These images came to us from Dianne who saw this on BoingBoing and dug deeper to find all these great examples!
Illustrating the way in which whiteness is taken-for-granted and others are always, well, other, Plan Toys sells these doll sets labelled "Ethnic Family," "AsianFamily," and, "Doll Family."
They also sell a "farmer" and a "farmer's wife." Dianne notes: "Women don't farm, apparently, they just marry men who do."
"Children can create imaginary stories with the Indian figures, camp, teepee and authentic accessories. They can learn about the traditional American tribe and their lifestye."
Notice how American Indian tribal difference is erased with the phrase "the traditional American tribe." Diane pointed out that the set actually combines teepees and totem poles which were traditions of tribes in the plains and on the west coast respectively.
In the "How to Play" section, it says:
"Children can imagine and tell stories about Red Indians, helping to stimulate their imagination and expanding their horizon."
Yes they really do say "Red Indians."
Diane notices that, just like the doll family is obviously white, "here again, apparently the default child is white, who can 'imagine... stories about Red Indians.'"
Ironically, the company claims that they are "socially & environmentally responsible" and promote "good values."
Thanks so much Diane!
Also in the neutral and the marked: men are people and women are women and from pale to pumped with racial stereotypes.
3 comments:
April 2, 2008 at 6:12 AM
The company is Thai, I believe, which makes their "Ethnic/Doll Family" distinction even stranger.
Being Thai (if we assume that English is the author's second language) also mitigates, but doesn't really excuse, the use of the phrase "Red Indian," don't you think?
It makes one wonder how the Thai and Japanese versions of the copy read.
April 2, 2008 at 5:42 PM
With the "Red Indian" thing I was thinking the company might be British, as they use that term pretty freely there to differentiate between indigenous Americans and people of Indian/South Asian descent/origin. They have, last I checked, simply not been introduced to a more politically-correct term. (But then, political correctness is a cultural distinction, which might invalidate my (American) claim.
Anyway. If it's a Thai company, perhaps their translators are British English? :)
April 2, 2008 at 10:02 PM
What I like about this is that it shows the way in which one culture (Thai) perceives expectations and biases regarding race / gender in another culture (North American) and attempts to use these to market / sell a product - a very strange feedback loop whereby much is lost in translation.
Basically - this is the way that the toymakers think (white) Americans see themselves (and Asian and Indian peoples), and what they consider Americans to believe are 'quality' 'educational' toys.
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