To wonder why this Sainsbury's ad received more backlash than the other?

[SingularFirefly]

Both are Christmas ads with families celebrating Christmas. Only, when the first one was released, it received numerous complaints. Though, when the second one was released, it didn't receive any.

For the life of me, I can't tell what the differences are between the two. Why did people complain about the first one, but not the other? Many even went as far as boycotting the supermarket, though no one said the same about the ad with the second family.

Please help me work out why?

Ad 1:
Ad 2:

TIA. I just can't seem to work it out!

Well, technically it is true that there are more white people than black in the UK. But that's not a reason not to depict different races. Ludicrous.

Some people in Britain are racist. Please don't generalise about the nation as a whole.

Smacks of whiny NAMALT tbh. Turning the focus back on yourself because

@KingdomofIsolation

What people don’t like the Sainsbury’s one because the family is black ?? Seriously 😳?? Why the hell does it matter I just read the comments someone saying the U.K. is 80% white and they can’t relate ???? How can you not relate to a family at Xmas that’s mad Also is it really 80% white I live in London so it’s very diverse are there really areas where a black family is really that different ??

Really? Yes, of course there are areas of the UK that are still very white - many 95% or more. That's how statistics work! I grew up about 20 minutes from another UK capital city and there was not one black child in my school from age 3-16 - this was in the 2000s not the 1950s! In the most recent census (which is pretty out of date by now) black people made up only 3% of the UK population....

This would be the only part of that advert or similar that annoys me - the Londoncentric "the capital represents the whole of the UK" idea.

I assume that if you lived in china or somewhere where the population was 92% Chinese (or anywhere else with a high homogenous population) you would find it weird if a large number of your adverts featured white people. For people living in very white areas of the UK multiple adverts featuring multiracial families don't represent their daily lives and they're not incorrect in saying so - it's factual. I certainly don't agree with them that this means we shouldn't show diversity, but it's odd to suggest they're lying or mistaken about their own lived experience!

Don't get me wrong - I don't need to see a family that looks just like me to understand the message in an advert that people see their families at Christmas and the people complaining that they do are bonkers.
Who says that race is the only or first way to identify with someone, anyway? I would probably be more likely to "identify" with a black woman of a similar age to me in an advert than an elderly white man, for example.

“Not all of Britain is racist” up there with NAMALT.

It might hurt you to hear it but yes this is a racist country. Saying it isn’t, excuses what so many of us experience and live through.

Is this a good time to show Lawrence Fox - and the applause he got when dismissing his white privilege.

Which says a lot about the people who applauded him

I honestly can’t remember seeing a black family on British television without it being a headline “NEW BLACK FAMILY IN CORONATION STREET!”, or Desmonds.
When seeing a family on TV now and then that looks even remotely like the family grew up in, isn’t headline news then something will have changed.

I find most Xmas ads terrible, schmaltzy, twee commercialized crap by co's trying to peddle their wares & relieve us of our £$. However I'm glad they represent diversity & find it sad that some a-holes feel the need to resort to racist rants. The true meaning of Xmas has been replaced by eating, drinking, presents & being with family but the racists should note that Yeshua et al were dark skinned Levantine people & Balthazar was black.

It might hurt you to hear it but yes this is a racist country. Saying it isn’t, excuses what so many of us experience and live through.

Is it also an ableist country? Or a sexist country too? My child is autistic and we have received no end of abuse in public. The lack of understanding, ignorance and isolation has been hard to bear over the last decade. I have lost a marriage, friends and family over it. I had to home educate my child. That is my experience, that is what I have lived through, I used to work as a volunteer for a charity which assists children who have been illegally managed out of mainstream schools and left with no school place, hundreds of them, but I would never say that Britain is as a whole an ableist country.

Sexism too, my old job meant
I work in male dominated environments and I have experienced shocking sexism and harassment as have other women in my profession. Again there's pockets of shocking sexism and some dreadful occurrences but as a whole we are not a sexist country.

I'm sick of us being told we are all racist, that this country is irredeemably racist, it isn't and that is MY lived experience. I won't be judged by the standards of a few bottom feeding Twitter users. I don't know a single person who had a problem with that advert. In my wider life I know one racist and I avoid them where possible - difficult as they're a relative. You can tell me I am racist a million times and I will never believe it and I will never let my children be taught that they are either. Do your worst

It’s one of the most blatant examples of racism I’ve seen and it’s disgusting. People complaining that they ‘can’t relate’ purely because the family are black. What you can’t relate to a family having a conversation. And who gives a shit if some racist dickhead can’t relate, the advert hasn’t been designed specifically for them!

Racists don't deserve a nice Christmas so I'm delighted if this advert spoils it for them.

@HmmSureJan yep it’s got problems with those things too. Nobody is call you personally racist. But the U.K. does have a race problem whether you know racists or not.

I’m baffled by people who hear something about a general issue and immediately go on the offensive saying that doesn’t apply to them. OK that’s not you? Fab! But it doesn’t mean it’s not an issue widely.

Wow all that fuss over black people on television, can't wait until there is a truly representative proportion of POC throughout all levels of society. The sooner the better.

Blatant racism. I infact related fully to that family scenario, because skin colour shouldn't differentiate. I'm from London, not up north, so the second was less relevant.

