Jack’d has fighting words for Grindr.
In a new online ad, Jack’d calls out Grindr for promoting racism by continuing to allow its members to post awful things like “No blacks, no Asians” and comparing it to “living in the 1960s.”
“37% of Americans identify as Black, Hispanic, Latino, or Asian,” the add states. “But do you see them on Grindr? What’s up with that?”
The ad goes on to say that Jack’d wants to be a part of “the generation that ends racism.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Related: This dating app is for ‘lovers of diversity’ who are sick of seeing racist trash on Grindr
When asked for comment, Grindr’s VP of Marketing, Peter Sloterdyk, denied the accusations, saying the problem isn’t exclusive to them.
“Sexual racism is a larger problem within our community and impacts all dating apps, not just Grindr,” he told the Advocate. Grindr, he added, does “prohibit the use of offensive or racist language and encourage our community to report offending profiles through our app’s built-in system.”
Of course, this is contradicted by Grindr’s own founder/CEO Joel Simkhai who, just last December, told Broadly, “To say, ‘I’m only into black guys’—is that a bad thing? I think we should allow you to say that, because that’s your preference.”
Related: Student explains in plain terms exactly why your Grindr “preferences” are actually racist
Alon Rivel, director of global marketing at Jack’d, agrees the problem extends beyond Grindr. But as the leading hookup app for gay men, he believes it has not done a good enough job trying to change the dialogue.
“Whether we like it or not,” Rivel says,”[Grindr] is the leader in the gay dating app space and they set a tone for the rest of the gay community.”
He adds, “Grindr has been highlighted in the press repeatedly as being racist and only profiling men who fit one standard of beauty. It is not that we are signaling them out, we are just reiterating what the public is writing and experiencing.”
Check out the video below…
Stache
Jack’d is a different market. It tends to skew more men of color and twinks galore. It’s easy for them to say that. Just marketing BS.
Brian
Here’s an idea. Stop trying to force people into a certain way of thinking and let them write what they want, and deal with any consequences. Just because Grindr isn’t specifically covered under the first amendment doesn’t mean it’s wrong to give their members the same freedoms as if they were.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Well, this is not cynical AF marketing ploy at all
Stache
Yeah, come to our site where no one discriminates in any way.
eireapparent
So it seems their beef involves not seeing enough POC on Grindr? Are they accusing the app of filtering out profiles? I mean, they can only display what’s available to be displayed. If POC are not using the app, how is that Grindr’s fault? Also, I see tons of black, Latino, etc on Grindr. I also see tons of twinks, trans, and gender fluid individuals. Since I tend to go for more rugged, furry, older guys I use Scruff mostly. I don’t see the problem with having multiple apps to fill all niches. Why must every single app cater to everyone?
AlexM
next week they’ll be saying that you’re all sexist for not being attracted to women
Brody
And the week after that we’re ageist for not lusting after old men, and the week after that we’re arachnophobes for not being into licking spiders, and the week after that . . .
frankcar1965
Thank you for saying that! As long as no one disrespects the others, and saying what you like and want is not disrespect, then it is no ones business what someone is looking for. Again I will say that everyone needs to mind their own business.
Jonahlisa
What good is having diverse guys when the app itself sucks? Go check out it’s rating :shrug:
spacecadet
I’m glad people are allowed to write whatever they want in their Grindr profiles so that way I know which racist a**holes to avoid!
Brian
Which is exactly how it should be. We are all adults, we are perfectly capable of coming to our own conclusions. We need to stop expecting the world to be our nanny and just let people be themselves, as good or bad as that may be.
Godabed
@Brian your comment is disingenuous. majority of how and what people think is contently being manipulated by outside influences. If you somehow think your social bubble, the tv you watch, your family, the porn you jack off to, doesn’t influence your thought processes, you are lying to yourself.
Yeah you’re an adult, last i checked that’s only a unit of measurement for how old you are, not your maturity level, or intelligence.
Brian
Immature and dumb people have a right not to be nannied too.
Brody
It’s not “sexual racism,” it’s simply a matter of personal taste. Jesus Christ, lighten up and find something worthy to expend your indignation on.
Ummmm Yeah
Name one other group it is considered acceptable to tell who they have to have sex with.
