Saturday, April 29, 2006
F'ck Amp'd Mobile
Amp'd Mobile has these ridiculous comercials that suggest people are entertained by watching people fight, hurt themselves and engage other humiliating antics at anothers discretion. In one of these comercials a black woman is instructed to shake her junk for a white man.
And the phenomenon shows signs of crossing over into the mainstream. Witness a recent Amp'd Mobile commercial. In it, a guy standing on a bus is playing with some device, when he commands two guys in the back to start fighting; they comply. He then tells some guy with a boombox to crank up some old funk tune; up comes the beat. Then he turns to a black woman and commands, "You, shake your junk". She gets up, grabs the pole that's conveniently right there, and turns the bus into a stripper's workout room, shaking her prodigious junk for all it's worth (and I'll argue that only until pornified rap videos became commonplace did a whole lot of people know this colloquial meaning of "junk").
It's hard to isolate the more troubling part of this brief scene: is it that a white man can command a black woman to "shake your junk" as though neither of them had ever left the strip club (or worse, the plantation), or that she does it without complaint? At least she keeps her clothes on. Then again, this is a 30-second ad for a mass-market product, not an offering from Lil' Jon and the Ying Yang Twins or some other strip club-influenced rap act, and I don't think the spot would have passed prime time muster had our girl been wearing a thong.
- Mark Reynolds @ Pop Matters
pr@ampdmobile.com and inquiries@ampdmobile.com
And the phenomenon shows signs of crossing over into the mainstream. Witness a recent Amp'd Mobile commercial. In it, a guy standing on a bus is playing with some device, when he commands two guys in the back to start fighting; they comply. He then tells some guy with a boombox to crank up some old funk tune; up comes the beat. Then he turns to a black woman and commands, "You, shake your junk". She gets up, grabs the pole that's conveniently right there, and turns the bus into a stripper's workout room, shaking her prodigious junk for all it's worth (and I'll argue that only until pornified rap videos became commonplace did a whole lot of people know this colloquial meaning of "junk").
It's hard to isolate the more troubling part of this brief scene: is it that a white man can command a black woman to "shake your junk" as though neither of them had ever left the strip club (or worse, the plantation), or that she does it without complaint? At least she keeps her clothes on. Then again, this is a 30-second ad for a mass-market product, not an offering from Lil' Jon and the Ying Yang Twins or some other strip club-influenced rap act, and I don't think the spot would have passed prime time muster had our girl been wearing a thong.
- Mark Reynolds @ Pop Matters
pr@ampdmobile.com and inquiries@ampdmobile.com
# posted by MB @ 10:54 AM 
Comments:
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Thank you GOD someone touched on that issue. I have had problem with that commercial for a very long time, and they play it constantly on Comedy Central--a channel that has huge problmmatics at all levels, content, comercials, credits...
i have seen that commerical and i have hated every minute of it! it is played constantly and i've always wondered isn't anyone else offended tha this woman is told to "shake her junk" and does so without any contestation.
Black_girl: I think you're overreacting to the situation. Would you be more satisfied if the script writers simply placed a caucasian girl told to 'shake her junk' instead?
I think there's a problem if you place your complaint mainly on that one segment of the commercial. Rather, why not just complain how the commercial was predominantly white; why is there a lack of asian and black casts represented in that commercial? But that alone brings different issues on the table, and should not be complained about. If we did in fact complain, who is really being the racist one?
Nubian: She shakes her junk as part of the commercial theme. Why are you not being offended by the one-sided battle of the black man and white elder? Why are you not upset about how it portrays negative images of a black minority dominating a white majority using brawn and not brains?
Everyone please relax and try to look at things in a bigger picture. If you have so much to bicker about, try being passionate about more realistic things, like volunteering at poverty stricken areas in your local vacinity.
