In marketing yesterday, we were subjected to a video about diversity in regards to realtors who are trying to sell to non-white clientele. The thing was racist in the way where it tries to be "diverse" and educational, but it just comes out insulting.
First the video cites a bunch of stats, using sillouettes of people that are pink/fleshtone. Then when it was talking about Hispanic people, it shaded them all dark brown-- I mean the darkest brown possible. Then for Asian people, it made them yellow. I didn't think that crap was really necessary. It sounds like it makes sense, but watching it in practice it came off ridiculous. I'm was half-afraid black people were going to be represented in pitch black, but black people weren't even mentioned! ftw. So black people don't live in America anymore or they all turned Hispanic or what. Jeez.
Then it sought to educate the viewer by having three scenarios where a realtor makes several mistakes trying to sell to their ethnic client. First they had this dude and his towel-headed friend Mohammed. Yeah, people from over there wear head coverings, I know, but I didn't consider it a good start because it immediately establishes the huge visual difference between the lily-white realtor and his ethnic friend. So the realtor is pretty much an ass, not even taking a sip of the coffee offered to him and badgering Mo about his wife and kids. After each segment, the host of the show is all "What did lily-white realtor do wrong?" and mentioned showing the sole of his foot, not drinking the coffee, asking about Mo's wife when matter of a man's wife is private, bragging, and using his left hand to hand Mo documents when the left hand's the poopy-hand in that country or whatever. And I'm thinking, what about the fact that the realtor was a douche? I think not being a douche has some value, too. Especially when the host says something like "by American standards, lily-white realtor behaved well" or something. No, he didn't. I found him irritating. If you ask about a guy's wife and he looks uncomfortable and says nothing, do yourself a favor and don't fucking ask again. Jeez. And then Mo goes and takes a phone call in the middle of his meeting. That was rudeness, too, man.
Then we move on to a the big Texan guy from the Simpsons who shoots his guns in air going "yeeee-haw!" He apparently became a realtor for a day. He is trying to sell a house to some Hispanic people. So in the segment, Tex wonders loudly all offended-like "Golly, I thought Mig-gwel spoke English!" The mistakes they listed were that Tex criticized the man not speaking English, that he tried to bring the wife in on the selling decision when you're suppose to talk to the man, that Hispanics know nothing about buying a home, using first names, and that Tex looked at his watch. Looking at your watch that obviously is just rude, period. Even if people learn English, sometimes they're more comfortable in their native tongue. Who cares? I mean, there was a woman there translating for Tex, it's not like he had this huge hurdle to jump over. The message is getting through. Have a little common sense. The whole "Hispanics not knowing anything about buying a home" was really insulting. Clearly, the people in this segment were Mexican immigrants. But instead of saying that, they called them "Hispanics" as if they represented the entire demographic! "Hispanics this" and "Hispanics that". It pissed me off. If they're trying to convince me that everyone that isn't Hispanic knows exactly how to buy a home, they're kidding themselves. The video even said that Tex shouldn't have used first names and that Hispanics should be addressed as "Seņor or Seņora". Fuck you, video. If someone calls me "Seņora" and asks to consult with my husband about my house purchase, bitches just lost a sale. This is America. Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss are just as respectful. Forget that Tex called them "Mig-gwel" and "Sonia". "Mig-gwel"!? It's bad enough having your first name used when you don't want it to already without it being butchered in the process. I found that portion of it interesting when my dad was so damn insistent years back that people loved to be called by their first names after I mentioned that I hate people who don't know me all calling me by my first name.
The last segment made me grateful the two Asian people in the class left the room before the video started. Apparently, this Asian couple wouldn't buy a house because of Feng Shui issues. When the house was carpeted, the seam was placed right where the bed would be. A seam that shows like that deserves to lose the realtor a sale. Especially since they're using scraps to carpet the house. Fuck 'em. And throughout the entire post-segment, the host kept saying "Faaang shway".
After it was over, I was so close to raising my hand and asking if there would be a quiz on the racist video. Good lord.
