MOJ advert banned for racial stereotyping

[ChocolateFrog]

Saw the article saying an MOJ recruitment campaign had been banned and thought the advert must be fairly egregious so searched for it.



For clarity that's a real prison officer and prisoner.

Filed under the world's gone completely stark raving mad.

The BBC article for reference.

BBC News - Prison job advert banned for racial stereotyping
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63458435

[ChocolateFrog]

I had to laugh at this bit

"The Ministry of Justice's (MoJ) paid-for Facebook ad showed "an imbalanced power dynamic", the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled."

I'm not sure prisons work the other way round, even in advertising land.

[Driver101]

This thread will prove why the advert was pulled.

[J4CKO]

Lol, pretty much every other advert has gone very diverse (Except Verisure Alarms which majors on poor acting) but cant ever show anything other than an overwhelmingly and unequivocally positive message which is often a little contrived and unrealistic. I cant think why a young mixed race girl couldn't fly a fast jet as per the RAF adverts but has it happened ?

Again, like the Trans debates, immigration the like, I see a lot of frothing about the number of black folk in adverts "Go Woke, go broke" nonsense and a lot of countering calling them big babies, racist etc.

Polar opinions at the either side of a debate, advertising in particular and TV in general has indeed gone very diverse but not sure you can say "Yes I have noticed that", without being told you are being racist, even without saying you are bothered or upset that assumption seems to be made, almost like they are spoiling for a fight and dying to call you out as racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic.

Funny thing is its white people in the main, arguing and insulting other white people.

I dont think it matters really, things tend to go in phases, patterns and should settle down into a more natural, less contrived feeling normality and the frothers will get bored. At the end of the day it doesn't matter but it shouldnt be only certain races/genders/sexualities can have any, even slight negative representation.

Remember one where Rylan Clarke (A Gay Man) and a mixed race girl on a Cinch or something car advert were talking about how dumb her boyfriend is "Nice bodywork but not much up top", I mean what the fk, mix that up and it wouldnt have got out there, and yes white male heterosexuals arent exactly persecuted but there is no way if it had been the chap making comments about the ladies body and intelligence it would have been used, quite rightly summed up as being like something from the seventies.

Would be interested to see what people of colour make of the changes ?

[Ari]

J4CKO said:

Remember one where Rylan Clarke (A Gay Man) and a mixed race girl on a Cinch or something car advert were talking about how dumb her boyfriend is "Nice bodywork but not much up top", I mean what the fk, mix that up and it wouldnt have got out there, and yes white male heterosexuals arent exactly persecuted but there is no way if it had been the chap making comments about the ladies body and intelligence it would have been used, quite rightly summed up as being like something from the seventies.

Ever was it thus. Rolling eyes and patronising comment from smart women to or about their dumb husbands are stock in trade.

[Biggy Stardust]

I like the bit in the ASA ruling where it says "the prisoner was depicted as a criminal". Really?

Also they should improve their English- it's unbalanced' rather than imbalanced.

A first impression is that the ASA contains stupid people.

[Prizam]

I read this today and yes. thought "that's it, I'm out".

I rarely read the news these days, not only is the content utterly depressing but the sheer stupidity of the word to which it exposes is absolutely mindboggling.

Real pictures of real-life depict something that a bunch of wetties don't like so it gets pulled. What a joke.

[Mr Whippy]

Indeed. A bit worrying when ‘real life’ isn’t sufficiently PC for advertising purposes.

Thus the statistics themselves, which paint the same picture, suggest a power disparity or whatever it’s called.

The statistics should be banned from this thread and elsewhere as they may incite racial hatred!!!!!

Indeed the ASA ruling itself is highlighting the fact a photo of real life is suggesting a power disparity which shouldn’t be allowed to be known about.

We really need to start removing people from adverts to avoid these issues and make people of all colours feel safer!

[Nightmare]

Whilst I agree it’s all a bit ‘who cares really’…….

