October 20, 2006

Criticism of Zagar mounts

Bud Light ads celebrate white superiorityI know that I shouldn’t expect too much from beer commercials but these Bud Light ads, featuring the uh, comic duo of Steve and Zagar, really sink to a new low. Watch them yourself here.

I can’t even count all the stereotypes these ads contain: cannibalism, eating domestic animals, spear-chucking, squatting, etc.
The broader context:What’s sad is that this isn’t an isolated incident. If anything, the whole Savage vs. Civilized dichotomy is one of the mainstream media’s favorite cliches. It pops up time after time after time.

The underlying message in all of these representations is the smug celebration of the supposedly inherent superiority of whiteness and “Western” culture. It’s unbelievable to me that this still flies unchecked in 2006. I guess just because Zagar is light-brown and doesn’t have a bone through his nose, it didn’t racist enough to raise a red flag at theAnheuser Busch headquarters.
Comment:  This posting came after my blog entries and article in Indian Country Today. I wonder if they triggered it.

The "Zagar and Steve" website is down, so the campaign may be over. But the criticism continues!

1 comment:

Rob said...

You can find a link to the Bud Light videos on my Zagar page.

I haven't seen the Capitol One commercials or I'd comment on them.