VitaminWater Commercial offensive? See video first.

[cloudzero]

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfwqSBWDW_A

[sandra]

i just drank a bottle this morning, but i will stop buying it. it's just sugar water and bad for you, anyhow.

[Thanol]

I think it is.

If they had more of a montage type thing with lots of different players (like those 'swedish' guys that were in it for like a second) getting beaten then it would have been acceptable.

[LaiSteve66]

borderline

[USCTrojanzNo1]

Aren't we being just a bit TOO thin-skinned?

While I agree that Asians continue to be stereotyped in the media, I kinda get the impression that every time we see an Asian on TV losing a match or doing something stupid, we think that that's offensive to Asians or that it makes Asians look bad.

Example: the MMA match where Andy Wang lost. After he lost, many posters here whined that Andy Wang was a "disgrace" to Asian people. Look, I know you'd rather have Asians seen as the perfect model minority and that you'd rather see the media full of Yul Kwons and John Chos, but that's not realistic...

[Banana]

I have no problems when Asians are made to look bad if there was some sort of balance. Currently, there is no balance at all. All you see these days in modern American media is how Asians, especially men, are stupid and are to be laughed at.

If there were as many Yul Kwons and John Chos as these types of ads, I doubt you'd hear any complaining.

To be honest, I don't think blacks have anything to complain about honestly when it comes to being showcased in the media.

And yes, as soon as I saw this, I stopped buying their products. Also, this company had a past infraction when they played up the ching-chongary accent in one of their taped voicemail when you called their office.

[eos]

why can't it be something i don't like to ingest....like grape nuts, or.....cranberry juice? what's next? pizza??? damn it.

[juice]

I think there is nothing to be offended about in this commercial.

[cloudzero]

see, i don't even know about Yul Kwon and John Cho or who they are,
are they on cable or something?

and wow the taped voicemail, you gotta be kidding me

if this was the first of these types of commercials, i would let it go
if this was real, i would let it go
if it was Asians injuring Asians, i would let it go
if it was the Asians sitting at the end after those whites getting injured i would let it go
if there was one asian on each team i would let it go

Having a FOOTBALL and a BASEBALL player injuring Asians with exaggeration of physics?
Many whites play this sport too and are darn good at it too.
And the announcer screaming "embarrassment!" i won't let it go
what effect does this have on developing minds of 7 year old Americans who watch this when theres a dominating amount of these types of portrayals? likely racism along with more of these reinforcing portrayals

THIS IS A POLL PEOPLE, VOTE!!
i wish everyone who replies to this thread would actually vote, it would give me something to send them along with my angry message

[aznstud99]

i liked vitamin water and i am disappointed at the commercial. i've heard various theories of whether it is actually that much better for you than regular water, but nonetheless i at least liked the taste better?

anyone have any viable alternatives? that stuff was way to expensive anyway. i'm thinkin maybe gatorade propel?

[tripostrophe]

I have no problems when Asians are made to look bad if there was some sort of balance. Currently, there is no balance at all. All you see these days in modern American media is how Asians, especially men, are stupid and are to be laughed at.

If there were as many Yul Kwons and John Chos as these types of ads, I doubt you'd hear any complaining.

To be honest, I don't think blacks have anything to complain about honestly when it comes to being showcased in the media.

And yes, as soon as I saw this, I stopped buying their products. Also, this company had a past infraction when they played up the ching-chongary accent in one of their taped voicemail when you called their office.

I agree, except for the part re: portrayals of Black men in the media. It's like the model minority myth for Asians. I don't buy this stuff anyways.

[tripostrophe]

i liked vitamin water and i am disappointed at the commercial. i've heard various theories of whether it is actually that much better for you than regular water, but nonetheless i at least liked the taste better?

anyone have any viable alternatives? that stuff was way to expensive anyway. i'm thinkin maybe gatorade propel?

