Do Afrikaners need protection from… advertisers?
· Citizen
Oh no! Some believe that Afrikaners are being insulted by a car commercial. Good thing they can hide away from evil car marketers in the USA where they will be protected from WeBuyCars and its affiliated anti-Afrikaner marketing agency. Y’know, because the USA doesn’t indulge in free speech and all Americans delight in the privilege of playing host to South Africa’s most insecure.
I’m not sure where the people so offended by WeBuyCars latest commercial were when gems like, “Where’s my chips?”, “Mureal, you are driving” and “Dit bly polony” came out. But now to claim that Afrikaners are commonly depicted negatively in advertisements? Sure. Remember how much we all became so full of disdain towards the Afrikaners when “Met eish, ja” entered the lexicon?
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It’s perplexing in so many ways that an advertisement where the majority of lines spoken are in English is seen as mocking Afrikaners. The Anglo-Saxons among us will take tremendous umbrage at the dismissal of their dedication to graad 12 Afrikaans twede taal. They did it to be part of this society but all of a sudden, they’re not Afrikaans enough to be considered to be refugees.
It’s not like English white people aren’t subject to the same hundred and whatever race-based laws that refugee proponents love to throw around. What about farm attacks? Because no English-speaking people farm at all in South Africa, especially not white English people. So of course, a mockery on those choosing to flee South Africa for fear of their lives has got to be an attack on Afrikaners. Gimme a break.
Renaldo Gouws accused WeBuyCars of mocking the Afrikaans refugees in the United States. Has he exhausted every attack he’s got against the DA that he’s had to find a new Golgotha?
It’s not like ol’ Tony Leon never took the micky out of any other culture. To read commentary of people wishing bankruptcy on the brand is so confusing. Imagine lamenting the state of South Africa’s economy, the lack of access to that economy because white people are limited from getting jobs and then wishing bankruptcy on a national company.
It’s nearly as absurd as those claiming that its “rainbow nation ad could have united people selling cars in pursuit of their dreams. Instead, you chose to stab white refugees in the back” while cheering those who turn their back on South Africa and go to Trumptopia.
Nobody is immune to the issues of South Africa and the decision to leave and seek refuge in a foreign country that is deliberately rejecting a host of other refugees is worthy of at least reflection, if not criticism, if not ridicule.
Were it me feeling unsafe in my country, perhaps the US wouldn’t have been highest on my list. After all, if the mission is to get away from violence, it’s not like the US has freed itself of that.
South Africa’s creative space isn’t something that should be supressed because some people feel offended by it. It’s especially something that shouldn’t be supressed because the people offended by it are in favour of solving the problem by leaving.
It’s not that it’s a great ad nor that it shouldn’t be called controversial. Sure, it would ruffle some feathers. Isn’t that what marketing is supposed to do? Weren’t good ads ones that challenged thoughts and ideas? And playing on South Afrianisms. Were traffic cops up in arms when we all started offering them a braaaaaiiii? Were twins upset with their parents for not naming them Bela and Bela? Were the queers poorly represented by no friction, no drag?
The Afrikaners who took offence at this ad really need to unSteve themselves, otherwise all we’ll be left with is an uncle on a chair and the security of knowing that we can bring our car because we can park it. If we lived in that world, there would be a stronger case for leaving.