Is this advert racist?

[Steve H]

I saw this on a big poster today. Clearly, we are meant to assume that the young lady is knife-free, and quite right too, but given that she's black, one could take it to imply that it's usually black people who carry knives with aggressive intent. What do people think? It wouldn't be the first bloody stupid public information advert with unintended consequences: I remember a series some years ago, intended to encourage us to see disabled people as people first and disabled second, but they were actually excruciatingly patronising, and probably had the opposite effect to that intended. (The poster shows a young black woman, with the slogan "Knife free", and the text "Aliya has experienced the devastating effects of knife carrying. This is why she lives knife free, just like millions of young people.")
https://www.flickr.com/photos/154641658@N06/43780404170/in/dateposted-public/

[Rhiannon]

I get your point, but what community is this designed to engage with? Would having white people in it be worse?

[Nearly Sane]

I note the actor is meant to represent someone whose story this is. If they were black, then surely it's completely valid?

[Rhiannon]

Isn’t it more patronising to have white only ads? Although maybe having a white person beside a black person saying they are both knife free would stop this kind of criticism.

[Rhiannon]

I note the actor is meant to represent someone whose story this is. If they were black, then surely it's completely valid?

Can you imagine telling a black person’s story with white actors?

[Rhiannon]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/23/uk-ad-campaign-to-reduce-knife-features-real-life-cases

[Roses]

Can you imagine telling a black person’s story with white actors?

I remember the, 'Black and White Minstrel Show', all the 'black' minstrels were white people wearing makeup!

[Enki]

Can you imagine telling a black person’s story with white actors?

Othello ?  I also remember seeing an RSC production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar with a black person playing the lead.

[Rhiannon]

Othello ?  I also remember seeing an RSC production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar with a black person playing the lead.

I was talking about this specific case. The very small print at the bottom says that the story is true but the photo uses an actor, or model, or something. I used the term 'actor' because I don't think such campaigns use models in the conventional sense of the word.

The insult to black people to tell their stories using white faces doesn't bear thinking about.

[Enki]

Fair enough, Rhi. Point taken.

[Harrowby Hall]

Steve

Getting back to your original post. Have a look at the article referenced by Rhiannon.

It makes yrou question redundant.

[jeremyp]

The insult to black people to tell their stories using white faces doesn't bear thinking about.

In an ideal World, it wouldn't matter. There's nothing intrinsically black about Aliya's story. She started to carry a knife at the age of twelve. She saw one of her friends stabbed to death with a knife. She vowed never again to carry a knife or associate with people who do. That story could apply equally to a black or a white girl (or boy) and the message has nothing to do with race.

I guess it's not an ideal World though and people do seem to like to find examples of racism everywhere, so they have to be careful.

given that she's black, one could take it to imply that it's usually black people who carry knives with aggressive intent. What do people think?

I think you needed to look at the whole campaign which includes posters of actors of varied races and genders.