Healthy Babies Are the Way to Go

I was watching some junk television about 5 minutes ago, and what do you know. I run across more junk advertising. I tend to pick on the commercials with characters that make me angry. This commercial, in my opinion, is offensive in so many ways, however, the main part that I am called to comment on takes place at the very beginning. Granted this commercial is supposed to be for a good cause, it forgets to exclude the bigger problems. The line in this commercial that gets me is when the "stork" lands after delivering a "healthy baby" and says, "these healthy babies sure wear me out". Again, much like my other favorite commercial, the voice used is that of the stereotypical black "coon." I get frustrated when I continue to hear the use of language like that. Again, this may stem from my hypersensitivity to all things of color, but I think about the fact that Truth used that voice was to signify just how tired the stork was. What better way to hear it than from the voice of a slave.

I'm not trying to say that people don't really sound like that, but in all honesty, that isn't an image that is necessary in a case like that. I guess the producers figured that the use of an animal in such a case would cover them, in case someone like me tries to say that the commercial has any racial issues within it. I don't think they are justified at all. While I do support the cause that Truth is fighting for, I don't believe that there is a need for any type of stereotyping, no matter how subtle it is. For many people, these things that I see may not be a big deal, but I personally don't enjoy the exploitation of the people of my race who actually still talk with that dialect. I have older relatives, that will never see that commercial, but would be a bit upset if they heard someone mocking the way that they speak. Just because they may not be watching does not make it acceptable. I don't think it's funny, and neither should you.