Not just garden-variety racism, mind you. It’s super racism.
That is the term critics are using in reference to a well-intentioned safety poster put out by the American Red Cross.
Dan Good, of New York’s Daily News, joins the finger waggers, beginning his article with the reprimand “Not cool, American Red Cross.”
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
That’s a double entendre since the poster, which highlights swimming safety, is titled “Be cool, follow the rules.” It shows children frolicking in the water, with arrows pointing to “cool” and “not cool” behaviors.
So what makes the poster super racist? That’s for me to know and you to find out. OK, here’s the poster. The clock has been set to 60 seconds. Ready? Begin!
You in the back row: Your answer is wrong. The poster does not lack diversity. Eight of the 18 figures in the poster are “of color,” including one of the two lifeguards, which is a position of power.
Anyone else? Sorry, time is up. The correct answer is that all the “not cool” actions are being done by blacks (and one or two Hispanics, I think). Here again is Dan Good with a summary of super-racist infractions:
The “not cool” actions include a black girl pushing another girl into the water, a black boy diving into the water, another boy gasping for air, children running near the lifeguard’s stand, and a man walking with a bottle.
Meanwhile, a white girl waiting to use the diving board is denoted as “cool,” as is a white father with a baby in the water.
The Red Cross has pled guilty and promised to do better.
@JSawyer330 Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’re removing this from our site immediately & are creating new materials.
— American Red Cross (@RedCross) June 21, 2016
I have it on good authority that the replacement poster will show white kids flouting their privilege and firing off AR-15s. The organization is accepting suggestions for titles.
