In an ad on YouTube for Confederate Family Insurance, the narrator says “A man fills many roles in his life time; Provider, Protector, Master of the house. As a father you have a vital role in your family’s life. They depend on you to be there. We help to make sure you can fulfill that promise because, no matter what they call you, at the end of the day you know you are just Dad. Confederate Family Insurance: for over one hundred years protecting the people and their property” The ad shows a white man relaxing in his porch as a colored-skin maid serves him a drink, as he watches his wife and daughter play. It seems like the wife was teaching the little girl how to ride a bike. The little girl rides off like as the parents watch her and falls at some point on the way. Then, the man runs off as the supposed protector of his family to get his little girl. Then, as the ad was about to end, out of no-where it shows a Latino man cutting grass behind the family and then he turns and smiles to the camera.
All along in the ad, as the narrator says the great things about how a man is the provider and protector of his family, the ad shows the white family. Then, towards the end, as it says “protecting the people …” it shows just the white family, and then, the moment it says “… and their property” it shows the Latino man cutting grass. Notice the singular in the “Property.” What was the ad referring to as property? Why would the ad show a Latino man exactly the second it says property? This could be viewed in different ways. On the one hand, representing the colored man, as he was working for the white man, as their property, can be viewed as portraying slavery; the owner “the white man” and his property “the Latino.” Referring to the Latino man as a property, shows that the makers of this ad view him as less than human. On the other hand, the ad can be viewed as making use of social stereotypes of Latinos; they are usually, stereotypically seen as maids, cleaners, gardeners.
Michael Omi stated, “Even the “good” person of color usually exist as a foil in the novels and films to underscore the intelligence, courage, and virility of the white male hero.” In this ad, the white man was presented as the hero; the wealthy man who writes checks and provides for his family; the strong man who protects for his family, while the Latino was presented as a low-life gardener. There are lots of rich Latino families in today’s society who have better lives than that of the white man in the ad. The makers of this ad could have chosen any other race for main characters in this ad, but instead they deliberately chose to use a white family. This goes on to support Michael Omi’s statement.
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