I think we are being offended at the wrong thing
on March 13th, 2008 at 6:42 am
I think I was somewhere in LA when I saw the billboard you see here. Not far from that one, I saw the same billboard, this time it featured an Hispanic family.
Ad Council defends billboard campaign that some think is racist
by Marie Saavedra, KY3 News
SPRINGFIELD — Some people think a series of billboards meant to convey a good message are racially insensitive. They were designed to promote an end to gun violence.
Ten billboards around Springfield carried the advertisement. Forty-eight hours after the first complaint, they were all down.
Some people who worked right under one of the billboards say it unfairly stereotyped African-Americans. The people behind the ad stand by their message, however.
When your eyes meet the eyes of the people in the billboards, the advertisers hope you’ll realize that guns end lives and tear apart families. But, while some saw the message, others saw the skin tone.
“I understand guns being a problem in the world as a whole. But it just doesn’t (only) hit black families,” said business owner Rock Hagens. “It just was a racial remark to me.”
The ad, sitting high above Hagens’ store, left him feeling uncomfortable.
“I called Lamar Advertising and asked them about it,” he said. “He understood and he apologized to me and he said they’d be removed this morning.”
And all 10 in Springfield were removed, 48 hours after the glue first dried. (more…)
Now read this:
Missouri Worst in Nation in Homicide Rate Among Blacks
January 29, 2008
The homicide rate among blacks is higher in Missouri than any other state. That’s according to a report released today by a nonprofit research group.
The Violence Policy Center report says nearly 33 deaths per 100,000 blacks in Missouri were the result of homicides. The report says the overwhelming majority of the deaths were caused by firearms, especially handguns. The Washington-based organization supports gun-control efforts. (more…)
