Thursday, October 26, 2006

Call me

'Call me' attack ad
No, this isn't homage to Debbie Harry. I wish it were. Instead, I'm calling attention to an attack ad on Senate candidate Harold Ford that plays on one of the oldest and most virulent forms of American racism. Click here or on the image at left to view the ad, courtesy of the New York Times.
To his credit, Representative Ford launched this great response:
You know your opponent is scared when his main opposition against you is, “My opponent likes girls.”
All of which, as fate would have it, coincided in time and cosmic space with this important New Jersey Supreme Court decision.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is terribly odd. When I first saw the ad, I didn't see any racial connotations at all. And I confess I can't see why one would have, or would assume others would have, a racially-coded response.

Should we then read Ford's response as homophobic? Why not?

10/27/2006 12:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think anonymous has pointed out exactly what I was thinking. Growing up in the South, I know the fear that miscegenation strikes in the heart of men (and women) there. I think that there is a true argument for the racism.

However, I see where anonymous is coming from. And, not to lump anon in with them, but I see Tennessee Republicans upset by the furor over this ad and its racist connotations.

I think the same railing "political correctness" is going to occur, and while the ad can be offensive to many, it may be that the uproar caused by the ad turns off those who don't see, or didn't think of, the racism.

10/27/2006 11:42 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

great posts here and on NJ ruling. check out Shavar Jeffries at Blackprof on the ad explaining the racial overtones.

10/28/2006 5:18 PM  

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