As though all the race related rants over the Presidential Elections were not enough, the advertising world seems to have been upstaged by bigoted bloggers who have been able to get Massachusetts based coffee giant, Dunkin' Donuts to bring down their advertisement. This advertisement showed Rachel Ray, wearing a silk scarf which according to the bigoted bloggers resembes the keffeyeh, a scarf traditionally worn by Arab men. These posts have generated thousands of comments and the power of social media has once again been reiterated. The headscarf by Muslim women or the cloth turban worn by Sikh men from India have led to contentious arguments and attracted strong protests in France, England and the United States. Yet, this paisley scarf worn by Rachel Ray is an example of how fear mongering can uproot us instantly.
The speed and power of viral Internet based conversations clearly has been proven to bring down advertisements, raise campaign dollars or spread the word about a host of products and services.
Signs and symbols, colors and accessories can definitely suggest meanings that are not explicit. The color green is for example frequently associated with Islamic culture. The color red is auspicious for the Chinese. Hindu women will not appreciate black as part of a bridal or baby shower wardrobe. Artistes and communicators knowledgable in semiotics or cultural nuances use these insights positively to enhance the communications process. But the reason that conservative bloggers like Michelle Malkin can get away with referring to the scarf as "jihadic chic", is because there is also a widespread gap in our cultural quotient about Arab/Islamic/Muslim and Palestinian cultures
Such a "tempest" as the New York Times times columnist Stephanie Clifford calls this outcry only tells us that we have a long long way to go in building our cultural fluency which calls for the abolition of cultural arrogance that limits our world vision and our own appreciation of humanity.
Suggested references
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/business/media/30adco.html
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