Acuvue is the subject of today’s installment of “Who the Hell Approved This?”
So, the black kid wants to be a professional athlete (probability of this occurring is 24,550 to 1 — aim high, young man). The young woman wants a guy to like her (chances of this occurring are… fairly high, actually, unless you live in Elton John’s house. Aim low, young lady.). The white kid wants to run a business. Seems reasonable. Who hasn’t seen commercials with white men as bosses? Can’t deny reality.
The ad stirred up some controversy online.
A YouTube user posted the following: “What a disgraceful commercial! So, the girl only wants to be ‘pretty’? The white boy, the ‘boss’? The black kid, an ‘athlete’? Racist AND sexist! Buh-bye, Acuvue!”
An Acuvue representative quickly responded:
“Thanks for your comments regarding our 1-Day campaign. We wanted to take a moment to clarify our intentions. The 1-Day campaign is all about encouraging you to be confident, no matter what you do. Obviously, both glasses and contacts can give you good vision. But many people like how contact lenses make them look or how they can let them play sports or do activities where glasses can get in the way. We hope this clarifies our intentions. Thanks again for your feedback.”
Unfortunately, these carefully worded talking points didn’t satisfy everyone.
“Oh look, how creative! The African-American boy wants to be an athlete, the white boy wants to be a CEO, and the girl just wants to be desirable. Sexism AND racism, all in one 30-second shot, I’m impressed….”
The Acuvue representative took the time to address this user’s concerns, as well.
“Thanks for your comments regarding our 1-Day campaign. We wanted to take a moment to clarify our intentions. The 1-Day campaign is all about encouraging you to be confident, no matter what you do. Obviously, both glasses and contacts can give you good vision. But many people like how contact lenses make them look or how they can let them play sports or do activities where glasses can get in the way. We hope this clarifies our intentions. Thanks again for your feedback.”
Oh yeah, the rep just copies and pastes the same statement. This happened at least three times.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to contact that white kid about a job.
serhasacomplaint 
Car Thief…
A black man and a white man attempt to break into the same car. Let’s see what happens.
I hope the black actor was well-compensated and heavily insured. “Self-defense” is the greatest killer of black men after hypertension.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MuyMuLGXxTs
Posted by Stephen Robinson on February 23, 2014 in Social Commentary
Tags: black guy breaking into car, Cars, racism