Yeah, I was going to say propel. Or some brand of Asian soft drink + take your vitamins, problem solved :tongue: Seriously, all these drinks are just sugar water (which I do like). I'd probably go with gatorade/propel if i were to drink any.

[applehead]

hahahaha.
the shuttlecock lodged in his leg.

that vitamin water must be magic.
ain't nobody beat no chinese at no badminton.

[DaBestSpooner]

its repackaged 25 cent sugar water anyways

[cloudzero]

hahahaha.
the shuttlecock lodged in his leg.

that vitamin water must be magic.
ain't nobody beat no chinese at no badminton.

yea, can you imagine a commercial where a small asian guy tackles a 300lb pile of muscles or dunking over a 7ft black guy after eating some repackaged rice. americans would be bitching too. this commercial is a mockery of a race and a sport

[tripostrophe]

hahahaha.
the shuttlecock lodged in his leg.

that vitamin water must be magic.
ain't nobody beat no chinese at no badminton.

wow, triple negative -- nice! :tongue:

[sandra]

what if we switched it up a bit? two white b-ball players against 2 blacks. the whites drink vitamin water, throw the b-ball at one of the black guy's head and knocks him out.

do you think that would be acceptable?

[cloudzero]

^heh whats the point of this question?

i don't know how a black man would feel about seeing that, i would guess it is offensive since the teams are divided by color

[popculturepooka]

it'd be fine with me. and I'm half black for what it's worth...

[tripostrophe]

what if we switched it up a bit? two white b-ball players against 2 blacks. the whites drink vitamin water, throw the b-ball at one of the black guy's head and knocks him out.

do you think that would be acceptable?

Oh, interesting. I agree with cloudzero in that racially dividing the teams prior to the KO would probably cause more of a fuss. Black people are often portrayed as overathletic in the media though, so I think it's two different stereotypes -- even though Asians may be doing well in badminton (or was it just those two players in real life?) they were really just playing up the wimpiness in that commercial.

+ the company's history.

But I don't know how I feel about a lot of taco bell's recent commercials. The one with the two African (because they spoke a foreign language) marathon runners. Plus the mariachi. But that's off topic.

[juice]

what if we switched it up a bit? two white b-ball players against 2 blacks. the whites drink vitamin water, throw the b-ball at one of the black guy's head and knocks him out.

do you think that would be acceptable?

Not exactly the same thing. You are specifically targeting race. This commercial is not doing that. Secondly, you are having the white guy intentionally try to injury the black guy. Not the same in this commercial.

[tripostrophe]

^How's this commercial not targeting race? Or how is one doing it and not the other?

[juice]

The commercial is about how two well-known large men are able to excel at a sport whose competitors are more known for being quick and agile by drinking Vitamin Water.. Kasia's example was set up to pit one race against another where something was done to intentionally injure the opponent.

[tripostrophe]

The commercial is about how two well-known large men are able to excel at a sport whose competitors are more known for being quick and agile by drinking Vitamin Water.. Kasia's example was set up to pit one race against another where something was done to intentionally injure the opponent.

LOL. Kasia's example has pretty much the same message as the actual commercial, except she spelled it out for us. Will you be requiring an explanation of the connotations behind the original?

[juice]

Apparently, I will

[tripostrophe]

Okay, the difference between the messages in the original and hypothetical commercials is like the difference between someone using "you people" in a borderline racist rant, and someone else calling them out on it, asking "Why don't you just saying *x people* are lazy, welfare-collecting *slurs*?"

The problem is, you're missing the connotations implicit in the original commercial, and when kasia presents a hypothetical and spells everything out, you're picking up on it, but because you failed to recognize the emasculation and race-targeting in the original, you don't see it there. And you're taking things far too literally, I think the image of the basketball being thrown at the guys head is more of a pass than maliciously hurling the thing.