Note: I'm asian myself but I think the commercial is tastefully done. Sure the cast could have been more sensitive to racial themes, but I don't think I would want to see some asian girl shake whatever junk she may have. If I were to be sensitive to race, no ethnicity can 'shake their junk' better than those that came up with that slur. Think about it, from the reverse point of view, maybe they WERE being sensitive to ethnicity. Think how many 'black' people would be upset if a caucasian girl was told to do that, talking about how 'white' people are trying to assimilate pop culture as their own.
I think there's a problem if you place your complaint mainly on that one segment of the commercial. Rather, why not just complain how the commercial was predominantly white; why is there a lack of asian and black casts represented in that commercial? But that alone brings different issues on the table, and should not be complained about. If we did in fact complain, who is really being the racist one?
Nubian: She shakes her junk as part of the commercial theme. Why are you not being offended by the one-sided battle of the black man and white elder? Why are you not upset about how it portrays negative images of a black minority dominating a white majority using brawn and not brains?
Everyone please relax and try to look at things in a bigger picture. If you have so much to bicker about, try being passionate about more realistic things, like volunteering at poverty stricken areas in your local vacinity.
Note: I'm asian myself but I think the commercial is tastefully done. Sure the cast could have been more sensitive to racial themes, but I don't think I would want to see some asian girl shake whatever junk she may have. If I were to be sensitive to race, no ethnicity can 'shake their junk' better than those that came up with that slur. Think about it, from the reverse point of view, maybe they WERE being sensitive to ethnicity. Think how many 'black' people would be upset if a caucasian girl was told to do that, talking about how 'white' people are trying to assimilate pop culture as their own.
# posted by 
: 8/14/2008 10:13 AM
: 8/14/2008 10:13 AM
Hey, 'socraticchrist'.
Tell that same thing to women who have to be in the 'entertainment' business not by choice, but because money is hard to come by.
Tell them that they shouldn't because women should live with dignity, not as an object of other people's leisure. They'll laugh at you and ask for an alternative in THEIR situation. Douche, you have no idea how the world turns do you.
And by the way, your name is a huge oxymoron. If that's your attempt to be clever, you need to stop analyzing commercials in such an obtuse fashion and go back to school. Retard.
Tell that same thing to women who have to be in the 'entertainment' business not by choice, but because money is hard to come by.
Tell them that they shouldn't because women should live with dignity, not as an object of other people's leisure. They'll laugh at you and ask for an alternative in THEIR situation. Douche, you have no idea how the world turns do you.
And by the way, your name is a huge oxymoron. If that's your attempt to be clever, you need to stop analyzing commercials in such an obtuse fashion and go back to school. Retard.
# posted by : 8/14/2008 10:19 AM
: 8/14/2008 10:19 AM
wow. why all this action on this old entry?
the commercial is repugnant on all levels but supports and plays into old stereotypes about black women. you aren't being "sensitive" to race by perpetuating stereotypes.
Also you definitely drank the kool-aid if you think "volunteering" is a solution to poverty. Do you understand how capitalism works? How racist commercials like this one reinforce sexism, racism, while getting you to consume? You should check out some writing by some "asian" (i put this in quotes as many "asian" feminists have a critique of this western construct used to group very diverse people together) feminists. http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Ladies-American-Feminists-Breathe/dp/0896085759
also TD, please think about what it means to hurl "retard" as an insult. Not cool.
the commercial is repugnant on all levels but supports and plays into old stereotypes about black women. you aren't being "sensitive" to race by perpetuating stereotypes.
Also you definitely drank the kool-aid if you think "volunteering" is a solution to poverty. Do you understand how capitalism works? How racist commercials like this one reinforce sexism, racism, while getting you to consume? You should check out some writing by some "asian" (i put this in quotes as many "asian" feminists have a critique of this western construct used to group very diverse people together) feminists. http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Ladies-American-Feminists-Breathe/dp/0896085759
also TD, please think about what it means to hurl "retard" as an insult. Not cool.
Can someone tell me where I can find the name of the actress in the pole dancer commercial from Amp'd Mobile?
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