61. "Remember, this was an animated ad, which means the creative team had to make decisions about what race and ethnicity they were trying to depict - thery may not be racists to everyone, but they are atleast in really poor taste."

The same would be true if it wasn't an animated ad. You still choose on who the characters in the ad are. What ethnicity. How they speak etc. So, for example, when you see an Asian person in a movie and they don't speak like George Clooney, do you think that's racist? Do you sit there with your mouths open, shocked at what you're seeing? Or are there different rules for movies compared to ads?

Posted at 6:45PM on Feb 4th 2008 by Diego

62. And again, this is probably the second blog I've seen dedicated to these commercials. Salesgenie achieved the goal they wanted to....make people talk about the company. Funny, how you are helping out their publicity:) I loved the commercials...learn to think outside the box. Look at it more as "Saving the Pandas" and "Feeding the starving children", because that'll make you feel better about the world. Come out of that closet you've been hiding in, and think about it.

Posted at 8:36PM on Feb 4th 2008 by Jessica

63. This is plain racism. You people better get off your ass and start seeing the truth. This is what keeps the 'white man' as the only normal figure in the world. If you have an accent it's funny? It doesn't matter who own's the company we have to interrupt RACISM.

Posted at 8:51PM on Feb 4th 2008 by JJ

64. I don't get why people who found the ads funny and inoffensive are telling the people who did find them offensive that they have no right to feel the way they do and that there is something wrong with them. As other posters have mentioned, is it too hard to believe that there are people from different backgrounds who are offended by different things? As others have also mentioned, if those were black families, or maybe even Hispanic, there would have been a much huger outcry. The head of sales genie is Indian. Shame on him for portraying his own people in such a stereotypically demeaning light.

Posted at 9:34PM on Feb 4th 2008 by Tyrell

65. How about a commerical with Chimpanzees selling RIBS and WATERMELON. Speaking in minstrel English. Shaw wis we cud sell mo' watamelon boss. If you do not undestand why this is upsetting to Asian American. Just have a bunch of white kid speaking in "ching" "Chong" English to your kids. I guess it is okay to pick on 5%

Posted at 9:35PM on Feb 4th 2008 by jerryhuo

66. Well "Jack Klompas", how many daily hits does your blog get? And if you weren't so goddamn stupid you'd realize I wasn't "decrying stereotypes." Read it again, slowly. Or better yet, ask a grown-up to read it to you.

Thanks for visiting ginandtacos; I'll take your criticisms as seriously as I take all feedback from mouth-breathing right wing dipshits. As if your fruit-fly attention span even made it through one post, what with the big words and all. Run along now, back to PowerLine or Free Republic or wherever you peddle your simplistic, reactionary nonsense to a receptive (i.e., just as dumb as you) audience.

Posted at 9:54PM on Feb 4th 2008 by Ed

67. Ha ha! I thought both commercials were funny? I think pandas would talk with an asian accent. People need to get over themselves!

Posted at 10:50PM on Feb 4th 2008 by Jill

68. Jill is right! I wish they could have somehow worked fortune cookies or Confucius into the commercial though. I bet those Pandas had a laundry business on the side. Those Orientals are sure funny to make fun of.

Posted at 11:04PM on Feb 4th 2008 by Jonathan

69. "How about a commerical with Chimpanzees selling RIBS and WATERMELON. Speaking in minstrel English. Shaw wis we cud sell mo' watamelon boss."

What's your point? This sort of thing happens all the time. The portrayal of which you speak.

"I don't get why people who found the ads funny and inoffensive are telling the people who did find them offensive that they have no right to feel the way they do and that there is something wrong with them."

The inverse is also true. All the people that found them offensive, why do they feel the need to shout down others and tell them that it's RACIST, that they have no right to see humour in them? All the tightly wound, politically correct people need to hold their noses, sneeze hard to dislodge the cork and lighten up.

"Shame on him for portraying his own people in such a stereotypically demeaning light."

What?! People have been making fun of their own people for centuries! Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with laughing at yourself. See? There's the crux of the problem. Some of you don't have a sense of humour and are mired too deeply in your own self importance, preaching from your PC pulpit.

Posted at 12:26AM on Feb 5th 2008 by Diego

70. Diego,
I am with you 100% vato. Now that you mention it, I think a salesgenie commercial with a Mexican Chihuahua family driving a lowrider to their job cleaning the rooms at the Holiday Inn would have been hilarious. Salesgenie rules. La cucaracha!

Viva la raza.