Most of the analysis has been covered, but in case I didn't fully address it; the commercial plays to stereotypes of Asian males as weak and unathletic. Once you've got the physically superior blacks and whites on the court (because as we all know, Asians >> Hispanics/Whites >> Blacks), they can be beaten, even if it's a rather girly no-contact sport they excel in. And really, a bit of research turns up the fact that "Yang" is really a top-ranked U.S. player. Every role plays into the power structure/racial hierarchy -- nothing fresh, and it's still offensive. Plus the cowering. Ugh.

And what's interesting is that this type of commercial would probably play out more along the lines of what kasia mentioned -- people horribly unsuited to a rough contact sport going bruce banner, and dominating. I guess two meatheads + badminton works, but then the sudden grace and finesse would typically be played up for laughs.

[Eidetic-Eidolon]

I don't really understand the frequency of AA stereotypes in media outlet nor care. If any of you who complain really care, shouldn't you guys be blogging about that new Ping Pong movie coming too? "balls of fury"

This is how you guys probably should see it, if those who intake the stereotype crap and yet meet an AA irl and experience a harsh contrast, wouldn't that dictate a different line of thought from previous input of media?

Plus, if any really take propaganda seriously, maybe they're not really intelligent/worthy enough of understanding the true situation. Whatever that may be. :rolleyes:

[eos]

http://forums.yellowworld.org/showthread.php?t=31612&highlight=balls+of+fury


please do a search before talking out your ass and looking like a fucktard. kthanxBYE!

[Eidetic-Eidolon]

wouldn't a blog be more appropriate?
and tell me how I'm talking out my ass, just because I suggested a blog and not care about the vitamin water comm. and angry as you are?

[eos]

i'm angry? i just don't like people like you who come here and tell us what we SHOULD be doing. you don't care about the commercial? great for you. don't shit on it for the rest of us.

[Eidetic-Eidolon]

I was trying to convey to you why I think what you're doing is kinda futile because it doesn't seem like it's really reaching the antagonist in terms of stopping this type of stereotyping in the future in the media.

just think about it, if the person who takes seriously the b.s. that's sold about asian males in the mainstream yet meet one in real life that's a total contrast. wouldn't that be more effective?

[monkeygone2]

I don't really understand the frequency of AA stereotypes in media outlet nor care.

This is how you guys probably should see it, if those who intake the stereotype crap and yet meet an AA irl and experience a harsh contrast, wouldn't that dictate a different line of thought from previous input of media?

Plus, if any really take propaganda seriously, maybe they're not really intelligent/worthy enough of understanding the true situation. :rolleyes:

my granny used to say things like that when i was a grommet.

i'm a big boy now & see that this type of thinking changes nothing.

[Eidetic-Eidolon]

you want real change? I'm a chinese male myself, and wanted change like you do to, but for some reason when i tried to convince other asian males irl, they just didn't care. eventually it'll stop but in the mean time, what are YOU really going to do about it aside blogging and threading about it on the internet?


if you guys really care or something, go make an asian fightclub or something of that nature, organization = power.

[eos]

i do my part by keeping an aluminum bat in my car. might even start taking self-defense classes also so i can hurt racists.

[Eidetic-Eidolon]

whyy don't you already know any chinese martial arts?

have you ever been in a fight?

[monkeygone2]

eventually it'll stop...

thanks granny.

in the mean time, what are YOU really going to do about it aside blogging and threading about it on the internet?


you don't know me.

if you guys really care or something, go make an asian fightclub or something of that nature

monkeygone2 durden says:
"Fuck off with your nintendo wii and your anime. I say let's stop being perfect... Your life is ending one minute at a time."

[eos]

back on topic:

vitamin water bad.
this thread good.

[Eidetic-Eidolon]

thanks granny.



you don't know me.



monkeygone2 durden says:
"Fuck off with your nintendo wii and your anime. I say let's stop being perfect... Your life is ending one minute at a time."

:smile:

are you going to write a complaint to the Glaceau company?

