Mugabe ad labelled as "racist"

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Turiko

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Mugabe ad pulled and labelled as "racist"
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=797115

ASA rules portrayal of Mugabe was disparaging, insulting

A cellphone ringtone advertisement depicting re-elected Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe as a caged gorilla has been canned.

This followed a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority of SA on Friday that the advert be withdrawn with immediate effect because it portrayed the Zimbabwean president in an “offensive and undignified manner”.

On handing down the ruling, the authority stipulated that Peach- mobile may not run an advert making a mockery of the Zimbabwean president in such a way.

“The tone of the commercial is disparaging and insulting to Robert Mugabe and as such is demeaning and lowers his dignity,” the hearing in Johannesburg found.

“A hypothetical reasonable person would be offended on viewing the commercial.

“There is nothing light-hearted and humorous in depicting a human being, especially a president of a country, as a gorilla,” the authority said .

During the hearing, Peachmobile, the creator of the ringtone — the advert for which was previously shown on television, argued that it had a constitutional right to mock Mugabe because he is a despot.

The hearing followed complaints last week by Sifiso Sithole, Tefo Moremedi and Mantella Trading, who lodged complaints that the advertisement was degrading, insulting and encouraged the continuation of xenophobic attacks .

The advert shows Mugabe’s face superimposed on a gorilla’s body.

He sits in a cage at the “Zim Zoo” wearing pink sunglasses and holding a sign that says “Keep me in”.

Then a woman is heard screaming: “Hey wena, hey wena [hey you], answer.” Mugabe then sings: “Hey robber Mugabe, you rob-a my country, you rob-a the money, you rob-a the people,” with engorged eyes.


Vasili Vass, the head of publicity at e.tv, said that the channel did not show the advertisement.

“The channel decided not to run the advertisement because it was poking fun at a political figure during a sensitive election period.”

David Trope, Peachmobile’s managing director, refused to comment.

But Phil Hollis, music producer for the advert, said: “It’s a joke. I don’t think it’s racist, why would it be?

“This was done for the Zimbabwean people in this country and I think the world realises this.”
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Words fail me.... especially this comment

“This was done for the Zimbabwean people in this country and I think the world realises this.”
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full and undisputable truth that this lovely government of ours supports Mad Bob Mugabe. I wonder if they are going to pull the same one on us in the future.

portrayed the Zimbabwean president in an “offensive and undignified manner”.
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A tyrant still deserving of dignity? I don't think so
 
Surely for this ruling to stand, the ASA would have to prove that Robert Mugabe is not in fact a gorilla/ape. This could be quite difficult to do.
 
I saw that ad and I thought it was quite funny, but I also said that it wouldn't last long...
 
I'm sorry, where does it say that the ASA said the ad was "racist"?

From what I see, only the producer of the ad said that.
 
I think the ad was demeaning to gorillas. I highly doubt any gorilla would be happy to be associated with mugabe in any way.
 
Turiko said:
That was the title on the page I grabbed the article from.
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Sorry was not aimed at you specificaly, just wondering where they got the racist thing.

But on clicking on some the links, I see the complainant said so. Which I think is fair, as you can't depict a black person as monkey/gorilla and expect to get away with it. There is another thread on Obama and the same thing.
 
It should be canned..

Because it casts gorrilaz in bad light!
 
I did not realize that comparing Mugabe to an ape is racist? An Ape is an animal not a human. Its like comparing my mother in law to a horse, which is quite apt.

Anyway's.

There was a joke on the radio last week about a monkey throwing nuts from a tree top onto a lion below who was eating. The monkey kept doing it and the lion kept warning him. WHEN THE MONKEY EVENTUALLY FELL OUT THE TREE THE LION CAUGHT HIM AND OFFERED HIM A CHOICE. He coould bite off his tail or his head. The Monkey thought for a long time and said: "rather bite of my head. Its better to die than loose my tail and end up looking like Mugabe". I didn't think it was a racist joke? In fact I think it was a black DJ who told it.
 
“There is nothing light-hearted and humorous in depicting a human being, especially a president of a country, as a gorilla,” the authority said .
He is not the president! It was rigged! lol. Probably mbeki who laid the complaint
 
While the complaint was listed as racist, I don't see how (title was likely added to sensationalise the issue by our lovely media)

(If I had to replace "Robert Mugabe" with anyone else in the ASA's verdict above - then) I can agree it is offensive and degrading and the ruling is correct.

There was a photo doing the rounds a couple of years ago depicting George Bush as a chimpanzee in many poses, George and the chimp were astonishingly similar :D

No doubt there were complaints over this too, but was it racist? Whats the deciding factor?

While we are on the subject, I'm surprised no-one has lodged a complaint about this yet:

http://www.mg.co.za/cartoons/220jun08x604.gif
 
“There is nothing light-hearted and humorous in depicting a human being, especially a president of a country, as a gorilla,” the authority said .

Shame for them that they cannot laugh lest they offend a man who puts his own finances above the lives of his own people.

Interesting how the same comparison is done to Bush and noone says anything cause he is white. So on one side the comparison is humourous, on the other it is an insult. What exactly are they saying about black people? They are being racist by suggesting that black people should take offence to a monkey comparison more for some reason..
 
Pixie22 said:
Interesting how the same comparison is done to Bush and noone says anything cause he is white. So on one side the comparison is humourous, on the other it is an insult. What exactly are they saying about black people? They are being racist by suggesting that black people should take offence to a monkey comparison more for some reason..
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Thats a good question. If I was in an ad with my face on a Gorilla I would take offence, maybe its just the race card being drawn for sensationalism?

WRT the photo of Bush I'm not sure what the complaints were, it would be interesting to see them tho.
 
lol the ones with Bush were hillarious. Because he holds exactly the same facial expressions as the monekys. and there are alot of different pics lol. Its hillarious, but for me it further illustrates that we used to be monkeys. I don't really see why we are so keen to deny it.
 
still don't see the connection between an ape and racism. It would be racist someone said that in general terms blacks are like that..sub human. But here it is applied to an individual. Not a race group. I think he is sub human. In fact its an insult to the apes!
 
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