Thanks (not) to the Male-y Telegraph for annoying me a great deal at Sidcup station this morning... A giant version of the above poster which helpfully lets us know that a working class background needn't hold us back. So long as we are white, straight, male, able-bodied, etc...In fact it's doubly offensive because it marvels at how well they did despite the "lowly" status of their fathers (not that I personally see anything lowly about coal miners, ship stewards or traveling salesmen, but that is clearly the inference of the advert) but no mention is made of their mothers.
In fact Bill Clinton's travelling salesman father died before Bill was born. A much bigger influence on him was his mother who trained as a nurse while he was small and then married the owner of a car dealership who was physically abusive to her.
In fairness there are two other adverts - one about where big companies (Nokia, Lambourghini, IBM) started and one about first venues worked at for three more guys (Jimi Hendrix, Barack Obama and Richard Branson) of whom in fairness only one is white though all are male, straight and able-bodied. The three companies mentioned are all overwhelmingly governed by white men.
But it seems the Daily Telegraph is a men's paper about men, written by men and marketed to men.... to which I can only say "Fuck Off".
3 comments:
Personal facts are so open to distortion when taken out of their native context and placed with others on the basis of a single statistical similarity. These adverts attempt to conceal the Maley Torygraph's contempt (for people earning under £50thousand a year and others who might not buy it or vote its way) by targeting habitual assumers. They are, on the surface, showing instances of capabilities exceeding circumstances. They are relying on the general public only considering the surface. The bias towards economic definition of success reinforces the "white man's world" agenda it perpetuates - which would be too obnoxiously apparent, and lose them credibility, if they failed to acknowledge, or rather make use of, a few instances of colour variation.
It is not-so-quietly ironic. The current market requires companies to consider diversification and solidification of market share. These adverts clearly target who the Tgraph considers to be it's core market; thereby alienating others, and relying on "feel good" amongst the audience who just took a public beating in global economics to buy it!
It also stinks of the paper somehow taking credit for these people's and company's achievements.
Desperate time perhaps.
It's also playing into the "you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps, look they made it from nothing therefore everyone can, we live in a meritocracy" bullcrap beloved of the right wing. Facts about the recent reduction in social mobility means nothing to these people.
all good points.
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