[cloudzero]

:smile:

are you going to write a complaint to the Glaceau company?

they have a contact section at vitaminwater.com
so what do you think?

[AngryABCGirl]

wouldn't a blog be more appropriate?
and tell me how I'm talking out my ass, just because I suggested a blog and not care about the vitamin water comm. and angry as you are?

Why don't you write a blog yourself instead of suggesting to other people what they should do without anything to back up your reasoning? Do you think anyone's going to take you seriously if you just make some random statements about an issue or even stimulate any kind of productive discussion? It'd be nice for the thread and sake of discussion to discuss more why you care or don't care about stopping portrayals and what you do about it.

[Eidetic-Eidolon]

Why don't you write a blog yourself instead of suggesting to other people what they should do without anything to back up your reasoning? Do you think anyone's going to take you seriously if you just make some random statements about an issue or even stimulate any kind of productive discussion? It'd be nice for the thread and sake of discussion to discuss more why you care or don't care about stopping portrayals and what you do about it.

I don't know if that last part was sarcastic, but I'll respond anyway.
If you hadn't noticed, I wasn't throwing around random statements if you took what I said and actually applied it in context. I'm just as pissed as you guys with this hollywood media crap seeing Chow Yun Fat getting crap roles like bulletproof monk, an asian being an antagonist in TFATF, and bruce willis' character making unnecessary racist remarks in his latest movie. (countless other examples)

You guys seem to forget I'm in the same boat and yet, I'm inquiring how you would assess to stop garbage spewing from caucasian media, while you seem to possess little power by making internet threads and countless other threads I've seen (other parties alike) on other boards just talking lightly about it but not witnessing any true action. BY reasoning, in any group to attain power to change things, they always start by some gathering right? Through gathering, next would be setting up some official institute where the group grows to have a substantial voice through say...a newspaper or something and then attract larger amounts of attention to stop b.s. like what you're discussing in this thread now.


So...I'll write the Vitamen water people a little letter and also contact my local asian newspaper and create more awareness towards let's say, the last six months of media event/occurrence that challenge/denigrates asians. Do you think that would change anything or?

[AngryABCGirl]

I don't know if that last part was sarcastic, but I'll respond anyway.
If you hadn't noticed, I wasn't throwing around random statements if you took what I said and actually applied it in context. I'm just as pissed as you guys with this hollywood media crap seeing Chow Yun Fat getting crap roles like bulletproof monk, an asian being an antagonist in TFATF, and bruce willis' character making unnecessary racist remarks in his latest movie. (countless other examples)

You guys seem to forget I'm in the same boat and yet, I'm inquiring how you would assess to stop garbage spewing from caucasian media, while you seem to possess little power by making internet threads and countless other threads I've seen (other parties alike) on other boards just talking lightly about it but not witnessing any true action. BY reasoning, in any group to attain power to change things, they always start by some gathering right? Through gathering, next would be setting up some official institute where the group grows to have a substantial voice through say...a newspaper or something and then attract larger amounts of attention to stop b.s. like what you're discussing in this thread now.


So...I'll write the Vitamen water people a little letter and also contact my local asian newspaper and create more awareness towards let's say, the last six months of media event/occurrence that challenge/denigrates asians. Do you think that would change anything or?

I don't know if this might have occurred to you that people on this board do work not on this board, including promoting Asian American media not on the Mainstream media machine- which is what I'm mostly about as well as supporting the talented Asian Am artists and actors trying to make it through those venue, especially getting younger Asian Americans to see those role models other than sets of degrading ads. I know a lot of Asian Americans are pretty apathetic about doing the underground grassroots thing, but that's the way to do it without the strings attached when you through studios and it's the reality and there's a huge following. There's plenty of institutions from non-profits to media organizations to the field of Asian American studies both there to record history and to give people some education and to be conscious. It's not like there aren't people out there organizing against these things, and the fact is in the ads and marketing game, people won't really run offense ads if large amounts of people are made uncomfortable and offended because it hurts their sales and there have been many strides by all ethnic groups doing the letter writing and complaints by groups against companies.

