MWP 3 Precis 5) Buying Racial Capital: Skin- Bleaching and Cosmetic Surgery in a Globalizes World

  In her article, "If You're Light You're Alright: Skin Color as Social Capital for Women of Color" Margret Hunter asserts consumers can now purchase "racial capital" through skin- bleaching creams or cosmetic surgeries. This article studies three competitive discourses: 1) the beauty makeover, Its centered on the mass-marketing of cosmetic whitening products, 2) the public health consequences, designed to discourage potential skin bleachers by revealing health risks and 3) the cosmetic makeover, marketing designed to market cosmetic procedures to the new "ethnic" and growing market. The analysis of advertising and public health campaigns  this research suggests the focus on individual attitudes in all three dimensions and supports the buying of racial capital.

Hunter, Margret L. “Buying Racial Capital: Skin Bleaching and Cosmetic Surgery in a Globalized World” The Journal of Pan African Studies, Vol. 4, June 2011

MWP Freewriting 4

   In this article research is conducted in the U.S, Canada, and France. Its is based upon consumer racism of purchasing minority business's products vs buying products of that country's dominant race. In the U.S it is Caucasian American vs Hispanic and African Americans. In Canada it is English Canadians vs French Canadians. In France it is French Caucasian vs Moroccan, Algerian and Northern African immigrants. They give an example where a girl named Carolina a Caucasian has to do grocery shopping. She lives in an area in which there are three grocery stores to choose from. Grocery store A is owned by Pete a Vietnam veteran and Caucasian. Grocery store B is owned by a Mexican American immigrant Jose. Grocery store C is owned by a French immigrant Franco-Pierre. She chooses Pete's store because she is more readily identified ethnically because Pete is white. They also give a counter example where a Mexican immigrant is more likely to patronize a Hispanic/Latino business vs a Caucasian owned business. Several experiments, surveys, and a consumer racism measurement instrument is developed and validated.

From article: "Intuitively, ethnocentrism (Shimp and Sharma 1987), patriotism (Bilkey and Nes 1982, and animosity (Morris 1998), all combined with certain product-country image or country of origin effect (Heslop 1993), might explain Caroline's choice to walk over to Pete's shop to get milk.

From article: At the sub national level, the concept of CR has been postulated as an alternative explanation of animosity-like phenomena (Ouellet 2005).

MWP 3 Precis 4) Consumer Racism andIts Effects on Domestic Cross-Ethnic Product Purchase

   In his article “imposition” of their unassimilated culture (Potvin 2000) Jean- Francois Ouellet asserts racism is most often the reaction of the dominant ethnic group over the ethnic minorities. The research provides evidence of (CR) consumer racism on domestic cross-culture product purchases in three different countries. The research suggests that consumer racism will affect the dominant majority race judgment and willingness to purchase products from that country’s ethnic minorities. Similarly, results of experiments, surveys, show that a business owned by minorities is significantly and negatively affected in areas in which consumer racism is present. A product-ethnicity image and or consumer’s perception of importance on the outcome associated with consuming minority owned businesses products and services or vice versa with minority consumers choosing to do business with minority owned businesses over the dominant race companies.

Ouellet, Jean- Francois. “Consumer Racism and Its Effects on Domestic Cross-Ethnic Product Purchase: An Empirical Test in the United States, Canada, and France” Journal of Marketing Vol. 71 (January 2008), 113-128

Freewriting of MWP 3) Precis 3

  The article begins with terminology relevant to the article SWB (shopping while black) or CRP (Consumer Racial Profiling). There are 81 court cases based on alleged race/ethnic discrimination. There are three measurement levels of discrimination. The customers service experience, degradation or denial. Subtle discrimination which is indirect and ambiguous. An example in the article an African American family rent a motel room and a short time later they are asked to leave without a reason. Overt discrimination is obvious such as a Hispanic family stopping at a Conoco and paying for their merchandise with a credit card. The clerk refuses to accept payment even with a valid license and began using racial epithets towards them. In another case a Denny's server made African American customers wait an extra ordinary amount of time before being seated then she made derogatory comments toward them. The last measurement is consumers of color being biased on Criminal Treatment. A stereotype is that minority customers are most likely to steal.

From article: "Degradation can take many forms, such as extended waiting periods, prepay requirements, being charged higher prices, and being subjected to increased surveillance and to verbal and/or physical attacks, including the use of racial epithets."

From article: (Commonwealth of Massachusettes v. The Children's Place Stores, Inc. 2003; p.3). An employee alleged that her white supervisors directed her to refuse minority customers large shopping bags because they would use the bags to steal.

MWP 3 Precis 3) Courting Customers: Assessing Consumer Racial Profiling and Other Marketplace Discrimination

  In her article, "shopping while Black" (SWB) (Gabbidon 2003) the article begins with terminology used in popular press and literature. CRP (consumer racial profiling) as defined as a different type of treatment of consumers in the marketplace based on ethnicity/race which constitutes denial of or other degradation of products or services that are offered to the consumer. There is an analysis done of 81 federal court decisions involving customers' allegations of discrimination. The author discovered three elements that served to summarize accounts of marketplace discrimination against people of color: 1) An element of criminal suspicion based on discriminatory behavior (present or absent) 2.) Types of discrimination, subtle or overt. 3.)How there service experience was based on discriminatory behavior (degradation or denial).

Harris, Anne-Marie G. “Courting Customers: Assessing Consumer Racial Profiling and Other Marketplace Discrimination.” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Vol. 24. No. 1, Dimensions of Marketing’s Relationship to Society (Spring, 2008), pp. 163-171

Working Thesis Draft) MWP 3

  When I think about Marketing, I immediately think about selling, advertising, and promoting products to consumers. However, there is racism in Marketing that use these strategies to target minorities. Consider, for example POPEYE'S chicken using African Americans in their commercials to promote and sell chicken. Is POPEYE'S using a stereotype that African Americans like chicken or is this racism? You be the judge.

Freewriting 2) Using racial profiling to Identify Shoplifters

    My second article was about consumer racial profiling to identify shoplifters. Large retailers such as JCPenny, Wal-Mart, Dillard's, and Cracker Barrel use profiling to identify shoplifters. Many retailers are losing billions of dollars each year to shoplifting. The article uses Gallup polls to find out whether people support this tactic and to know ones surprise most people do support it. It is also known that African Americans were most likely to raise suspicion among other races of people according to my research. An interview based study found that blacks felt that they were targeted by excessive surveillance. To support this theory an experiment was conducted among white groups and black groups. They were instructed to inquire about sunglasses to purchase that had sensor tags on them. The sales clerks complied with both groups of customers demands but disguised researchers noticed that the black group was more closely watched then the white group. In addition, it is also noted that sales clerks are more likely to profile than security personnel. Lastly, the article discusses is it ethical to use such strategies to identify shoplifters.


From article: "These empirical analyes of cases pointed to the fact that sales clerks, as opposed to security personnel, were the ones most likely to be accused of CRP."

From article: "However, in recent years, it has been alleged in litigation that racial/ethnic profiling represents another preventative tactic that has been used by well-known retailers such as Wal-Mart JCPenny, Dillard's, and Cracker Barrel, among others (Gabbidon,2003; Harris, 2003).