Hardly Normal strikes again - this time with an unsuccessful attempt of 'marketing'
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/harvey-norman-apologises-after-b…
Since there is some mixed opinion about the term "racism" on Twitter and on Ozbargain, I have made a poll to see..
Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.
Based on this definition from Google, what are your opinions about this?
It's not an argument.
It is a statement about your argument.
Notice the This and the lack of a You?
@[Deactivated]: There has to be a reason why you stated that my argument is stupid.
Surely that statement was made with some basis.
Otherwise that would be a slightly moronic statement. (but not so slightly)
The guy is dumb enough to be an HN franchisee in whoop whoop, he is not that bright in the first place.
Their mattress sales are dragging with the 100 new online mattress companies.
Calm down people. Coronavirus won't last that long. Because it was made in China :)
From what I can gather, being of Chinese descent and being a Harvey Norman franchisee are mutally exclusive?
It's not racist. It's pure stupidity.
Store owner manager with no marketing qualifications reverts to typical 1980’s marketing strategies he’s been indoctrinated with following years of HN “training”. It’s just typical cringeworthy crass HN loud and obnoxious marketing.
On a side note, how big is the HN radio campaign that blasts day in and day out ? It’s like living on the border of N & S Korea (not that I do) with the propaganda megaphones screaming incessantly. Can’t stand it and immediately switch radio stations while driving, but chances are there’s a Domanye ad blaring instead. Go Harvey, Go…. away.
racism is as much about impact as it is about intention and approx a third of voters deemed it to format racism.. so IMHO it probably is..
Another way to perhaps look at it is whether any 'non-asian' would have been impacted by it
If the opinions of a third is all it takes to declare something as racist, I can get pretty much anything to be labelled racist.
Upvote if you want to declare the word is as racist!
(This is (profanity) gonna be fun.)
So you are staring at an object. Trying to decide what it is. You ask some random internet users help identifying what it is.
1/3 are saying its a cup. 2/3 are saying that its a bowl.
For every 1 person claiming its a cup, there are twice as many people claiming its a bowl.
You declare "probably is a cup"
:/
It's a little more nuanced than a cup.. and hence this is just my opinion..
I'm staring at a potentially racist sign.
It impacts 1 in 3 people who read it.
I declare 'it's probably racist'
I didn't realise that racism is based on probabilities.
It either is or it isn't.
Based on the very well defined scope of the word, it isn't.
If we want to broaden that definition to include inference, perception, nuance, veiled intentions… everything and anything could be included.
Heck, supporting the home team at a sports game could easily be racist. It is literally the belief that one's home crowd, potentially racially and/or nationally homogenous, is better than the other. We buy paraphernalia hence we are deciding to financially advantage one group over the other.
I didn't realise that racism is based on probabilities.
In the off chance something is racist. Lets ban it.
Coconuts. Racist. Banana. Racist.
/s
I've always wondered the ratio required to determine whether something was racist or not.
Ratio??… Sometimes its a dice roll.
God save the Queen
Gotta love one of the twitter posts on the news article.
"Holy Cow good to see racism is slice and well at Harvey Norman! https://twitter.com/slpng_giants_oz/status/12259563526205440… …"
So the thing is, the holy cow is important to hinduism.
Is she comparing racism to hinduism? That they are both as bad as each other?
Or maybe shes using a sacred belief as an expression of disbelief. That's pretty hostile to hinduism.
Or has she appropriated their culture and their holy cows?
Either way she's off the rails. She's the very thing she publicly calls companies out on.
Ignore it and move on with your life.
I agree that this is not the definition of racism, but the timing of this joke:
- PC era,
- patriotic expats who believe China No.1 {a form of racism?},
- Chinese cities in lockdown, and
- numerous still dying from the virus, gives snowflakes every reason to scream bigotry and discrimination on social media.
Jokes told by stand-up comedians on a stage do not translate well on an advertising stands. Everyone (Chinese, Aussie or otherwise) should still be considerate when attempting humour, and be mindful that their audience is the entire internet.
Paraphrasing what many have already said, executed terribly and in poor taste. Racism? Only if this advertisement is the catalyst for WW3 or the next Trade War.
let the culture wars begin
It certainly isn't racist because it's referring to imports but I'd certainly label it as of bad taste and ill-timed (I'm Asian)
Couldn't have said it better. I'm not Asian but those are my thoughts as well… Pure idiocy by HN.
Are they implying other furniture they have in store have corona virus because they are made in China?
Why stop at furnitures? I will hazard a guess majority of the electronics they sell are made in china.
Selective, innit?
Bed-in-a-box is on their kill list.
Don't worry white people, i'm Asian an i prefer my Asians without coronavirus too for that matter any person, as for mattress i prefer them cheap and comfortable hahaha.
Remember two Wong's doesnt make a White LOL
LOL
I reckon a uni student could write an entire thesis on the attitudes of some people in australia based on the content of some of the diatribe i read in this and other posts here on ozbargain.
