Black supermodel Naomi Campbell has accused Cadbury of racism and called for black people to boycott the company’s products after they used her name to promote their new chocolate and compared her to it.
Black Supermodel Naomi Campbell is caught up in a race row with Cadbury after the company used her name to promote their latest chocolate and made comparisons between the chocolate and herself.
In Cadbury’s latest advert promoting a chocolate called ‘Bliss’, it says “Move over Naomi – there’s a new diva in town.” (Mail Online: Naomi Campbell in Cadbury race row after being compared to chocolate bar in advert: Sunday. 29 May 2009)
Campbell is said to be furious at the implications, saying “I am shocked. It’s upsetting to be described as chocolate, not just for me, but for all black women and black people. I do not find any humour in this.”
Campbell’s mother told the Independent that the company was returning to the derogatory racist stereotypes of the past and even asked how Cadbury could be so bold to create such an advert these days.
Political campaign group Operation Black Vote (OBV) called for Cadbury to apologise, and the spokesperson for the group, Simon Woolley, said “Racism in the playground starts with black children being called ‘chocolate bar’. At best, this is insensitive, and at worst it demonstrates Cadbury’s utter disregard for causing offence. Its lack of apology just adds insult to injury. The Eurocentric joke is not funny to black people.” (Independent: Naomi Campbell in race row over Cadbury chocolate: Susie Mesure: Sunday, 29 May 2011)
Black activist Lee jasper told the Independent, “This issue is not just about the insult to Naomi Campbell. It’s about how these companies treat black people in general. Part of the problem is that they don’t see it as offensive.”
OBV plans to contact African-American civil rights activists Reverend Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to inform them of the situation so that they can mobilise the African-American community to boycott Cadbury products.
Why they can do this
Naomi Campbell’s mother and Lee Jasper summed up the attitude that Cadbury had towards the offensive advert. Indifference and ignorance. A spokesperson for Cadbury told the Independent that the advert was suppose to be “a light-hearted take on the social pretensions of Cadbury Dairy Milk Bliss.” The spokesperson also mentioned that there were no plans to re-run the advert. This is far short of an apology from Cadbury, there was not even an admission that offence had been caused.
So why can Cadbury do this to black people? Is it because as a racial group we are not as united as other racial groups? In my previous post I spoke about Dr Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at the London School of Economics, who said that black women are less attractive than white, Asian and Native American women, according to research. (Read British psychologist reignites the debate about race ideology in science)
I mentioned in my comment that Dr Kanazawa would not have been allowed to speak about European Jews in such a way, nor would would Psychology Today had published his views, and there lies the inconsistencies in how black people are treated compared to other groups.
Cadbury can be bold and unrepentant because black people are not united, nor are they in control of their own movement. Racism is no longer defined by black people, but by the very people that was racist against them. This explains why whites in America and indeed Europe now feel that they are the victims of racism. (Read White victimhood: The new racism)
No other discriminated group in society allows their oppressor to define their movement and their discrimination apart from black people and this is where we have arguably contributed to the demise of our own progress and self identity.
Will black people boycott Cadbury products? Imagine the message it would send to the world if black people all over the world refused to buy Cadbury products until the company made a public apology? It would at least show that we speak as one people, but will it happen? The answer could explain why Cadbury, Dr Kanazawa and others will continue to target black people.
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