Posted at 12:36AM on Feb 5th 2008 by Jonathan

71. Wouldn't bother me at all Jonathan. :) Although, the commercial that you propose would be stereotyping the a majority (not minority) if it was in California, right? Aren't the Mexicans reclaiming the state as their own (like it once was) ever so slowly? Isn't it just an extension of Mexico? BTW, I'm was born in South American. So yes, I have cocaine if you need it. Or I use a lot of it and have friends that do too. We're all the same. *grins*

Posted at 1:34AM on Feb 5th 2008 by Diego

72. What? There's nothing wrong with these ads, they're funny. So, so very far from being "racist".

Posted at 4:41AM on Feb 5th 2008 by David Emberton

73. I agree with David Emberton. These ads are hilarious. Don't these minorities know that we can make fun of them all we want and they can't do a damn thing about it?

Posted at 4:45AM on Feb 5th 2008 by Jonathan

74. Being Indian... I took offense at the ad... maybe it was a humorous poke at the large family bit, but then the heavy accent on with the follow-up ad made me feel really uncomfortable. Sort of like the Abercrombie Chinese laundry t-shirts...

How does something like that get past their legal department? We had a bunch of people over tonight of various cultural backgrounds, and the general consent was the ad wasn't politically correct, and I agree.

Posted at 9:23AM on Feb 5th 2008 by Hafiz

75. My point is that an ad portraying african americans in a sterotypical light would never be tolerated. Asian americans have a lack of political leadership and voice.

Posted at 9:47AM on Feb 5th 2008 by jerryhuo

76. Haha Ed you sniveling little douche. I don't waste my time writing pointless thoughts on self-indulgent blogs like you do. Interesting how you also peg me as a right-winger because you the mighty Ed are the all-knowing progressive! Yes you are soooooo intelligent, sooooo deep thinking. "Mouth breathing" haha did you come up with that yourself, or did you have your award-winning team of writers help you with that one, you insignificant little tool? Ask a grown up hahah. That's rich while you go into hysterics of "wah wah wah my blog is bigger than yours..." What are you some snarky little trust-funded college student? That sounds about the extent of your life experience you little weenie.

Posted at 11:18AM on Feb 5th 2008 by Jack Klompas

77. For anyone who thinks that 'this sort of thing'--allusions to minstrelsy shows and other blatantly offensive racial stereotypes--'happens all the time,' you're way off base. However frequently these kinds of images appear in media--and I'd argue not nearly as frequently as you seem to think--it's important to take them in context, rather than just offer a blanket approval of 'funny' racial images. As I mentioned earlier re. the notion of parody, most stereotypical, controversial racial images in media appear in the context of social commentary, often through parody or ironic depiction. Comedy is a major participant in this kind of social commentary. But don't be so foolish as to confuse comedic or ironic social commentary with fruitless race stereotyping. Just because you laugh at the former doesn't mean the latter is a joke. When comedians and social critics use race stereotypes in parodic exercises, they're wielding these images productively, and criticizing the images themselves. In the case of the SalesGenie ads, the only purpose is, as the CEO admits, the 'bottom line.' He's trying to grow a profit. And when you use race in harmful ways to grow profit, a la slavery, it's not parody; it's exploitation. For those who say 'the ads accomplished their goal' of attracting interest and marketing the product, you're right. But have you heard of business ethics? If that's your only standard--bottom line success--for scritinizing ad images, you are deeply lacking in both understanding and virtue; and you're also in the minority. Political correctness goes too far in a many ways, but its ubiquitousness shows that most Americans do care about others, and find these kinds of cheap exploitation ploys unethical, if not downright trashy and offensive.

Posted at 11:22AM on Feb 5th 2008 by Anon.

78. Ed's superior wisdom from his blog:
"This ad was aimed at an audience of semi-literate white people from the sticks/suburbs who watch approximately 14 hours per day of Fox News. And they succeeded."
Wow man you're a fucking genius! Could progressive insight be any deeper, more articulate, more insightful? So what "race" are you, Ed? I'll assume you're African-American or maybe the consolation prize - one of those white people who acts "down" by using 'white people' as a slur to suck up to minorities. Sticks/suburbs --- riiiiiiight. I'm sure you've had a full, rewarding life of nothing but "real" urban sophistication. You are such a useless clown.

Posted at 11:23AM on Feb 5th 2008 by Jack Klompas

79. Compare blog post to Ed's earlier comment:
"The ads were intended to appeal to borderline-illiterate, lard-assed white guys from the suburbs who listen to Rush Limbaugh 12 hours per day. And the comments are making it pretty clear that they succeeded in amusing that audience."
Wow Ed your brain must really hurt when you get out your thesaurus and try to find a variety of the exact same boorish, immature sentiment. Creativity well run dry there, blogger boy, or are you so trapped in your one-dimensional, stereotyping view of anyone who might see the world differently? How about you shallow little cretin?

Posted at 11:31AM on Feb 5th 2008 by Jack Klompas

80. Oh and yeah Ed, your band sucks. If you think you actually sound like Husker Du, I think Bob Mould would laugh in your self-righteous face.

Posted at 12:03PM on Feb 5th 2008 by Jack Klompas