Just out of curiosity. When you say "Asian", did you mean to say "Chinese"?
Can I be racist towards my own race?
yes, but generally you wouldn't be charged for that unless you were an Uncle Tom.
That's called Internalised Racism and it's a real thing. Quite common when people aren't raised to be proud of who they are, or when they have insecurity issues.
"Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior."
That's not how I define it.
See here:
Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone on the basis of their race.
OP's definition appears to come from Google. I would say though that words can have more than one meaning, and just because it's not how you define it that doesn't make you right.
I wouldn't say either definition is invalid.
If a white man/woman goes to an asian man/woman and says "Stop invading our country you Chink **** go back to your own ****** country" (which I'm sure has happened plenty of times) that would be a form of racism. There are people out there who think their race is superior to others, and I would say that those people are racists. There are also people out there who feel an inferiority complex based on their race, and I would also say that those people have issues regarding race.
prejudice
I always prejudge that when I go into a Chinese restaurant, I'm likely to see an Asian staff member.
discrimination
I only provide antibiotic prophylaxis for patients with a history of rheumatic fever for a minor surgical procedure only if the patient is aboriginal/TSI.
Bloody hell, I'm 67% racist.
I always prejudge that when I go into a Chinese restaurant, I'm likely to see an Asian staff member.
Your intent was not harmful and just a thought in your own head.
I only provide antibiotic prophylaxis for patients with a history of rheumatic fever for a minor surgical procedure only if the patient is aboriginal/TSI.
Whatever man
Ahhh Harvey Norman Albury. I went in to buy a tablet and my wife came along, instead of just helping me the lady thought it was appropriate to congratulate me and my wife for having an interracial relationship.
This sign really doesn't surprise me.
the lady thought it was appropriate to congratulate me and my wife for having an interracial relationship.
I've hope you recovered from this horrific incident.
A retail worker once commented that she like my friend's bag. The audacity of some people knows no bounds.
You're in a sexual relationship with your friend's bag? Good on you. No one should shame your love.
Ahhh Harvey Norman Albury.
Sounds like a place full of inbreds.
Checks Google Maps….checks out. lol
it’s not racist, just shows stupid people shouldn’t be allowed to think what to write at the front of a business.
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign. Life is demanding without understanding.
Prove that you're not a racist - go hug a coughing and sneezing Chinese person from Wuhan today!
(In all seriousness, I hope people from Wuhan/China recover quickly from this terrible event).
I'm Asian too (sorry white men I'm not a girl so don't fetishise me) and I would say the sign is in poor taste and was probably written by someone who isn't Asian.
I don't really find it funny to target entire demographics or groups of people like this, so I don't find it funny especially considering it's a global health issue and that people — who likely never helped to "assist" with the virus outbreak (i.e. worked in wet markets, attended them or whatever) — have died.
But here you are assuming "white men" have fetishes with Asian women. Well done.
Thank you, as I was indeed excitedly expecting to elicit a reply of exactly this nature.
It's not really funny to target entire demographics, is it? But hey, this sign is fine, because ASIANS!!!!! LET'S ALL MAKE FUN OF THE CHINESE!!!! CHINAAAAA!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
Let's make fun of Asians and Chinese people and how "Coronavirus won't last long because it was made in China :)"!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA
The sign wasn't targeting a race. Your comment was.
LoL - "I don't really find it funny to target entire demographics or groups like this"…
"Sorry white men, I'm not a girl so don't fetishise me"
Because all white men have an Asian girl fetish and yellow fever.
Double standards much ?
This is the most LoL post in this thread.
Wow so many Asians in this thread. Wait, is that racist?
The poll itself is arguably racist by discriminating with answers for Asians and non-Asians.
Perhaps we discuss it in a new thread called 'a thread about a thread'
I think we need to enforce quotas on how many people from each race etc can be on OZB at one time to make sure everything is fair and balanced for all users.
Thats how things work in real life right? That makes all of our problems go away?
It's bogan humor. Noone cares what some bogan (profanity) in outback Australia thinks anyway. It only makes the news because it's a Harvey Norman store. It's racist because its fear mongering and targeting a race for a tragedy that 99.99% of race of people didn't cause. That's bogan logic.
Approximately 20% of white Australians are descended from convict blood. It was probably written by one of those people, and the people who defend it as a joke likely also have some sort of convict blood in them. Australia was a penal colony initially, let's not forget.
Cant wait for all future harvey norman posts being downvoted
I feel like HN head office dont care too much as this is free advertisement… we dont expect much from regional areas so this isnt surprising at all. I dont think white areas and especially national party strongholds are all that sensitive to race issues.
On a side note. As of the time this post is written, out of 571 voters, 209 were Asian.
That's much higher than expected. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. (Disclaimer: this is coming from an Asian so it's not racism)
It wouldn't have been racsim if you were non-Asian.
You're an Asian , so you get a free pass on racism. That's nice to know. Glad we're evolving. Goodnight.
Well, as we know, only white people are racists.
do you have a better argument than a personal attack?