Macys Seeks to Confuse Father's Day for all New Yorkers, not just Harlem.

Oh the perils of multiracial advertising:
We cry, we yearn for inclusion, we shout of discrimination and create campaigns around the perils of identity politics and representation in the media. We inspire dreamy eyed aspiring journalists to go to school and study media representation and write chapters of dissertations that ... (Okay, that was only me. Yes, before I became disillusioned and repackaged as a former aspiring journalist trying to make sense of the utilities industry). We get to the point.

Its 2010 and although the bitter can always point to the areas of failed representation, we have to give credit where it is due and acknowledge that long strides have been made in terms of a wider mainstream representation across racial groups. Then there's the Taye Diggs syndrome.

Taye Diggs is the guy - that black guy - that all my fellow educated friends met somewhere during their academic studies. If you didn't have or can't remember the school days, just think of all the times we've seen Taye Diggs in a role recently (post helping Stella get her groove back or being anyone's best man,) good or bad, right or wrong.

Real Life Taye: Married to the definitely better singer Idina Menzel
Broadway-cum-Hollywood Musical Taye*:

If you really have no idea what I'm talking about, just think of this guy.

Family Taye: Kevin Hill


Best Buddy (may be confused with Best Man) Taye:



ABC Taye:
Daybreak


Private Practice:

You see Taye is everything the collective "we" asked for and discussed in magazines, beauty shops, churches, and around dinner tables. He's everything we asked for, before we got specific.

And then, we got the watered down Macy*s Taye.
(Disclaimer: it's not really Taye Diggs)

This picture makes little sense to me. I don't know this guy. I don't know many people who do know or want to know this guy.  Who is this baby? Where did the baby come from? Why is this phenotypically black man kidnapping this phenotypically not black child without an allusion to his multiracial friends in sight? Whose Father's Day is this? This is worse than trying to figure out where the one curly headed child came from in the black family on television.

Maybe, Macy*s is making commentary on the changing demographic of...

SMH.

This made sense Macy*s. Safe, but adorable and sensible.

Well to all my fathers, no matter if you and you children look alike, Happy Father's Day.

RIP Billy Mays

Still coping with my MJ withdrawal on Sunday I came home from church to find out that Billy Mays has passed. Now most ppl saw my facebook, gchat and Twitter reactions and thought I was crazy. I was a 90s child without cable. Early Saturday before the cartoons you only had infomercials consisting of Solid Gold and Billy Mays (and those SmartMop ppl). I convinced my parents to get Orange Glo and OxiClean. He was a revolutionary in the advertising world, and since I lived in the world of advertising journalism for a while, I feel a special connection to the work he did and the way in which infomercials seriously impact the advertising world.

Move On.Org Advertisement for Obama Channels the 90s: RIDER STRONG!

This made me laugh out loud tonight as I sit, watching Comedy Central. Wait for it.
RIDER STRONG IS ALIVE (I was so busy laughing I didn't notice till a friend pointed it out. Thanks Sophie)! This boy has met the world after childhood acting. It also beats McCain approving a commercial comparing Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

They're so two years ago anyway.



I so want some mid 90s TGIF right now.

Lets all remember those Brain on Drugs commercials from the 90s.


Those and those wonderful NBC "The More You Know" advertisements saved my childhood*




*Plus parental guidance and an extra dose of Jesus.