http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/02/03/racist-or-not-racist-jimmy-cliff-and-the-super-bowl-get-happy-commercial Comments On: Racist, Or Not Racist: Jimmy Cliff and the Super Bowl "Get Happy" Commercial by Kelly O en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
no, no...we have perfect harmony in this thread as it ended as it began. then you crapped all over with your obvious opinion. you should feel bad.
Posted by LEE.]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:48:26 -0800 The Stranger Posted by juan gabriel]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:13:25 -0800 The Stranger Posted by A Fucking Wizard]]> Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:57:29 -0800 The Stranger
I felt like the guy in this commercial was just trying to prove how cool and laidback he was by speaking like a stereotypical islander. It didn't seem like he was deriding Jamaicans in any way. If it's the stereotyping that's considered offensive, then I don't know why this particular commercial is being called out for that when most commercials deal in stereotypes.
Posted by virginia mason]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:17:23 -0800 The Stranger Posted by free.ranger]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:48:45 -0800 The Stranger
I mean, what you have to understand is that not all Jamaicans are Black: there are Indians and Chinese who came there as cheap labor since the 19th century, and have been there ever since. There are whites who have been there since the early colonial-era. And there are "Blacks" who have ancestry from all 4 of those corners. All of them speak in that fashion, so the Jamaican patois--though an indicator--isn't as firm a statement about one's racial identity as it would seem.

I think it's a non-issue. If people were concerned about racism, Jamaica, and corporate structures of economic subordination, they'd bring up IMF, not a VW commercial.
Posted by Shaun_Empire]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:43:12 -0800 The Stranger Posted by fitzfile]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:28:30 -0800 The Stranger Posted by dafydd]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:46:42 -0800 The Stranger Posted by derek_erdman]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:34:35 -0800 The Stranger Posted by MGHart]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:34:19 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Taryn]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:29:53 -0800 The Stranger http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abVadyreV…
Posted by Paul Merrill]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:16:07 -0800 The Stranger
I'm not sure it's NOT at all racist, but I'm confused about why it's any more offensive than other impersonations we consider acceptable.
Posted by virginia mason]]> Sun, 03 Feb 2013 21:56:32 -0800 The Stranger Posted by LEE.]]> Sun, 03 Feb 2013 21:01:58 -0800 The Stranger