Do you buy Uncle Ben or Aunt Jemima products?

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I get it! It's a pun!

"All Labour in Vain"?? What kind of name is that for a pub?

It's pretty odd, but slightly more interesting than "Slug and Lettuce", I'd say.

I'd rather visit the "Slug and Lettuce".
The other one makes me depressed just saying it.

It may come as a surprise to some but there are A LOT of black people that still talk just like that and it isn't an act.

Well, most of their ancestors did learn English in the South...

Personally, it never occurred to me that a picture of a black woman on a box of pancake mix or syrup was racist and that's the only brand I remember for pancakes as a kid growing up.
I don't see what the issue would be with Uncle Ben's rice, either. If it were Uncle Tom's that would be different, I s'pose.........

I think a big part of it could be the movie: "Supersize me"

He spent a good amount of the movie saying how it was specifically being marketed to kids. I remember seeing an episode or 2 of the cartoon

^^ Yep, could well be and I would hope that film did help change a few minds at McDonald's.

I think this ad does illustrate WilliamWDelaney's point that, though still extremely racist, there was a degree of affection for the stereotypes being represented.

The idea that that sort of "affectionate racism" could serve as a starting point for changing people's attitudes is an interesting one.

Because when it was named you went to work at the coalfields all day, then spent all the money you earned at the pub, I assume.

The one I'm familiar with was in a major iron and coal industry area. I think maybe the sign dates from that time, when people would come home blackened with soot.

I've always wanted to see Aunt Jemima and Mrs Buttersworth to fight it out in a cage match.

I don't buy Aunt Jemina syrup.

I live in Québec. I buy maple syrup. Actually, my father even makes maple syrup.



On topic, if we critize ads because they only have white people in them, then criticize other ads because the black people in them are just stereotypes, we fall on some kind of paradox.

Real maple vs. cornstarch. There is no comparison. I prefer honey to cornstarch syrup. A bit expensive but I know what I like.

ruveyn

Uncle Bens are owned by MARS, a company which (a few mins research reveals) is propped up by child slavery

they also do bizarre experiments on animals which include force feeding candy additives to mice then make them swim in paint looking for a hidden platform, cardiac punctures which are critised for being completely unnecessary (there are more reliable human studies)

(that should elicit some sympathy even if the child slavery didnt)

.. the racism is a non issue as far as im concerned.

In what country. Not in the U.S. Child slaver is illegal in the U.S.

ruveyn