"Respec, boss man" - VW and Stereotypes

The recent VW Superbowl commercial is one of the most racially controversial commercials in recent memory. The highly visible commercial has been heralded by Jamaica as a boost to their tourism industry.

But is this positive or negative stereotyping. Is it racially ethical? Is it wrong to promote someone else's culture through stereotypes? If so is it wrong to promote one's own culture through stereotypes? The actor in this ad, Erik Nicolaisen, attempted to downplay the controversy:

"I am an actor, I was hired two days before this commercial was made. It was written long before. I am just an actor, I was just out there representing an accent that I can do. As for the controversy, I am not in a position to affirm or deny how it makes people feel. Race is an issue, but racism is a part of American history and you can't discount it... But personally, from my end, as a fan of reggae music and Jamaican culture and also international reggae culture, I am familiar with people of all different cultures and origins, speaking in patois or singing reggae music."

We can all agree that negative stereotyping is bad and has no place in modern society. I think the issue with positive stereotyping in advertisements is that although the actors or company might say they are trying to positively portray a culture or lifestyle BUT they are ultimately selling a product. VW and all advertisers have an ethical responsibility to make their advertising inclusive and to not promote negative societal aspects like racism. Advertisers are trendsetters and tastemakers and need to be ethically conscience to what they are promoting. One opinion is that this ad wouldn't make sense to a society that doesn't have the preconceived stereotypical context that tells us all Jamaicans talk like that, that VW has the right to free speech and therefore has no ethical responsibilities. Does VW have the right to play off racial stereotypes in their ad? Yes. Is society to blame for having the stereotypical context? Yes partially. But advertisers are to blame for the perpetuation of these stereotypes from generation to generation. This is their ethical responsibility just as it is our ethical responsibility as a society to speak out against racism and stereotype in the aspects we have control over: our workplace, our children, our friends. Advertisers have to be conscience about their impact and the areas they have control and attempt to be ethical in their decisions.