So ashamed on behalf of the UK sometimes.

I’m baffled by people who hear something about a general issue and immediately go on the offensive saying that doesn’t apply to them. OK that’s not you? Fab! But it doesn’t mean it’s not an issue widely.

That's not what I am saying. I am responding to the claims on this thread that the U.K. is an inherently racist country, a racist sewer etc. I will never deny that it is a huge issue and did not do so in my post but I will never accept we are an entirely racist country. Most people are horrified by racism and obstruct and fight it wherever they see it. That is why I am referring to myself and the people I know, I know how we feel and what we do. There is a hopelessness to the term "inherently racist" that indicates it being pointless to attempt to effect change. THAT is why I dislike it so much and I just don't believe it's true.

We may not have the Front Nationale (or whatever name they go under now) or the Dutch PVV of Geert Wilders, but we do have racism in this country. A Prime Minister who has used racist language (and is a misogynist) and in spite of some of the more able members of the Conservative Party being black, none are in the cabinet.

Both adverts are awful and should have received a similar number of complaints, if any.

From what I gather in the media the first one irritates people because it is too 'woke' and virtue signalling, as in, look at how Sainsburys is so embracing of multi cultural britain and black lives matter.

I prefer the first one because of its difference, the second one is so boring as it is so familiar to most us us. Much prefer the Mog one

Both adverts are fine. Black people celebrate Xmas too.

Hi Rose. Over the last few years we've always taken a different direction with our Christmas ad, and everyone will have their favourite. Of course this has been a year like no other, and we wanted to reflect this in our advertising.

So Sainsbury's said this on Twitter, if they wanted to do something different then the difference shouldn't be using a black family as the focus family, that's normal for the uk. Different would be showing an ad with Xmas on holiday (not this year!) in the sun but taking their favourite Sainsbury's foods with them for a traditional Xmas lunch.

HmmSureJan

I haven’t called you personally racist?
The country is indeed sexist and ableist and whole raft of other terrible things. I use “the country” or “Britain” because the country is racist and all of those things listed.

The companies, the government, they systems, the “democracy”, the education system, the healthcare system and the people who don’t challenge each other endlessly and tirelessly as what make this country racist.
It is hard to swallow, it isn’t a personal value judgement. But if you’re not actively fighting racism, you’re propping them up.

Both adverts are crap! Sainsbury's have only ever done one decent Christmas advert and that's the WWl ad set in the trenches

Is this a good time to show Lawrence Fox - and the applause he got when dismissing his white privilege.

I sometimes feel bad for Lawrence Fox. Imagine having all the privilege and still being such a mediocrity that you need to be a big racist to make yourself feel better. He's a bit of an embarrassment really.🙈

Much prefer the Mog one

Ok, two good adverts!

TK Maxx have the best ad this Christmas.

HmmSureJam

It’s the difference between institutional racism and individuals who may or may not be racist.

This country is institutionally racist (and sexist, ableist, classist etc etc) it shows in the make up of those with power and wealth, access to opportunity and the impact of any adverse events or factors.

I really strive not to be racist (or any other discriminatory outlook or behaviour), but I don’t need to take it personally when people say that the institution of this country is racist.

@HmmSureJan

It might hurt you to hear it but yes this is a racist country. Saying it isn’t, excuses what so many of us experience and live through.

Is it also an ableist country? Or a sexist country too? My child is autistic and we have received no end of abuse in public. The lack of understanding, ignorance and isolation has been hard to bear over the last decade. I have lost a marriage, friends and family over it. I had to home educate my child. That is my experience, that is what I have lived through, I used to work as a volunteer for a charity which assists children who have been illegally managed out of mainstream schools and left with no school place, hundreds of them, but I would never say that Britain is as a whole an ableist country.

Sexism too, my old job meant
I work in male dominated environments and I have experienced shocking sexism and harassment as have other women in my profession. Again there's pockets of shocking sexism and some dreadful occurrences but as a whole we are not a sexist country.

I'm sick of us being told we are all racist, that this country is irredeemably racist, it isn't and that is MY lived experience. I won't be judged by the standards of a few bottom feeding Twitter users. I don't know a single person who had a problem with that advert. In my wider life I know one racist and I avoid them where possible - difficult as they're a relative. You can tell me I am racist a million times and I will never believe it and I will never let my children be taught that they are either. Do your worst

Are your lived experiences that of a white or a person of colour? My lived experiences with a mixed race friend in tow is that this country is racist. She gets looks and stares, treated like she’s a thief or criminal, drug dealer etc.. she is the most gentle person I know and puts up with a load of shit. When she so much as challenges someone’s view like someone was talking about affirmative action in the UK she pointed out it didn’t exist she was screamed, shouted at and told she had a chip on her shoulder. She offered to help an old lady down the stairs on the tube. The woman screamed “don’t you dare touch my bag” and looked sweetly at me, no way was I helping her especially after that. These are experiences when I am with her, I dread to think what it’s like when she’s alone.

All this pathetic uproar started months ago because advertisers started using mixed race families. White mum, black dad, mixed race kids... you'd have thought the very concept of mixed race relationships were totally alien.
I used to love replying saying finally my family was represented . Well DH is Indian so close enough