Xzamilloh
I don’t see the problem with stating preferences right off the bat… yeah, it can be hurtful, but I’d rather you tell me right away that you don’t want me so I’m not wasting my time, because trust, in this world, there is someone out there that wants you. Plus, this is gonna get me some guff, I find the most POCs screaming about racism on Grindr are the snow queens mad that the white men don’t want them. Maybe if I was into white men that much, I’d be upset, too.
You can’t make yourself be attracted to something you’re not, and some of those guys are bonafide racists, anyway, so they’re doing you a favor by showing their true colors, no pun intended
Xzamilloh
Besides, companies using social justice as a marketing ploy are pandering and it’s hella condescending.
JerseyMike
Excellent point… They are the only ones screaming about racism… They will not date someone who looks like them but gets mad when a white guy doesn’t want them. If you can’t find a person who looks like you, why should someone else? I don’ t care what someone rights in there profile. When you tell me who you are upfront, it saves me keystrokes and time.
lindenwood315
So wait… Per you, minorities are upset not because they don’t see people that look like them represented on these dating Apps but only because White guys are not attracted to them??? HOW RIDICULOUS!!! WOW!!!! 1st, when did the affection or attraction of white people become the barometer to measure acceptance & tolerance? 2ndly, As an African American, don’t presume to tell me what I should think or how I should feel towards any issue. The bottom line is that sharing ones opinion or preference in my opinion is absolutly acceptable; you like what you like. Sharing hate speech whether it be on Facebook, Instagram, Grindr, Scruff, etc, is just as hateful as shouting racial slurs directly in someone’s face. Hate is hate. Lastly, we as a community need to support eachother, not tear or one another down.
Umoja
Isn’t the simplest solution to ask people (or to provide a UI selection tool) that expresses their preferences rather than the inverse of their preferences (ie. their dislikes).
Let’s say instead of writing anything about my general racial-physical preferences I simply and silently block anyone who messages me if they are not my preference. Am I being less racist or more?
GLF
This is what adults do. It’s childish, not to mention classless, to broadcast “no femmes! no blacks!” etc, and it isn’t the point. We all live in a racist system that perpetuates itself. The best we can do is recognize this and work to counter it in our daily lives, and try not to pass those racial attitudes on to our children, if we have any. It is more important to work for racial justice and gender equality than it is to sleep with men of color as markers in some kind of perverse sexual bingo.
spacecadet
There was a guy on a dating app, not Grindr, that had a profile in which he said he wasn’t into Asians. Then he actually messages me to state he’s interested in me. I’m mixed race including Asian. I respond to his “hey” with “I’m Asian”. That shut him up probably out of embarrassment. My point is you should be careful with your public ignorance because it can end up making you look like an idiot like this one guy.
dick_pumper
I am an older hairy guy and I like young smooth guys, especially with shaved pubes. I am on Grindr and get a bunch of black men hitting me up. I don’t limit myself to any particular race or say that I like only this race or that, but I think it is a good idea to be upfront with what you are looking for.
Jaxton
Private sexual fantasies are just that – private. They are not bound to rules or laws regarding prejudice, and nor should they be.
There are a lot more important things to be worried about than if a Grindr ad says no blacks or no whites.
surreal33
The foundation of America is racism, therefore, Grindr is following the norm.
Ummmm Yeah
So tell me all about the black, Asian, Middle Eastern and Hispanic cultures that take in other races, elect them to their governments, and where those races can become millionaires.
Brody
Ummmm Yeah –
Stop. Making. Sense.
SumSay
@Ummmmm Yeah
So what them? They aren’t America. Those cultures and societies don’t negate what happens/happened here.
Tanengrin
Political correctness is becoming a problem in itself
Brody
And this is just more proof of political correctness being a hungry snake eating its own tail.
mhoffman953
Jack’d is just mad because their numbers are dropping. I deleted the app because (1) it has too many bugs – I can’t read some messages and I can’t upload more than my profile photo, (2) too many guys on there just looking to buy and sell weed, and (3) one guy messaged me and wanted to mail me a check, he told me to cash it and send him half and he’d let me keep half – obvious scam. I reported it to Jack’d and they did nothing about it
Jack’d does have more black guys when I used to log in than Grindr but it’s all riff-raff
b2rocketfan
I never liked Grindr because it’s not Chub friendly. GROWLr I much friendlier for us chubby bears. I wonder if Jack’d is a lot of man of color (]whi are super sexy!) but also very thin/muscular oriented.
