Is it okay to appropriate and support the use of cultural iconography in mass media content?

Last November, I was sitting on a crowded bus, headed to work – wondering why it was so cold and why passengers were already smelling of stale cigarettes and beer at 7 o'clock in the morning – when I spotted the latest advertisement for the local public transport agency. I was immediately taken aback, maybe even visibly cringing?

I wanted to know why there was a white man, in a suit, 'resembling' the Hindi goddesses, Durga and Kali.

What made this image even more cringeworthy was the fact that each of his 8 hands was either holding a random item or randomly pointing at who knows what. Maybe pointing at all of the different directions he's being pulled in?

Now, I am not against multiculturalism or cultural sharing, but I do feel like appropriating religious iconography to advertise public transport is where we should draw the line. Right?

Durga is the goddess of war. She fights against evil and demonic forces in order to liberate the oppressed, whilst Kali is the goddess of chaos and destruction.

However, what I was getting from this ad was more along the lines of: 'I'm a busy businessman fighting against rush hour traffic in order to get to Paris by 8pm for that big presentation tomorrow'.

Anyone who's passed through Lyon Part Dieu knows exactly how stressful and chaotic that place is! But, I still wouldn't call upon a Hindi goddess to get me through that crowd. (Maybe a new pair of Nikes would do the job?)

So, I did what any young person of colour would do when s/he is not sure if s/he is being too sensitive about a potential race or cultural issue; I took a photo and sent it to 2 of my close friends (who are both white, British, and have been living in France for years with French partners).

My friends, who I questioned on separate occasions, found it tacky and "just very French". I asked them both to elaborate and they explained that they tend to view French media content as kitsch and tone-deaf and when others try to point that out, the accused oftentimes argue that they were not trying to be racist or insensitive and that you shouldn't place the American gaze on them.

I agreed with them 100% because I cannot tell you how many times I have heard racist and insensitive comments, called people out on it, only for them to respond: "Racism does not exist in France because we have black footballers who are loved by all" or "Racism is a recent development in France. It didn't exist when I was growing up".

In January, a 'made in France' lingerie company got into some 'backlash' (I'm using this word very loosely here) when a few employees hosted a blackface party. One even dressed up like a gorilla.

How do I know about this? Because, duh! One young woman, while already in blackface, live streamed her journey to the event on Instagram. 

However, instead of asking the company and the greater public to hold them accountable for their openly racist actions, some major news outlets, such as Le Figaro, decided to argue that the public should stop demanding that the employees be fired because this took place at a private gathering.

"Pour le philosophe et spécialiste du marketing Beno?t Heilbrunn, les marques devraient résister à ces attaques aussi insignifiantes que caricaturales." ["According to philosopher and marketing specialist, Beno?t Heilbrunn, brands should resist these insignificant and caricatural attacks."] - Luc Lenoir

This response seemed a bit lacklustre to me. I mean during my Master's degree, I kept reading journal article after journal article that reiterated the idea of the media playing a pivotal role in challenging social norms and being a voice for the poor, disenfranchised, and marginalised (i.e. those who are oftentimes overlooked by the greater society). 

So, why was this mainstream newspaper doing the complete opposite?

Did they not care about their (minority) readership and how they would feel about promoting such a stance?

Which brings us back to the public transport ads plastered all over Lyon. Did anyone at either the marketing agency or the transport agency care about how the public would feel about the use of a Hindi goddess in their cheesy ads?

I'm guessing that the answer is no! 

Hopefully, with the rising popularity of inclusion and diversity in media, these companies will start seeking out media professionals who could really push them to consider the (psychological and social) impact of their content on the general public...and not only on the white ones!