How About A Can Of Booty Sweat?
Upon initially reading this, I thought it was a joke... alas, it's very real, and I'm troubled by it.In what some are calling a "brilliant move" since it's likely to drum up a bit of controversy and thus plenty of free advertising, Paramount Pictures is releasing an actual energy drink based on a fictional drink from the movie Tropic Thunder, called "Booty Sweat."
Paramount Pictures (the studio behind the film) is licensing the fictional brand as a real beverage available nationwide to help promote Tropic Thunder in advance of its Aug. 15 wide release. Of course Tropic Thunder is the Ben Stiller summer comedy rump that co-stars Robert Downey Jr in "black face." Recall I wrote about the film HERE.
Here's the kicker: 2 versions of Booty Sweat will be made available. One for "urban" markets, and another for the "rural" folks. Per AdAge's website, the urbanite store version will carry the description of the drink as a "delicious and bump up struttin' energy drink that will pump up a brotha's ass right-pronto. This swill will crank yo' metabolism up skippin' right over jiggy to straight G-pimp level, word to your mutha. Brothas will be layin' down the 2-3 on the wiggy jig focusing the energy flow into cold-face benjamins that will fill yo' pimp pockets to burstin'. Damn straight! Booty Sweat will keep a brotha pitchin' straight game all night to the baby-dolls."
Meanwhile, rural stores will get a can that simply has the Booty Sweat moniker, but no street slang!
Wow! Ok! I was already a tad unsure about Robert Downey's role as a black man in the film within a film, and what the potential ramifications of that will be. Now the announcement of this Booty Sweat drink for use as a marketing ploy only increases my discomfort. Is anyone else bothered by any of this or am I being overly sensitive?
See the entire article on AdAge.com.
Hmmm. I don't know how I feel about this. I don't think you're being too sensitive. But I also don't know if it warrants a protest. So basically I don't know anything :^)
I'd be curious to see how it all plays out over the next 2 months.
This is offensive on so many levels! If anyone out there thinks it's cool for ad executives to sell ANYTHING to the "URBAN" market(code word for black) by referring to the men as pimps there is something seriously wrong here! This is so much bigger than a simple beverage can...
- P
I can sense your bewilderment Mister Bay, because I too am often uncertain about occurrences like these. Usually, I'm instinctually shocked and offended, but then it eventually sort of wears itself on me and then I start to doubt myself. And then the questions come: am I being too sensitive? Is it that big of a deal? Is there really anything wrong here? It doesn't help when others are telling me that I'm being too touchy. But I'm learning to go with how I feel instinctually. It's a valid response isn't it, whether or not it jives with the majority? Conditions of a once-colonized mind, right? *Sigh*
Since I'm pretty much the smartest person I know, it's obvious to me what Paramount is trying to accomplish here. Clearly, they're tying to...uh...um...uh...
Look! What's that over there...?
*eases out of the room unnoticed*
Oh dear...
This is 2008, right...? Or did I regress and wake up in the hey day of the bvllsh!t that was blaxploitation?
Oh dear...
Thanks for all your comments folks. I'm definitely watching this closely. The movie hits theatres next month, so I expect the ad campaign will be in full swing shortly...