The Wall Street “China Journal admittedly hasn’t verified this with Robert Gibbs, but we’ll go out on a limb and say that Obama’s presence in the ad is unauthorized.”

The ad and product seem to be ‘double shanzai,’ a Blackberry copy being advertised by an unauthorized Presidential image.  Is this a parody?  The ultimate in cultural appropriation?  Or just plain piracy?  If it’s cultural appropriation, when/where is the line between offense, flattery, or just plain humor or parody?

Conan O’Briens Venture into International Advertising

A look at statistics from the Black Star Project, a Chicago-based not-for-profit organization that operates with a belief in the strength of parental and community involvement in education to eliminate the racial academic achievement gap, confirms that as many ponder, the Obama presidency does not signify the end of racism, but a chance to bring discussions about race and community activism to the forefront.   

Along those lines, I would love to hear Damon Weaver pose his question to President Obama, as reported on NPR last month.  “My first question I would ask him is: ‘In my town Pahokee, I have seen a lot of shootings and fights, what are you going to do about violence and to keep me safe?” 

It’s a lot to put on a 10 year old, but he seems like the ‘man on the street’ version of the dream, ‘if you put your mind to it you can do anything.’  President Obama said on the Whistle Stop Train tour “we will fight for you because Joe and I are committed to leading a government that is accountable not just to the wealthy or to the well-connected but to you…to the children who hear the whistle of the train and dream of a better life…”  Damon is one of those kids, a hopeful link between the new era in US and World Politics ushered in by the Obama Presidency, and the day to day reality of public school life, low graduation rates, trying to get ahead, and creating a world of possibility.

And now, you’re “to do” list:

1.  Damon asks you to please go to change.gov and send a note to ask President Obama to grant his interview request.

2.  For everyone, see first hand how media coverage biases public perception.  Compare this amazing and positive report from the Palm Beach Post, to this one from Fox.  Is that the same adorable, never-give-up child? (Now question bias in every news report you see or read.)

3.  For professionals in the Chicago area, volunteer with the Black Star Project (for full disclosure, I’m a volunteer student motivator with them).  They schedule speakers at 15-20 schools every month, and the minimum commitment is only 2 hours, once a year!  You can’t say no to that.

4.  For parents, watch the videos and keep track of Damon’s progress with your kids. 

Particularly in the case of the impending election, the US is involved in two wars, we have a disastrous economy, and we face a natural environment in peril.  It’s not that we are colorblind and race doesn’t matter, it’s that mere blackness or whiteness alone won’t solve these problems.  Experience, intelligence, strategy, networks of experts, researched positions on important issues and empathy for multiple perspectives will help.  To think that all African Americans will vote for Obama simply because he is black or that all women will automatically support the McCain-Palin ticket is counter-intuitive and is not supported by the overall numbers in the polls.  

My guess is that if you listen to your sub-conscious voice you label every person you meet or pass on the street.  If you try to suppress it, you may find yourself thinking “he has an accent.  He’s Hispanic.  I’m not supposed to notice he’s Hispanic.  What if I slip up and tell him he’s Hispanic and I have nothing in common with Hispanic people and oh my goodness this is too hard and how can I disengage from this conversation?”  While you sit there getting nervous and beginning to sweat, it seems a lot easier to simply acknowledge your label, give it a little smile and then set it aside, so you can really listen and participate in your interaction.  Certainly for marketers wanting to know more about what a particular ethnic group is looking for in a product-they listen.  They ask questions.   They say “ah-ha, what a great idea, I wouldn’t have thought of that, I’m so glad I engaged with you.”

This election has prompted more Americans to talk about race, and that is a gift.  But for diversity training, multicultural marketing and intercultural communications to have long lasting, meaningful impact, they need to be built on the tenets of anti-racism:  a striving for equality, civil rights, and an acknowledgement/dismantling of majority advantage (aka White privilege.)  Remembering a list of “do’s and don’t’s” might effect public behavior for the short term, but it is practice in daily life, both outside and inside the home (take that, Bradley Effect!), that leads to lasting change. 

So temporarily turn off the valve from mind to mouth and silently shout “Hello Mr. White Man,” “Hello, Mr. Black Man, or “Hello, Ms. Asian Woman of unknown national origin” on your next encounter, and then immediately follow it with “he/she may bring a different perspective from my own, I better listen more closely.”