Here's a few groups here:
Center for Asian media: http://www.asianamericanmedia.org/
Media Action Network for Asian Americans: http://www.manaa.org/
Asian American Justice Center: http://www.aaja.org


You're talking like Asian American organizing is something new or non-existent or something. I'm waiting to hear from you since you're frustrated and complaining. Maybe you should support those groups so they can have the money to take out these newspaper ads you're talking about.

This might not be you, but there are way too many Asian Americans out there who are angry, but are totally directionless with what to do with it to not realize there's a world of resources of organized people doing good these that need more people to join or support their causes.

[eos]

include one of these in your email too:

http://www.ipetitions.com/start-petition/

EDIT: oh and might i interest you in this website?
angryasianman (http://angryasianman.com/angry.html)

[Eidetic-Eidolon]

I don't know if this might have occurred to you that people on this board do work not on this board, including promoting Asian American media not on the Mainstream media machine- which is what I'm mostly about as well as supporting the talented Asian Am artists and actors trying to make it through those venue, especially getting younger Asian Americans to see those role models other than sets of degrading ads. I know a lot of Asian Americans are pretty apathetic about doing the underground grassroots thing, but that's the way to do it without the strings attached when you through studios and it's the reality and there's a huge following. There's plenty of institutions from non-profits to media organizations to the field of Asian American studies both there to record history and to give people some education and to be conscious. It's not like there aren't people out there organizing against these things, and the fact is in the ads and marketing game, people won't really run offense ads if large amounts of people are made uncomfortable and offended because it hurts their sales and there have been many strides by all ethnic groups doing the letter writing and complaints by groups against companies.



You're talking like Asian American organizing is something new or non-existent or something. I'm waiting to hear from you since you're frustrated and complaining. Maybe you should support those groups so they can have the money to take out these newspaper ads you're talking about.

This might not be you, but there are way too many Asian Americans out there who are angry, but are totally directionless with what to do with it to not realize there's a world of resources of organized people doing good these that need more people to join or support their causes.

thanks for the links, they're new to me. but I know AA organizing isn't anything new, I've only seen/experienced it locally though, like these sites,

nwasianweekly
seattlechinesetimes

(sorry, I need more then 15 posts to make a link, I even had to delete your links in my quote)

though thanks to numerous amounts of forum rantings I've seen on plenty of other boards, it makes it feel like organizing is something new because the other dudes that go off about WM/AF relationships, other topics that concern them, etc. make seem like they're trapped or something.

And yes, grassroots is the way to go, I've known underground rappers/emcees who didn't sign with a label but made good money off of venues and going to record stores alone selling their product.

[sandra]

^heh whats the point of this question?

i don't know how a black man would feel about seeing that, i would guess it is offensive since the teams are divided by color


that's exactly the point of the quesiton. so how do you think a chinese person would feel watching the actual vitamin water commercial where it is divided by race and the shuttlecock is lodged in the leg of the chinese player?

was your question rhetorical? i'm confused.

[cloudzero]

^the poll/thread was to find out how many people feel the same way as me about the commercial

[cool]

this commercial is old and not offensive at all.

if you've seen some of their other commercials its the same shit:

here's one where tracy mcgrady beats the scottish at a sheep-throwing contest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H3tco5ZErs

it's part of a series.

[cloudzero]

^ actually that commercial sparked outrage from the animal rights activist community. they argue that an animal was carelessly being abused for a the sake of sport and demonstrated an unrealistic toughness of the animal where it is tossed so high and far and it is still able to walk away unscathed.

but of course, animals are more important than humans, well asians anyways

[ahsingjai]

I don't see how that guy linger that long waiting to hit. the birdies are really fast. It hurts too.

I got hit in the forehead before when we played "score only if u hit someone" badminton.