A Satirical Analysis Of Mtv's 'White Squad'

MTV's "White Squad" commercial consists of a carefully chosen team of White men and women who are eager to assist non-White citizens beyond what is commonly experienced by them under the same social, political, and economic circumstances. The ad demonstrates the irony of how White privilege works in this generation. MTV releases this commercial under their “Look Different” campaign to emphasize as well as add onto their goal of opening people’s eyes to hidden biases. MTV sides with the fact that, “If we all do more to challenge bias, we can help create a more equal future” (MTV). The satirical commercial “White Squad” not only convinces some people that it is a real company but it also raises tension and anger in offending many African Americans

and minorities effective in this commercial. Furthermore, the ad affects the Whites as it makes fun of White people and their “non-White privilege” that do not seem to exist to some.
The 90-second commercial starts off with a white male representative stating an usual question, "Is your skin color holding you back?" The man then obliviously proceeds to advice, "I'd like to tell you about a new solution to racial inequality: White Squad-- professional white advantage services." Although the commercial shows a non-existent service, it finally gives people of color White privilege shown on demand.
MTV appeals to its audiences in all three forms of rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos to engage in people’s attention and to educate them in seeing the blindsides of the White privilege concept. The commercial includes a “geek-squad” team of polished, nicely dressed White men and women appealing to ethos for its credibility. The team members dress professionally in business attires, while other citizens wear casual, everyday-outfits. With the squad team’s polished looks and proper gestures, their appearances shape the company, creating a quality first impression for the audience. Advertisers manipulate ethos by focusing on the image of the company, making it seem as presentable and reliable as can be. The staged rooms in the scenes feature neat, organized setting with elegant, clean decors to add onto the credibility. The rooms, shot in bright lights, demonstrate daylight and pleasant ambience, a good presentation for the company. The ad attempts to show as much positivity as possible to persuade its audiences of what this impeccable company can do and how it can change their lives; however, the message "White Squad" gives is almost taken too far. The ad convinces viewers that all people of color need White people's help so that they receive White privilege as well. Even worse, "White Squad" willingly offers to help as if there is nothing wrong with the process.
The satiric commercial also incorporates in pathos, another form of rhetoric in convincing its audience of what the impactful company can provide for people of color. The commercial shows team members wearing black-on-white smiley face buttons on the left side of their chests as a reassurance of happiness. The symbol confirms the emotions of what customers will be awarded by utilizing “White Squad”. In the commercial, the company also reaches out to a variety of audiences, such as investors, travelers, and students. The ad, for example, incorporates aspects to gear towards students on what is important to them: scholarship. One of the advantages of using "White Squad" is to guarantee non-White students private scholarships because of the White privilege concept. Although this is not a real company, it provokes many to believe this ad is legitimate.
Moreover, the satire includes disturbing real-world statistics and percentages clarifying White privilege.

Some statistics shown in the commercial are “Whites have 20 percent more housing options, 67 percent lower incarceration rate, and 40 percent more private scholarship”. Not only did this bring up racial issues, it also brings realistic views to people who think indifference about how White privilege works. By including statistics, the ad uses logical appeal to prove to its audience by reason no matter how inadequate the data is. Advertisers use this technique to convince their viewers that "White Squad" is real. Comparatively, in today's society, according to Mark Kantrowitz, a writer for FinAid.org, the stats claiming that more Whites receive private scholarships can be backed up by his article which confirms more Caucasian students ultimately win more than three times as much in merit-based grant and private scholarships than minorities. Furthermore, an executive summary from Huduser outlines, "minority renters are told about and shown fewer homes and apartments than equally qualified whites" (Walton). Seeing that statistics provided in the ad can be backed up by other sources, viewers can assume the rest of the inclusion of statistics are somewhat

reasonable.
This particular commercial targets an audience of all races.

There are two very different evaluations that can be taken from it. The first take, one may understands it as a clear demonstration of what White-privilege looks like from a non-White individual's perspective. This is one way of showing a White individual who does not believe White-privilege exists, though it was portrayed in a ridiculous way. Another take would be from a White individual who sees it as a joke. This commercial mocks how White people are able to hail a cab easier, have a better chance in finding better apartments, and are almost always guaranteed private scholarships, yet to the extreme. The ad clearly sides with the outlook that people of color are more likely better off with help from White people. This message sends a negative atmosphere to the non-White audience since it is not true. As "White-Privilege" is "very much intertwined with racism", it is a societal problem that still occurs today (Hossain). Hossain powerfully tackles in the issue saying , "We are all aware that just because there are laws on the books that are aimed at combating racism, and despite the fact that we have elected and reelected our first Black President, racism is far from being eradicated from our society." He then continues on to say how "discussing one (racism) without the other (White-Privilege) would be futile" (Hossain). In this world of Generation Z, racial issues are still a substantial problem in the society

and worse, the statement Katherine Speller makes is sad, but more or less true. Speller writes in her MTV blog, "Even though you can't just call up White Squad for real, it wouldn't be so crazy if they did exist. After all, they offer a quick solution to systemic inequity: white privilege on demand." MTV does its best to clear up the obvious problems some White and non-White people do not acknowledge in this society. This ad executes a bigger picture of divisive issues and some "reverse racism" as one may defend, in a humorous way. Gianatasio, an author of Adweek Advertising & Branding, expresses, "If "White Squad" cuts too close to the bone or provokes discomfort, that surely means it's having the desired effect."
Although MTV's campaign "Look Different" was produced primarily to demonstrate how "sometimes we (people) fail to see the biases right in front of our eyes - or just beneath the surface," TV channels like MTV release these lines in their campaign to make money and earn more views (MTV). Ultimately, its essential goal is to compete with other cable networks because the more viewers, the better. Many ads target the most-viewed programs specifically so that their ads will be seen by millions of people. The "White Squad" commercial surely is guaranteed the views because of its producer, MTV. After all, a major factor in the advertisement industry includes the concept of companies willing to pay to have their ads broadcasted on the most popular cable programs with outstanding ratings. Despite MTV's concerns for racial and social issues that are still found upon in this Post-Millennials generation today, it is also, at the same time, for the purposes of gaining more viewers and building profits.