Like Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, it is all about race and self-promotion. Taking ordinary events and conflating them into racial media events. Often proving that the real racists are the ones that “doth protest too much.”

This can be clearly demonstrated with an Israeli advertisement produced by a well-known company. The advertisement for an Israeli cell-phone has that “Pepsi and Coke” fun look and feel. 

Haaretz.com is reporting … 

“A Facebook group is trying to get Israel's leading cell phone operator, Cellcom, to pull a new TV commercial showing Israeli soldiers near the West Bank separation fence, arguing that the advert is ‘racist.’"

See for yourself …

“The commercial, produced by the Israeli branch of international advertising powerhouse McCann Erickson, shows IDF soldiers on patrol along the separation fence who stop their jeep when it is hit by a soccer ball from the Palestinian side of the fence.
The ball soon bounces back to the Israeli side, at which point the soldiers decide to hold an impromptu game with the Palestinians, cheered on by female soldiers.”

“The voiceover accompanying the advert says: ‘After all, what are we all after? Just a little fun.’"

“The Facebook group, called "I too got nauseous watching the new Cellcom ad," severely criticized McCann Eriksson's use of the separation fence in its advert.” 

" ‘We could go into the media messages spouting racism any which way, but if you have come here than you too think they're uncalled for,’ reads the introduction to the Facebook group. ‘The McCann Erickson copywriter displayed an unbelievable propensity for bad taste.’"

If anything, the copywriter should be faulted for the lack of originality – having produced what looks like a derivative soda fun ad – certainly nothing as egregious as deliberately or even inadvertently producing a racist advertisement.

Reading something into the ad which does not exist …

“The group also centered on what they feel is offensive in the new commercial, pointing out the fact that the supposedly ‘good’ soldiers fear the possibility that the ‘monster living on the other side of the wall could steal the ball - but when the ball returns to Israeli hands, we discover that that monster isn't fierce at all, and actually feels like playing with the soldiers - oh joy!’"

“Good enough reason to set up a beach party under the wall, complete with sexy female soldiers and musical instruments." 

Now this is racism … reading into a simple commercial an evil, racist context which is not supported by the storyline or the visuals. Viewed from the opposing viewpoint, one could argue that the people on both sides of the separation fence were just people having fun. Making the best of a situation brought about by circumstances of living in that particular moment of time.

Demands …

“The group ends by demanding the immediate removal of the commercial. ‘What our group can agree on is the shame we feel seeing a major Israeli commercial company approving such a beastly advert to be aired in its name, and which brings us to demand - take this racist commercial off the air immediately!’"

Shame? Racism?

Perhaps the asshats that are trying to remove this advertisement should be aware that this separation barrier has saved countless Israeli and Palestinian lives. By keeping those who would readily kill for their twisted religious cause apart – and by preventing the terrorist aggression which comes from the Palestinian side from spilling onto innocent Israeli citizens. Perhaps someone should remind these people that the racism is promoted by a religion which sees everything as black and white: you are either of our religion or you are an infidel targeted for servitude or death. And a corrupt political regime which does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and uses terrorism against innocent civilians as a means to advance their twisted political ideology and agenda.

Don’t give in to the racists …

Should Facebook knuckle-under to these racists, they would be giving into those who do not want freedom of expression and want to impose their toxic ideology which represses human rights on the rest of the world. 

In the final analysis, this is not a political ad, but a product advertisement with no hidden meanings.

To illustrate the difference, consider another advertisement. Same set-up but on the third toss of the ball, a grenade comes flying over the fence killing the soldiers and their companions. With the other side shouting "Allahu Akbar." Now that is an objectionable racist ad. 

-- steve

_______________________________________________

OneCitizenSpeaking: Saying out loud what you may be thinking …

Reference Links:

WATCH: Facebook group blasts ad showing IDF troops playing soccer by separation fence - Haaretz - Israel News