Remember those comments by white folks. You know the "smile I can't see you in the dark" nonsense.



Well Maclean's new advert, advertizing their toothpaste naturally, has a black woman dimming her light switch when she isn't smiling and then brighting the room up with itwhen she starts smiling. This repeats aboutthree or four times and then she says Macleans.

Now someone tell me if I'm being over senstive here...because the last timeI punched someone was over that comment. "SmileI can't see you" In fact they lost 4 teeth over it ironically enough. Personally I don't like it, because I've been hearing all of my life, by white folks, normally the same white folks who have said other racist things in the past.

It's mocking dark skin no matter how indirect, or innocent seeming it claims to be.

blkclapTotally agree!!!!

Yea i saw that advert yesterday an thought it was foolishness. Are they trying to say that the only way black people can be seen in the dark is by using Mcleans....or furthermore, by brushing their teeth? Never in my life before have I seen a black person used in a toothpaste advert...funny how they decided to use one to repsresent seeing the light in the 'darkness'. I'm sure that advert's gunna get loads of complaints

not seen the advert yet?

I know what you saying about that remember when I was at school. I asked this guy what the time was just an innocent question and he says to me oh I couldnt see cos the glare from your teeth is soo bright. Needless to say he got dealt with! I was really quiet etc but my friend who was white went nuts on him and told her brother's mate this reallybuff black guy who was a few years above us to sort him out. Just the typical occurence of the sly twisted people I had to put up with going to a majority white school.

Back to the topic! I fel the same when I saw the advert and thought maybe I was being too sensitive but I dont think soo. It made me feel uncomfortable and you are right it is done in a sly way cos there is light in the advert and not completely dark subtle but still racist overtones. Very sly and subtle buts that racismfor you today not like back in the day when they would put gollywogs on marmalade jars. But I feel you and Black people cannot say anything in this day and age because we will get accused of being too sensitive or over-reacting.

Maybe it's allthe negative experiences that this ad brings back to my mind, but it's really pissed me off somewhat.

But I can see it now. Some black kid in the playground, getting called Macleans, or Colgate. Or asked do you use Colgate? day after day. This black kid starts getting pissed off, and thenpunches the lights out of some white kid and then getting expelled because this stupid ad. And the white teachers lack of empathy for this black kids emotions

It happened to me. The only reasonI didn't get expelled was the fact that this kid I sparked out was mixed raced and was a known troublemaker, but hewas encouraged by some white kids in his class to say it.

It's not really the ad itself, but what it makes people think, and do. It not really encouraging them to purchase Macleans. If it is it's also encouraging them on the same level to take the piss out of black folks as well.

I don't think it's a matter of who feels sensitive or not.

The point is if you feel offended, then you have every right to complain regardless of what anyone else thinks or feel.

I too have not seen the advert, but it does sound offensive.

Just the other day I glanced to see one of those antique type programmes, a presenter,displaying and describing a 'gollywog' so casually, it might as well had been an antique car!

Thatget me angry.

I can see why a black person would do that advert and many will find it funny. Growing up ONLY black people made that comment to me.