I have to say that I am offended by that new

[malaise]

Sandals ad on cable. All white tourists in their swimwear being served by an Afro-Jamaican in a suit and tie in the fucking hot sun - and they dare to play Marley's Three Little Birds.

Come on Marley Family - say NO to this fucking racism.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/nRWP/sandals-resorts-dont-worry-about-a-thing-song-by-bob-marley

[MontanaMama]

1. I've seen it and it's horrible.

They didn’t even try to get it right.

[malaise]

2. Offensive to the core in the middle of all these protests

[NotHardly]

20. Endemic racisim. They cannot even see or hear what they say or do. The word oblivious come to mind

[Skittles]

3. I haven't seen it but...

that sounds glaringly bad

[malaise]

7. Added the ad

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/nRWP/sandals-resorts-dont-worry-about-a-thing-song-by-bob-marley

[Skittles]

11. honestly

I would feel bad laying on the beach while someone in a SUIT served me drinks.......that seems a bit much.

[jimfields33]

4. Went to their website to see their pictures, it seems like they represent a vast diverse

Group of vacationers. But the workers do all seem to be Afro-Jamaican. The commercial could at least make the vacationers more diverse to reality.

[malaise]

5. It is the smiling black man in the suit in the hot sun that offends me most

That and the use of Marley's song.

[jimfields33]

6. I understand. The marketing group needs to be fired.

Of course, one thing I see is that change only happens if we demand it. I think I’ll write a complaint to the corporate headquarters and throw a tweet on twitter expressing my distaste for the commercial.

[BannonsLiver]

56. You should complain to the Marley estate about the music part

They no doubt licensed the song for use by Sandals. They retain very strict licensing controls over his image and music, as I’m sure you’re well aware.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

36. Ugh, not really.

I mean, it's to be expected in an ad for expensive touristy vacations, but they all look like paragons of vapid consumerism.

[johnp3907]

8. Wonder why they didn't use this one:

https://m.

&t=0h1m30s

[malaise]

9. ROFL

[Dream Girl]

29. Good one!

[Maru Kitteh]

10. "Have you ever watched a butler walk on water, just to please you?"

Yeah, all their commercials (or the greatest portion at least) are racist as HELL.

[malaise]

12. One of my friends often says that the only thing Caribbean promoted by them is

the Caribbean sea

[Celerity]

13. not all white, and the couple being served in the hot sun is black

[Steelrolled]

25. I noticed that too

One the list of most racist advertisements, I don't think this would make the list.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

14. Some of their older ads are blatantly racist. One in particular made me realize what

a horrible company it is. Something to the effect of "have a waiter 'walk across water' to bring you drinks just because you can" - white lounging couple in swimsuits and black waiter in formal wear. It struck me as a particularly ugly message.

[marybourg]

15. I saw 1, possibly 2 black couples

in the ad.

[Celerity]

18. 3 couples of colour out of 16

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=13695564

[EX500rider]

39. So about proportional....African Americans are 13.4% of US population.

3 out of 16 is actually higher then that %wise.

And I don't see much wrong in showing black workers in a country that is predominately black.
Showing Asian or white employees would be a unusual choice in a country that is 92.1% black.

[kskiska]

52. That was my thought.

[Trumpocalypse]

16. Lots of ads are racist

Most ad agencies are overwhelmingly white.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

17. Marketed

To rich elitist fuckfaces.

It disgusts me .

[ancianita]

19. I yell at the TV every time I see it.

I just hate it.

I really don't know if his music is in the public domain or not, but if the Marley Family can sue, I hope they do.

[secondwind]

21. Given today's climate, I can see what you mean.. I have to say that most of the waiters, if not all

in the Caribbean, are not white. You would be hard pressed to find a white waiter in Jamaica. And I did see two black couples.

With all the crap that is out there, I would give this a pass... seriously. We live in the Dominican Republic, and in all the years I have been in and out of this country, I never saw a white housemaid or cook. It is what it is. Believe me when I tell you that in these islands folks are very happy to even have a job.

And please don't take it the wrong way, because I DO understand where you are coming from.. I am white, but I have black in my family.

[malaise]

23. I usually ignore these ads for good reason

but given the current racial tensions, I really find it even more insensitive that usual.

I get your point re who works in the service industry On the other hand I did see a lady come to clean every two weeks at my sister's home in Denmark - she was white but she did drive a Volvo

[secondwind]

27. Haha... Denmark is 97% white... so that's not unusual........ :-)

[lunatica]

22. I've always hated the Sandals ads

The emphasis on kiss ass servitude is completely unnecessary.

Every time I see that slavish servitude crap in ads it pisses me off. People working in service jobs like that don’t think much of customers who indulge their horrid egos. Ugh!

