Britney S.

Francis
SPCM 2180
Ideological Criticism
Rhetorical Analysis One

Introduction:

African-American culture has come a long way since the Emancipation of the

Slaves in the 1860s. Although African-Americans were considered free, the messages

shown of them in media perpetuated many ideas amongst those outside of the Black race.

Adam Banks describes African American rhetoric as “the study of these traditions and

their current manifestations, the study of the pursuit of life, love, and liberation for Black

people and the whole society” (Banks). With an uplifting positive magazine such as

Black Enterprise, types that are considered “good Black people” describe the types of ads

that grace their pages. Over the years, the media’s images of African-Americans in are

still not positive. Since the beginning of time, these images have always shown Blacks in

a sub par light. They’ve went from being the ‘coons’ and the jolly Mammies of the earlier

20th century to the crime-ridden, sexually driven ’thug culture’ individuals they are

portrayed as today. Blacks seen in any other light are unconventional. The presence of

positive African-American images goes against the hegemony of mainstream America.

How are images of Black professionals portrayed in mainstream Media? While these

advertisements are indeed inspiring and encouraging toward upward mobility, the

underlying message of the ads may give an inside look into their ideology of the Black

race as a whole. This essay will uncover how the hegemonic society truly views Black

professionals, the kind of outward appearance they are looking for, and how they want to

be viewed by the audience.

Description of the Artifact:

 The ad chosen is one out of Black Enterprise Magazine. This December 2008

issue, as well as the entire periodical, is targeted towards African-Americans, particularly

businessmen and professionals. This ad is for the company, General Electric (GE) and is

a full page. The background is all white with five individuals in the center. The heading

says “The more perspectives we have, the clearer the picture”. The people pictured are all

of African descent. There are three men and two women pictured in business attire

bearing smiles on their faces. Underneath the people is a paragraph and the common

theme is the word “diversity”.

Method:

The method used to critique this ad is Ideological Criticism. An ideology can be

defined as “a pattern of beliefs that determines a group’s interpretations of some aspect(s)

of the world” (Foss, 209). An ideological criticism is looking deeper than what’s

presented within an artifact but merely uncover the suggestions.

Analysis & Findings:

The GE ad appears to be from a company with an all-welcoming, accepting and

“diverse” way of thinking. Throughout the entire advertisement, the word ‘diversity’ is a

recurrent theme. To General Electric, diverse may mean different from the hegemonic

ideals. It could also mean that they are open to hiring Blacks in high positions within the

company.

The individuals in the picture are all wearing suits and are clean cut. There are no

vices to be seen; no visible tattoos or piercing and no “everyday attire”. The message in

their appearance is clear: In order to “make it”, you must look like the Blacks in the

picture. The two Black women pictured have permed or straightened hair, so that could
signal that natural hairstyles are possibly frowned upon. The same thing goes for the men

pictured as they have either low hair cuts or are bald completely. They have no dreads,

braids, or long hair and these kinds of hairstyles appear in advertisements in Hip Hop and

urban magazines.

The words in the heading read: “The more perspective “we” have, the clearer the

picture.” The word “we” in the phrase could mean two things. It could mean “we” as

“White dominant culture” as saying “we need more Black people to come into our

company so that we can be as “diverse” as we possibly can be and achieve great things.

Or it could mean “we” as in Black people saying “the more perspectives we have as

successful Black professionals”. The concept of Black presence is discussed in the article

Understanding African American Rhetoric by Thurmon Garner and Carolyn Calloway-

Thomas. It is described as a presence that is “signaled when the cultural intensity or

emotional energy of African Americans is demonstrated.” (Garner and Calloway Thomas,

45) The fact that each individual is smiling in this photo sheds lights on many ideals.

Because they are Black does not necessarily mean that there presence in African-

American culture truly exists. Not every Black person in America truly has a thing to

smile or be happy about, nor is every Black person in America a straight-laced

professional contributing member of society. As mentioned in the article Politics and

Pedagogy in the African-American Freedom Struggle, Daniel Pernstein touches on a

collective Black freedom struggle when he notes that “Black intellectuals and activist

have been persuaded that democratic elements in American life or in the Black

community were overcoming the brutalizing impact of racial exclusion and oppression”

(Pernstein, 251). It is made obvious that Blacks are still in the minority by the dire need
for diversity that is being called upon in the ad. One aspect of the ad to be noted are the

smiles on the faces of the people. The smiles could be viewed as a indicator that the kinds

of African-American people who would be accepted in GE and corporate American are

the ones who are non-threatening.

The background is entirely white which symbolizes that although they are Blacks

working in a professional environment; Whites are the more dominant race. Another

aspect is the numbering of the people. The inequality between Black women and Black

men could also be taken from this display. Three men and two women are sending the

message that Black men outnumber Black women in these types of environments. This ad

is one of the few in a magazine catered to Blacks where the women are not viewed as sex

objects or dehumanized. Dines and Hunez (2004) described images of Black women in

the media as being apart of “a culture where animals are considered a lower species, this

marks black women not only as sex objects but as subhumans”. (p. 445)

Discussion/Conclusion:

General Electric wants the audience to know that diversity exists within their

company, which is an obvious given. Placed within this ad are qualified, well-rounded

Black individuals who are pristine in appearance, happy and continuously smiling, who

are the “best” at what they do and are top of the line. What they would also like people to

know is that the clean cut Black person in the advertisement could also be the reader if

they fit a certain criteria. Racism is a preposterous thing and is not tolerated in their

environment. The ideology perpetuated in this ad is: “Without Black people working for

us, or any other minority race for that matter, we wouldn’t be able to reach minority
audiences. Everyone is equal at General Electric. A company without diversity is

completely unacceptable.”

Breaking down social, racial and political barriers are a hard feat but

understanding where African American rhetoric plays a role in getting a message across

has proven itself in this ad. In African American rhetoric, the word “we” refers to the

Black race as a whole entity. The ad encourages minorities to become a part of the GE

team and the use of the word “we” appeals to the audience for a sense of unity between

all races. In order to be considered a Black professional, one must think, talk and dress

like those who are professional. The individuals in this ad could have gotten to the

positions they are in solely based on their merits, or they could be tokens.