Reform MP Sarah Pochin says it ‘drives me mad seeing adverts full of black and Asian people’

[SerendipityJane]

Surely that's what colour TV was invented for ?

https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/sarah-pochin-reform-gb-news-advertising-black-asian-video-b2852382.html

Farage due to give a press conference on grooming gangs later. It'll be interesting to see what he says about Pochin.

He called her comments ugly and said he isn't happy about it but he doesn't think her intention was racist and then had a rant about DEI

It was hardly a rant. He said her comments taken out of context would have been ugly and the context was DEI in adverts re representations of various ethnicities. Also said he was very unhappy with her and the manner in which she phrased her opinion on the representation of Asian and Black versus White in ads.

It's pretty hard to see how her comments were anything but racist. And Farage knows it, so he is trying to weasel his way out of it by claiming that her intentions weren't racist.

I think we've all seen enough from Reform to know exactly what they stand for. And Farage is right that it's ugly.

Absolutely

I would say companies are doing this to tick boxes for inclusivity. There is also a propensity for black people and not Asian - I doubt the majority of black people (of which they are relatively few) are so much richer than white or Asian that adverts are therefore being pitched at them over everyone else.
It annoys me that we are pretending this is a typical U.K. family -when it can’t be if 80% are white. The companies doing this are manipulating us - a bit like when supermarkets tell us all what they are doing for us to help us save money, when they are actually doing it for their shareholders.

I still don't understand why it annoys you?

I mean, obviously, the entire purpose of the advertising industry is to manipulate us, but I honestly can't see why you have a problem with black families being reflected? Nobody is "pretending" that all British families are black, but some British families are black, so what's the problem, exactly?

How does it affect you to see more black families on the television than you see in your local community?

What adverts do you feel are not being pitched to you?

The "Gravy Song" ad that featured a black family celebrating Christmas?
Broadband ads that feature every ethnicity?
The multi ethnic family eating chips?

I think you are all missing the point. It may not be visible or noticable to you, but it obviously is to many others, and that is what is fuelling the rise of Reform. It feeds the narrative of the dilution of a white christian country. We may not like Reform, we may find their narrative abhorrent, but we now seem to be in the minority. All these small changes reflected on TV in adverts or various programmes feeds the beast. Ignoring it, or pretending it is not an issue, is dangerous.

@HostaCentral I genuinely don’t understand this point. Reform (or Russian bots 🤨) are creating a narrative that this is a white Christian country (it’s not a Christian country, neither was anyone in the slightest bit interested in whether it was or not pre reforms American Christian influence)

you’re suggesting that in order that we don’t reinforce that narrative, as a society we should consider dialling down the presence of POc in advertising? To show more of the white Christian people reforms narrative says are being diluted?

Black people can be Christian. Asian people can be Christian.

I'm not sure how many - if indeed any - of the most common TV advertisements relate to religion or how you can tell someone's religion without a specific religious symbol included. So I call foul on this being related to protecting Christianity. (And whilst Christianity remains the majority religion less than half of the population claims to be Christian)

Asian people are under represented in advertisements. So any claims that they are featuring too much can't be correct.

Overall white people feature predominantly in our advertisements. They are also more likely to be the main character.

Regardless advertisements are not required to reflect the exact population - they are designed to increase awareness and sales of products.

If people do not like the advertisement they are free to shop elsewhere - businesses tend to respond to money.

It feeds the narrative of the dilution of a white christian country.

You're right. That is exactly what it is all about. Some people simply don't like to acknowledge that the UK is not a "white Christian country" because they don't like being around people who are not "white Christians".

Otherwise known as racism.

The rest of us need to fight against this pernicious world view.

You seem to be suggesting that we should pander to the racists in order to avoid making them worse. Is that what you're suggesting?

I honestly don’t think anyone gives a shit about Christians. GB is one of the most secular countries in the world. Churches have been emptying for decades. As a poster above suggested, anyone who has been to a catholic service in a vaguely diverse area will likely find it full of people of African or Asian heritage.

“white Christian country” is something imported from America where it does mean something. The people who parrot it out haven’t given it a seconds thought.

You're right. I think people mostly mean just white. And perhaps also "not Muslim".

Someone put this argument well (which I'll try not to mangle) elsewhere.
Claim 1: we are 'overrun with migrants' (aka brown and black people)
Claim 2: The adverts 'don't represent the (mostly white) faces we see around us daily'.
These claims cannot both simultaneously be true.

Of course it can be true. People can say and believe that there are too many migrants, aka being overrun, but it still doesnt mean the majority or number of white people in the country is accurately represented in adverts (not that it necessarily needs to be, but its true statistically that adverts overrepresent BME people)

Being 'overun' is a phrase to say 'too many' not necessarily meaning the majority.

As I say, I may have mangled their original argument.

No you probably didnt, I get what they're trying to say.

I no longer expect critical thinking in some corners of MN, but could it be that advertisers are pitching this at Black consumers TO GET THEM INTO SHOPS?

Bar Morrison's half priced whole salmon, I don't buy meat in a supermarket and neither does my family. We buy my meat from the English butcher on the high street, because he sells everything including that homemade bbq sauce someone in the community makes.

All my seasonings come from the black or Asian shop. And ground provisions come from the black shop.

I can see why Tesco would have my face on TV, because I imagine he'll want to see me every once in a while. Maybe some smarty pants in advertising has realised that the goods in the international aisle are not shifting, so it makes sense to appeal to that market?

It must be very triggering for those of you who see black or brown faces either on the TV or in real life. How do you cope?

Or do you see certain people as sub human?

They all suggest this.

Covertly.

Like they'll rise up if they don't get their way and it'll be all our fault for not letting them cry too loudly that they think see too many back people on the telly.