THE SHOT – Folks with the United Colors of Benetton hold a banner ad featuring Obama and Jintao locked in a gay kiss with the tagline “Unhate”. Maybe U.S.-Chinese relations have moved to second base when we weren’t looking. Benetton also has another banner featuring Pope Papa Ratzi kissing Egyptian imam Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb—expect the wrath of God to follow shortly.
Via Towleroad
christopher di spirito
Benetton is known for controversial images.
phallus
IMO it’s stupid. Where would anyone get the notion of “unhate” from this banner?
JWilliamson
At first glance, I thought they were condemning the UN. :S
the crustybastard
Q: Why is Barack Obama Kissing Chinese Leader Hu Jintao?
A: Because Obama needs a little romance before getting fucked.
Fabiola
there is another banner with Barack kissing Hugo Chavez (this is the link where I spot it http://no-estoy.blogspot.com/ )
christopher di spirito
@the crustybastard: FOFLMAO! Best comment on the thread!
B
Re “THE SHOT – Folks with the United Colors of Benetton hold a banner ad featuring Obama and Jintao locked in a gay kiss with the tagline “Unhate”. Maybe U.S.-Chinese relations have moved to second base when we weren’t looking.”
Note to editor: the president of China’s family name is “Hu”, which is what you should pair with “Obama” (or if you want to use Jintao, then replace “Obama” with “Barak”). Would you describe the Obama/Chavez picture described in No 5 as “Obama and Hugo locked in a gay kiss”?
Daniel’s text would never get past the language police at the New York Times! Once, in a column about George Bush being caught by an open microphone calling a Times reporter an asshole, a New York Times columnist, Maureeen Dowd, mentioned a memo from Al Seigel, the Times “estimable arbiter of language”, as sending a memo stating, “Folks: If we have to refer to it again, let’s call Bush’s word a vulgarity, not an obscenity. It has nothing to do with sex. Nor is it profane, having nothing to do with religion or the deity.” You can read the start of this very funny article at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18575344.html (let us know if anyone finds a link to the whole thing, even though it is a bit dated by now – it is a real classic).
ewe
Because the Obummer is a yellow belly. Just like Hu Jintao.
slanty
Jintao looks a little light to me. If they’re going to depict him, at least do it accurately, and make his skin as dark as it really is (which is light to begin with, but you know what I mean).
Yellow belly
Hu has such a good complexion, all things considered. He comes from the Chinese desert, so you would expect him to have a rougher look.
Oh... really?
That’s an interesting picture. I didn’t know that Hu Jintao was white.
Jim Hlavac
So, both men were made to seem lighter than they really are, eh? Almost the same “color” as if the color of a man made a damn difference.
And what is unsaid in all this mush is that this is called “free publicity” — does Queerty intend to bill Benetton for the “free” publicity? I doubt it; dumb move — send them a bill.
Meanwhile, Benetton is a large corporation — with stores in 120 countries (oh the wealth of the world today, eh?) And they are feeling the pinch like everyone else. So they created a set of controversial images — and pushed it out there with a minimum budget — and every news outlet in the world will cover it — and ergo, give Benetton massive amounts of free advertising — which they couldn’t afford, if they had to place the ads themselves as ads.
Useful fools being a dime a dozen — the world is abuzz, and Benetton ready to rake in millions which I don’t begrudge them; for it saves good jobs. But really, must every news outlet buy into this “outrage” or something? And then give the free publicity that this campaign obviously seeks to get? Egad. Mush.
B
No. 12 · Jim Hlavac wrote, “So, both men were made to seem lighter than they really are, eh?”
My guess is that it is simply an artifact of the image processing used to create it, or perhaps the use of somewhat washed-out images from whatever they copied.
Scott
@the crustybastard:
If you watched Saturday Night Live you’d know that the American President is the top.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/110317/saturday-night-live-china-cold-open
and
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-11-15/wall_street/29991157_1_glenn-beck-summit-g20
lucifer
I don’t care for that sign. It makes the president look weak and it says there is a lack of respect for the commander and chief. Obama has our backs and this is the thanks he gets? I really hate this image.
Marc Richter
That’s just plain grody to me. But hey you’ve got to hand it to Benetton, this ad grabbed my attention like like a bad car accident. You know you should turn your head, but you can’t!
floridian
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL????????
Tenneseean
Hu’s skin is as yellow as sand on the beach. I think it’s almost a crime they depicted him so much lighter here. It seems pretty racist to me.
george davis
I was wondering seriously, were most homos molested when they were young ?