Companies/ Institutions who disproportionately feature Black people in promotional materials aren't fooling anyone but themselves, dawgs know it's not representation; it’s backwards, sheer insult to intelligence and reality, it's absurd propaganda masquerading as being up to date
Deceptive Inclusivity: When companies disproportionately feature Black people or people of color in promotional materials but fail to reflect that diversity in their leadership, workforce, or actual culture, it’s not representation; it’s manipulation. They exploit the image of inclusivity to mask systemic exclusion and inequity.
False Flags of Progress: Overrepresentation in marketing is designed to create a façade of progress while maintaining the status quo of power and decision-making structures. It’s a distraction tactic—offering visibility without real agency or resources. This is propaganda masquerading as representation.
Emotional Manipulation: These companies and institutions tap into the deeply rooted desire for representation and acknowledgment among marginalized groups, weaponizing it to ganner trust and patronage. This is psychological warfare, preying on centuries of disenfranchisement to build goodwill they haven’t earned.
Propaganda for the Masses: In a multiracial society, authentic representation means proportional inclusion. Overrepresentation of one group is a deliberate strategy to convey a misleading image to the broader public, suggesting that Black people are either the dominant benefactors or stakeholders when, in reality, they are often absent from the real centers of power within these entities.
Structural Exclusion: The ultimate insult lies in the disconnect between the marketing optics and the structural reality. These entities rarely have Black executives, decision-makers, or significant Black ownership. This reinforces systemic exclusion while exploiting Blackness as a brand aesthetic or selling point.
The Trojan Horse Effect: By creating an illusion of diversity, these companies pacify critical voices and make marginalized groups less likely to question their practices. It’s the ultimate bait-and-switch—Black faces on the surface, but the same exclusionary systems running the show underneath.
Cultural Commodification: This approach commodifies Blackness, turning it into a marketing gimmick rather than respecting it as an identity or a community. It’s a ploy to cash in on “diversity dollars” while offering nothing in return but empty platitudes and performative gestures.
Advice: Black people and people of color must seriously examine these institutions. Ask the hard questions: Who owns this? Who benefits from it? Who holds power here? When the representation ends at the surface, it’s a clear sign of exploitation. Walk away, because supporting such entities perpetuates the cycle of manipulation and sabotages genuine empowerment.
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