Verizon played the race card, this is true, but like the Chappelle Show and Family Guy before them showed us, racism – something that almost every person in the World has been exposed to in some form – can be delt with head on. These shows were not afraid of grosely over-exagerating these stereotypes instead of shying away from them. This is important in that it reinforces the notion of such a stereotype being ridiculous and unwarranted by flipping it on itself. In addition, absolutely nobody is safe from getting called out on these shows – any religion, race, ethnicity, sex, person – literally anything can become the subject of stereotyping.

Racism is prevalent in America and this isn’t anything new. Change has come with the Inaguration of now President Barack Obama, rendering Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream a reality. Does this change the perception that America is indeed a racist nation? Absolutely, and I think it has been heading in this direction for some time now.

This commercial touched upon stereotypes that are almost mainstream in TV and Movies, why should Verizon’s fate be so different…because it’s a commercial? As a Jewish American I’m well aware of stereotyping and I consider myself pretty good at not being sensitive to it. This is no different from Family Guy or The Chappelle Show and should be viewed as such.