Given it would be possible to have any combination of prison officer enthnicity : prisoner ethnicity, doesn’t it seem a lazy/poorly thought out decision to go for the white warden:black prisoner stereotype?

I accept there isn’t a ‘right’ pairing, but this is probably the last choice most people would go for nowadays for advertising something unless you”re a bit dim imo.

[Mr Whippy]

Nightmare said:

I accept there isn’t a ‘right’ pairing, but this is probably the last choice most people would go for nowadays for advertising something unless you”re a bit dim imo.

It’s an “unfortunate” pairing in our stupid world.

But to bias an image of reality to pamper to people’s preconceptions is as disturbing and subversive on society as actual racism.


If you can’t advertise with a picture of reality in action in that workplace then something is very wrong.

[J4CKO]

Nightmare said:

Whilst I agree it’s all a bit ‘who cares really’…….

Given it would be possible to have any combination of prison officer enthnicity : prisoner ethnicity, doesn’t it seem a lazy/poorly thought out decision to go for the white warden:black prisoner stereotype?

I accept there isn’t a ‘right’ pairing, but this is probably the last choice most people would go for nowadays for advertising something unless you”re a bit dim imo.

Not choosing one ethnicity over another because its not fitting a narrative and might cause some agro, isnt that a bit, well, you know....

There are all ethnicities in prison, there are all ethnicities as prison warders, isn't the photo of an actual inmate and prisoner, but it is a stereotype ? Maybe the guy shouldn't have been convicted and sent down, well as its a bit of a cliche and all. By saying its a stereotype its almost like making a point about prison representation by ethnicity.

Its a bit like gender equality, ladies wanting the same pay, treatment etc, which I am all for BTW, then getting pissed off as they get to pay the same for car insurance and dont get to retire at sixty any more, equality isn't just all the good bits or turning the tables.

If it were the other way round (which is difficult, but I will give it a try) I would welcome some additional representation and recognition, but I wouldn't want patronizing and some of this does seem a bit like that.

Edited by J4CKO on Wednesday 2nd November 12:39

[InitialDave]

I wonder if they chose those particular people to be in the advert, or asked for volunteers and that's who they got.

[s1962a]

agree with the posters that think this is a non issue

[FNG]

Until no-one looks at a picture of some people and views it through a lens of racism, there will always be racism. Works both ways.

[BS62]

TomyAFX said:

'Minority ethnic people make up about 13% of the UK’s population, according to census data.

Wouldn't that mean 87% are white? Meaning a more representative photo might have been of a white officer and a white prisoner. However I wouldn't be suprrised at all if the people in the photo were chosen with well-meaning, (if misguided and completely bonkers) "inclusive" intent.

The whole thing's fking stupid. They should have known what the response would be in this day and age, and gone for a completely different angle.

[SWoll]

s1962a said:

agree with the posters that think this is a non issue

The advert or the response?

[Gareth79]

J4CKO said:

(Except Verisure Alarms which majors on poor acting)

You mean you don't like seeing the incredible Bryan Lawrence in back-to-back adverts on daytime TV?

[ChocolateFrog]

Nightmare said:

Whilst I agree it’s all a bit ‘who cares really’…….

Given it would be possible to have any combination of prison officer enthnicity : prisoner ethnicity, doesn’t it seem a lazy/poorly thought out decision to go for the white warden:black prisoner stereotype?

I accept there isn’t a ‘right’ pairing, but this is probably the last choice most people would go for nowadays for advertising something unless you”re a bit dim imo.

Doesn't it set a precedent that you just couldn't show a black person in prison on an advert, even when it's real.

The 'right' pairing is clearly either the other way round or at a push both the same ethnicity.

[ChocolateFrog]

s1962a said:

agree with the posters that think this is a non issue

It was in the most popular read articles on BBC News so while many may see it as a non issue it's clearly interesting enough for a lot of people to click on it and it's clearly a big enough issue for the ASA.

[fido]

To be fair the white dude looks way too middle class to be a prison officer. Maybe they could use a montage of different combinations of officer and prisoner, like a fashion advert.