I just opened my yahoo account, which is a yahoo.it (for Italy) address. There, on the top right corner I saw an advert that blew my mind, from a website that apparently sells used stuff called secondamano.it. The ad appears on the “risposta inviata” or “message sent” page. The company alternates between two ads. One is this:
There is a young couple sitting on a couch surrounded by old objects. She is a pale blond, he is a Black guy with short dreads. These “sold” signs start appearing on all the objects, ending with one popping up on him, saying “tutto puo essere venduto” or “everything can be sold”.
Wow. The Black guy can be sold. Is there any other country in the world that would find that sort of “humour” acceptable let alone funny, and think this is a good way to promote one’s web site?
Most times you see a Black model being used in an advertisement in Italy, it is a direct reference to his colour, so chocolate, a dark soda, an oreo-like cookie. That is embarrassing enough, but this one really breaks new ground in openly racist humour and poor taste. My complements to secondamano.it, to whom I have written directly, for representing Italy, with its already tarnished image in the field of racism, as a country where this sort of thing is acceptable.
an update on this story: Yahoo pulled the advertisement on Sunday. I contacted a freind who works at Yahoo, who was able to contact the right people w/in their massive advert department, who reacted promptly. I had also contacted the office of the Italian ambassador in DC, NAACP in DC and of course secondamano,it, none of whom responded.