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Apple launches "Black Unity Collection" Apple Watch with Pan-African colors

Powdered Egg

Powdered Egg

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
17,070
Hey everybody look at these Pan-Africanists at Apple!


www.theguardian.com

Apple and Google named in US lawsuit over Congolese child cobalt mining deaths

Dell, Microsoft and Tesla also among tech firms named in case brought by families of children killed or injured while mining in DRC
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

inguef said:
www.cnet.com

Apple to build tech ed campus in Atlanta for historically Black colleges and universities

As part of its $100 million "racial equity and justice" initiative, Apple's investing in education in Atlanta, an app development center in Detroit and venture funding in New York.
www.cnet.com www.cnet.com

It seems like some of you would prefer Apple do nothing?
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Your post is a very different venture than the stupid watch in the OP.

I appreciate any help we can get but there is too much focus on helping the Black middle class. I'd be more impressed if they helped funded everyday public libraries and schools in Detroit or Atlanta and taught tech there instead of just colleges.

Either way they would do the MOST if they actually paid taxes.
 
Jogi

Jogi

Prophet of Regret
Member
Jul 4, 2018
5,484
I remember seeing the Pan-African flag, but had no idea what it represented. Thanks for the info RastaMentality. I like the things they are doing that don't involve the product, like:

Apple says it'll be "supporting six global organizations" as part of this product launch, including the Black Lives Matter Support Fund, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and European Network Against Racism.

There'll be a hub in the App Store highlighting Black-owned businesses and developers; Apple Music will get "curated playlists, essays, original videos" and other content highlighting Black artists; and Apple Maps is getting curated recommendations from EatOkra, which highlights Black-owned restaurants. Apple plans to curate stories focused on Black families and experiences in the Apple TV and Apple News apps and highlight Black authors in Apple Books and Apple Podcasts.
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But, they could have definitely done so without shilling their product, per usual.

Edit: Also actually hiring diverse employees to positions within Apple would be pretty damn important as well.
 
julia crawford

julia crawford

Took the red AND the blue pills
Member
Oct 27, 2017
35,621
I am trying my hardest to find that scene in The Wire where Royce reveals new poster having all pan-african colours and his aide is like "what???".
 
Richiek

Richiek

Member
Nov 2, 2017
12,063
User Banned (3 Days): Inappropriate Whataboutism
new-apple-watch-rainbow-faces.jpg


When Apple introduced rainbow pride watch faces, they were received positively. I don't recall hearing anyone criticizing them for co-oping the LGBT movement.
 
OP
OP
RastaMentality

RastaMentality

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,147
Richiek said:
new-apple-watch-rainbow-faces.jpg


When Apple introduced rainbow pride watch faces, they were received positively. I don't recall hearing anyone criticizing them for co-oping the LGBT movement.
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It seems like there's a massive gulf in understanding why the Pan African movement does not gel with corporations. Also, companies co opting pride flag to sell stuff and get good PR has been a HUGE critique in LGBT activist spaces.
 
Red

Red

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,791
RastaMentality said:
Do you know what Pan-Africanism is? And how stupid it is that a white ass tech company is using their colors to sell a watch? No matter where the proceeds are going?
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I agree with the criticism over the Pan African colors . Was referring to the "why don't they actually do something" posts. There is plenty left to criticize Apple for.
 
Powdered Egg

Powdered Egg

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
17,070
Bobby Peru

Bobby Peru

Banned
Jun 10, 2020
218
People keep mentioning Project RED without including that it was a dogshit failure of a campaign that pushed a color nobody wanted their electronics in, and ultimately more money was sunk into than generated for the cause. Apple know what they have to do to try to make the world a better place, and these neoliberal bullshit projects aren't it.
 
Darryl M R

Darryl M R

The Spectacular PlayStation-Man
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,728
This idea probably came from a Black Apple employee. I'm cool with it. I won't buy it, but maybe others will.
 
collige

collige

Member
Oct 31, 2017
12,772
Richiek said:
new-apple-watch-rainbow-faces.jpg


When Apple introduced rainbow pride watch faces, they were received positively. I don't recall hearing anyone criticizing them for co-oping the LGBT movement.
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People have been criticizing corporate pinkwashing and slacktivism for a long time now. See:
www.vox.com

How LGBTQ Pride Month became a branded holiday

And why that’s a problem.
www.vox.com www.vox.com
www.wired.com

The Problem With the ‘Rainbow-Washing’ of LGBTQ+ Pride

Is there a line between allyship and marketing that shouldn’t be crossed?
www.wired.com www.wired.com

Justice Namaste, Social Media Coordinator: Well Angela, I really started thinking about the idea of rainbow-washing after seeing Apple's 'Pride Edition' Apple Watch wristband that they announced during the WWDC keynote a couple of weeks ago. It irritated me that this massive tech company would be making money off a symbol that not only represents joy and celebration, but also the LGBTQ+ community's long history of struggle and oppression. But my issue isn't specifically with Apple, a company that actually has a track record of supporting LGBTQ+ causes (and an openly gay CEO), it's with the way rainbow imagery gets co-opted to benefit groups and individuals who aren't LGBTQ+.
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Also, it goes without saying that pan-Africanism is not the same thing as gay pride for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which being that Apple's CEO is a white gay man.
 
Kotto

Kotto

CEO of Traphouse Networks
Member
Nov 3, 2017
4,466
For the clowns in this thread defending this shit with highly inaccurate comparisons, here's a nice tweet to take in while you tell us negroes what to be upset about.

 
Phellps

Phellps

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,879
RastaMentality said:
It seems like there's a massive gulf in understanding why the Pan African movement does not gel with corporations. Also, companies co opting pride flag to sell stuff and get good PR has been a HUGE critique in LGBT activist spaces.
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Pretty much. I would definitely roll my eyes if they made a rainbow LGBTQ+ special edition of their overpriced watch, even in the guise of donating to LGBTQ+ organizations.

But that's not what happened there, that's just a rainbow background for their watch, not a product being marketed and directly profited from. So I don't know how that poster thought it was an apt comparison to draw. I'd guess most people in the Pan African movement would not care much if they just made a background with the flag colors.

Also, while it may seem nice that they're donating proceeds to civil rights organizations, they don't need to sell a product exploiting a marginalized culture to do that. They can just donate a bit of the buck-loads of money they have. And if their intent was to bring awareness to the cause, there are also many other ways they could do that.
 
Kotto

Kotto

CEO of Traphouse Networks
Member
Nov 3, 2017
4,466
jetpacks was yes said:
Seriously. What the hell are people doing trying to defend this and tell black people what to be annoyed about?
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And then not even know the history of the Pan-African flag and its significance.

People just think these type of flags and its imagery is just there for brownie points for companies to say, "we hear you." Sorry, the only thing I hear is my Cash App notification.

Also, they should bring up the fact that black people, mostly from DR Congo, are in slave labor making their whole product line. Cut them a fat ass check and some of your corporate shares as well.

Y'all need to think twice before going out sorry for being Apple apologists.
 
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