

 

[Coda]

Hmm, what's racist about it?

 

[dk6780]

I presume that you haven't seen it?

 

[A_Camera]

I have seen it. It is still there and I don't think it will ever be removed, the link in the article works.

You must think as racist if you see anything racist in that.
Of course, VW must act and apologize, after all, it's about business.

Would it be different if the hand was black? Or of the hand was black and the guy pushed away was white? Or if the cafe was called something else, not the Petit Colon...? People get offended too easily nowadays. That's my opinion.

 

[Coda]

I presume that you haven't seen it?

I did watch it, and I still ask the question. I see a person being pushed around. Where's the racism?

 

[Duncan]

I did watch it, and I still ask the question. I see a person being pushed around. Where's the racism?

According to the article:

shows a massive white hand pushing a black man away from beside a new yellow Volkswagen Golf parked on the street, then moving him to an open doorway and flicking him inside a French cafe.

Commentators on social media also noted that as the German-language slogan “Der Neue Golf” - “The New Golf” - fades into view, the jumble of letters can be read as a racial slur for a brief moment.
And the cafe’s name is Petit Colon, which in French literally means the “Little Colonist.”

From watching the video I think the racial slur is that the text briefly says "what a goal". So white hand pushes black man into a cafe called the 'little colonist' with the caption 'what a goal'.

Apparently the hand can be seen as making a white power gesture. I think that's at 7 seconds in, the thumb and forefinger in a circle with the other fingers outstretched.

Basically any of these things on their own could be chance but its the combination of so many elements with racial undertones that look like it is deliberate.

 

[Coda]

According to the article:

From watching the video I think the racial slur is that the text briefly says "what a goal". So white hand pushes black man into a cafe called the 'little colonist' with the caption 'what a goal'.

Apparently the hand can be seen as making a white power gesture. I think that's at 7 seconds in, the thumb and forefinger in a circle with the other fingers outstretched.

Basically any of these things on their own could be chance but its the combination of so many elements with racial undertones that look like it is deliberate.

Thanks for the clear explanation. My eyes are more open now.

 

[dk6780]

It's "right-on" to make a series of adverts featuring a white woman and a black man sharing everything, but taken in isolation where the white (woman's) fingers deny the black man (access to the car) along with the other observations it is considered racist.
Back in the day PETA's outrage at Paul Hamilton having an animal fur was not enough to get the Golf advert withdrawn, but today ......

The Golf has aged better ......

 

[SimonMK]

I'm curious about the OPs motivation for posting this on the ID.3 forum, but not in the VW general forum or even one of the Golf forums? The advert was after all about the Golf and not the ID.3...

 

[Duncan]

I'm curious about the OPs motivation for posting this on the ID.3 forum, but not in the VW general forum or even one of the Golf forums? The advert was after all about the Golf and not the ID.3...

Sorry, my mistake. I thought I'd put it in the VW general forum.

 

[SimonMK]