Jack Meoff
Jack’d are just trying to take down the competition by hitting on a hot button topic and starting a smear campaign. They can’t build their market share by promoting their strengths so they have to go negative .
alanballs
There’s plenty of complaining, bickering, whining going on; or at least it appears so, when I read articles from various media sources. So what if a dude is into white dudes only? or Asians only? or Blacks only? or femmes only? or bears only? Why does ‘preference’ need to be a divisive issue in OUR community? To me, as a white dude (and I met my lovely Asian BF/life partner on Jack’d), this appears to be an effort by Jack’d to boost subscriptions and carve out a niche, different from the one occupied by Grindr. So, I’m not taking this ‘divisiveness” seriously.
jorgecruz
A lot of the problem is the difference between being a decent human being and being an asshole. To say “no rice no beans” is just being an asshole. Sure you can say I am in to blondes, or prefer younger guys. Why do you have to put down other people to state your preference? Most of the guys on Grindr are basically looking for a younger, more built, more hung version of themselves or they are looking for what they wished they looked like. All this equality and this is the best we can do to find dates?
jhon_siders
Im so tired of the black community crying about how they are discriminated !! They are the most protected group of people in the US They throw the race card Monuments are removed they throw the card Cops are fired throw the card a excuse to riot and loot ERRR protest ? They get more government help to be fed clothed and sheltered Get preference for hiring and advancement at there employment look who are the highest paid professional athletes are and they turn there backs on the flag that takes care of them ! The older ones remember until the 60s they were beaten shot and lynched for no other reason than there color the young ones should be glad they have the protection and rights as every one else BUT as a gay man we still are for the most part very un protected in the US getting better but not nearly as much as men of color .
Me2
You are grossly uninformed, but that’s your choice. This article, however, is about Jack’d manipulating a race issue for self-serving marketing purposes. The reason why this is a bad move on their part isn’t because the race issue is untrue or invalid, it’s because their exploiting it.
Me2
**they’re (not their)
Me2
Jack’d has really stooped to a new low here. Discrimination of all kinds is rampant in our community, whether it’s fat shaming, racism, slut shaming or whatever else. We don’t need Jack’d and their subpar technology stirring the pot and fanning the flames. Unfortunately, we don’t get to tell people who to be attracted to! Nor can we stop people from being assholes. But we can choose to control how we personally treat others.
malestrom
So now we have to have sex with whomever to not be called a racist? What if I truly sexually dislike Asians ? Does that make me a bad person ? This mainstream BS about being politically correct is nonsensical. Tomorrow, if I don’t like cats I will be called an animal hater ? Wow… Some also talk about fat shaming… What ? now we also have to accept unhealthy people that have chosen in most of cases to be obese ? Just because XXXXL sizes are available, do I have to proclaim as normal an obese person ? Obesity is a disease. And disliking some type of men doesn’t preclude to racism. It is a matter of whom we choose to be and relate. I don’t discriminate I just don’t interact sexually with some type of men. Attraction is always biased and very intimate. It has nothing to do with hate or racism or shaming others.
Rex Huskey
“fats or fems” can be red or yellow or black or white….. Regardless of color…not for me!!
JerseyMike
Excellent point… They are the only ones screaming about racism… They will not date someone who looks like them but gets mad when a white guy doesn’t want them. If you can’t find a person who looks like you, why should someone else? I don’ t care what someone rights in there profile. When you tell me who you are upfront, it saves me keystrokes and time.
JerseyMike
Come is in reference to Xzamilloh
JerseyMike
It’s not about who you date it’s all about how you say it. I don’t date white men.. Period… I don’t put in my profile NO WHITE MEN. I just say what I want in my profile. I think most of the racism shit is coming from men of color who don’t date men who look like them BUT are pissed off with White men for not wanting them. How are you going to be mad at someone for not wanting to date your race when you don’t want to date your race. Yes, racism is real as fcuk but don’t practice it if you don’t want it done against you.
frankcar1965
So you are really saying the same thing but in doublspeak, nice. Why not just say No White Men please for the git go? What happens when a white man contacts you? Then you tell him you are not interested, so its the same thing, typical beat around the bush when you just really want to say NO WHITE MEN. Just say it.