I was a waitress for a few years when I was a single mother decades ago. I learned everything I ever needed to learn about nasty people during those years. It also taught me to appreciate nice people. They make up for the asshole types.

[Warpy]

24. I'm trying to get into the habit of NO TV, so I haven't seen it.

I generally don't watch during election years.

That Sandals ad sounds beyond stupid and insulting. I know I'm not that interested in anything quite that lily white. I hope Marley's ghost haunts them and the ad agency they rode in on.

[Rebl2]

26. What is sandals?

[DesertRat]

33. Luxury Caribbean resorts based in Jamaica

[BannonsLiver]

57. Overpriced and overrated

[edhopper]

28. It's a feature

not a bug.

[FreeState]

30. They banned gay couples for years

Even though they now “allow us” I wouldn’t support them. Add their apparent racism and it’s a hard pass for me.

[cwydro]

50. Jamaica has a big problem with homophobia.

[enid602]

31. VP

Well I hope these stereotypes will be tested in 6 months when the US swears in its first Afro Jamaican Tamil American VP!!!!!

[malaise]

32. LOL

[0rganism]

34. I'd like to see remakes of the ads with the races reversed

something like that could help white people understand

[Volaris]

35. Bwahahaha. No, dear, that's not how that works for the racists...A friend in high school

thought Spike Lee's White Mans Burden was the scariest movie he'd ever seen. Historic role reversal is the thing they fear MOST.

[malaise]

38. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

That's the truth

[TheBlackAdder]

37. A lot of their ads like that w/overtly obvious messaging. They advertise heavily in CT-NY-NJ.

[yardwork]

40. It sounds very offensive, but is there a non-offensive way to advertise those resorts?

Aren't the resorts themselves built on a hopelessly racist model? My understanding is that white tourists are waited on day and night by Afro-Jamaican servers dressed in formal clothes.

I understand that people need jobs, but it seems to me that the entire model is racist and colonialist - not to mention environmentally damaging, culturally negating of the history of Jamaica, and probably exploitative of the employees. All to create a fantasy for white tourists.

I just can't imagine a way to make that any less offensive. Using Bob Marley's song without a shred of irony seems unsurprising in this context.

Sort of like Trump's behavior. Unsurprising but nonetheless shocking.

[EX500rider]

41. What color would you expect the employees to be in Jamaica? nt

[yardwork]

48. Is it necessary for them to be dressed as servants?

[EX500rider]

54. They have to wear some type of uniform...what do they wear at the resort while working? nt

[gollygee]

43. Not all the guests at these resorts are White

I know quite a few Black families who have vacationed in Jamaica. Just have more diversity among the guests.

[yardwork]

49. Doesn't make it better.

[gollygee]

51. No, I agree with that - it has a very colonial vibe.

They need to get rid of that.

[EX500rider]

44. btw: Tourism is tied with remittances as Jamaica's top source of revenue.

The tourism industry earns over 50 percent of the country's total foreign exchange earnings and provides about one-fourth of all jobs in Jamaica.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Jamaica#Tourism

[malaise]

46. Do you have a clue what plantation slavery earned for the British?

GFG!

[EX500rider]

55. Which has little or nothing to do with Jamaica's economy being based on tourism.

That has more do due with the countries natural beauty and close proximity to the US.

The UK outlawed the practice with Slavery Abolition Act 1833. And left Jamaica in 1962, it was still under the british flag though when I was born in Montego Bay earlier in 1962.

[Demovictory9]

59. I've been to Jamaica. some aspects of the tourism offends me..the big resorts have exclusive beache

beaches that the local can't access. I purposely stayed in a regular hotel.. not a resort like sandals.

[EX500rider]

60. Unfortunately Jamaica has the 3erd highest homicide rate in the world.

The private beaches are most likely to reassure the tourists that they will be safe.
They get too many tourist murders or muggings and they will lose the tourists to somewhere considered safer and the locals will suffer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

[malaise]

45. Does the fantasy need black waiters in suits and ties serving drinks and food

in the hot sun to people on beaches. That is one seriously sick fantasy.

[yardwork]

47. Exactly. If the ads reflect the reality of the resort, that's very sick.

It's the resort that's sick. The ad just reflects it.

[Tom Rinaldo]

42. It really is offensive

They've been running ads like that for years. Usually they try to slip in a quick shot of a couple of African American tourists being served also to "soften" the image.

[kcr]

53. I don't watch much on cable so I hadn't seen that gem

I'm glad I've never been to their resort, and don't plan to.

[Demovictory9]

58. light skinned black coupled flashed by at 0.12. blink and you'll miss them

so many American Black people go to Jamaica... I am surprises at how tone deaf corporations can still be.