I haven’t been keeping up on my reading and so an article on Advertising Age’s web site from Friday talking about how a planned ESPN ad campaign was scrapped after the casting-call memo for it was leaked just caught my attention:
Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN has been forced to abandon an advertising campaign before it ever got started after a casting-call memo was leaked that asked for actors to play college students that included a “slutty girl,” an “Asian kid … who’s always fighting” and a “short” Hispanic who one day hopes to “race thoroughbreds.”
The commercial was to be produced by one of ESPN’s ad agencies, Anomaly, New York. The casting call memo was put out by Liz Lewis Casting Partners, New York. Anomaly did not return a phone call requesting comment. Liz Lewis, owner of Liz Lewis Casting Partners, declined to comment.
Ad Age has some choice blurbs from the memo. Nothing really surprises me, not even stupidity, but… It’s still hard to believe that anyone would be stupid enough to send something like that out into the electronic wild given the blatantly racist and sexist stereotypes portrayed. It almost seems like a very mean practical joke played on someone. Kids, don’t leave your computers unattended without password protecting, or someone might send malevolent e-mails that look like they came from *you*. If that’s not the case, shame on you Liz Lewis for bad hiring.
Hopefully she’s better at firing.
You know I read the memo and thought “it’s not racist,” but it definitely takes jabs at the fans of certain schools. The Asian kid who is always fighting is a fan of the FIGHTING IRISH. It’s a joke about the school’s fans not about Asians. The slutty girl is a jab at the Tennessee Volunteers. The short hispanic is a jab at people from Louisville.
I see the mean spirit you mention but it seems more towards the fan bases of the schools than against any Race. I see the humor, but it’s mean.
This is just a case of PC going to far, and of bad taste on the advertising firm’s part.
I’m not sure it’s a case of PC going too far — I don’t think even SNL could’ve pulled that off as a skit (ok, they could’ve gotten away with the blonde).
Besides, c’mon, the stereotypical Louisville fan isn’t Hispanic nor is the stereotypical Notre Dame fan Asian.
Robert, I don’t know about that. I don’t know jack about Louisville. However if I was a short hispanic around there, I’d hope to be a jockee too.
I think they just wanted all races covered without thinking about it.
Wait a minute… you mean there are still people claiming to be Notre Dame fans these days? Impressive.
I hope we haven’t discovered the new TV stereotype, the ‘Young Obama’. Nothing against our President-elect at all, but it just feels like the agency trying far too hard to go for the ‘it’ thing of the moment.
“Slutty” girl… ouch.
Oh, goody. It’s mock outrage time.
The fact we are even having this discussion shows how far down the crapper the first amendmant has gone. If you haven’t figured that out by now, folks, its already too late.
Sorry Robert, this is totally pc gone awry. #1) Who cares? #2) I’m watching South Park which makes this sound like Seasame Street #3) I think the ad sounds funny. Then again, I do like sluts.