@ Nikki Gorman

Hell yes.

Good to see you feel the same way I do on this one. I'm equally unimpressed by the Benetton ads, but I'm gonna take a slightly different approach at bemoaning them. Because, let's face it, you're right. There's absolutely no effort here to create a positive response to these issues. This is as vapid as the Meiser work, but infinitely more disgusting.

The problem that I'd rather focus on is the issue of signage and labeling. We can start with the less or seemingly non-offensive images and move on to the truly awful ones. For instance: we're shown an image of a black dude holding sweaters to either side of his head. The message here could be, "we're accepting of all colors!" But it could just as easily be, "hey, I'm a colored guy!" The last time someone referred to a black guy as "colored" in a non-offensive way was years and years ago. And then the kicker, the sign: United Colors of Benetton. Wait, huh? What? So these are the United Colors? Aged racism?

Moving on then: let's presume that the great old United Colors of Benetton sign can be applied to any image that it's stuck too. And why wouldn't we presume this? It's generally true that a sign, once applied, labels the thing that it is applied to. When I go to the Store, I walk in under the sign that says store.

So, what are we walking into when we approach the sign: United Colors of Benneton?

AIDS?
The Death Penalty?

Greeeeaaaat. Let's go shopping.