Microsoft Apologizes for Photoshopping Black Man out of Promotional Image
Microsoft Apologizes for Photoshopping Black Man out of Promotional Image
Posted 08/26/2009 at 11:54am
| by Andy Salisbury
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In an attempt to save some face, Microsoft has come out and publicly apologized about changing the race of a person used in a promotional image.
The picture in question shows three businesspeople, one black, one Asian and one white for a pitch of Microsoft’s business productivity software. The same image on Microsoft’s Polish site had a white person’s head placed over the black man’s, but the hand remained its original color.
“We are looking into the details of this situation. We apologize and are in the process of pulling down the image,” said a Microsoft representative.
Image Credit: Microsoft
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tri8gman
August 27, 2009 at 9:53pm
I think that might actually be a netbook... it looks really small for a Macbook. Either way, there's no logo! MOAR SHOP!
Also, I concur in regards to this amazing LCD technology Microsoft has. Maybe it's meant to represent IT Departments around the world who bring in equipment requested by others that doesn't get used for one reason or another... probably because they don't know how to set it up. :-P
snowcrash360
August 26, 2009 at 11:38pm
They don't tell the whole story. They removed the black guy from the poland ad, but used him for the american. heres the link where I first read it: http://www.geekologie.com/2009/08/microsofts_questionable_photos.php
Ace of Spades
August 26, 2009 at 7:48pm
Whoever photoshoped this sucks! They took out the head, but not the hand. And there is also a Macbook next to the guy in this ad. Bad photoshop skills + Macbook in Microsoft Ad = Epic fail.
w2ed
August 26, 2009 at 1:00pm
I don't know which is worse:
- The ad agency that Microsoft hired Photoshopping a white guy's head on a black person...
- Same people not Photoshopping out the hand...
- Same people not photoshopping the Macbook/iBook out (Apple's got to love that!)...
- It being such an obvious and bad Photoshopping job - look at the shelf where the black man's head used to be, I didn't realize shelves in office buildings were made of movable fabric!
The sad thing is that no one caught it before the public saw it. It's probably going to be some sad sap following orders - and not the idiots ordering it - who will be fired for this sort of screwup...
Velcrow
August 26, 2009 at 12:42pm
From a quick browse on cia.org it looks like 95%+ of the population is white, so my guess is they changed it to better represent the actual market. Seems logical to me. But still funny as hell! Who leaves the hand black? lmao.
The only people who will have a problem with this are here in the U.S. The media seems to like maintaining a steady level of racial tension.
squarebab
August 26, 2009 at 6:45pm
Thanks for doing the homework, Velcrow. You answered my first question. My second question would be: How is this racist?
Velcrow
August 27, 2009 at 8:50am
Not sure about that second question. Are you implying that I think it is racist? Or are you asking how the media will spin it to be racist? If the media is interested in mitigating racial tension then they'd offer the same numbers I found. But they don't. The point being that if you just drop this story on someone in America chances are they will be upset that a black man is not 'good enough' for a Microsoft ad. But they don't tell you it was changed for Poland because the number of blacks is a very low percent of the population and do not properly represent the market.
1337Goose
August 27, 2009 at 9:25am
Why not just take another picture. It would be less offensive if they had just taken another picture featuring only white males. You might argue that taking another picture is expensive, but it sure is less expensive than all of this negative press they've gotten over this image.
~Goose
winmaster
August 26, 2009 at 12:11pm
I'd like to think Microsoft had a good reason for doing this and find it amusing that they forgot to change the hand color.
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The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
xs0u1x
August 26, 2009 at 12:05pm
I hope i'm not the only one that finds this freaking hilarious?
HAHAHAHAHAHAH
messed up funny.
alconebay
August 26, 2009 at 12:22pm
Both images looked shopped to me. I think the black guy was pasted in there judging from the head size.
Funny, we must have diversity, even if it's fake!
comptech08
August 26, 2009 at 2:26pm
yes I agree, both images are not the orginals they both have been photoshoped. Could that have been an empty seat in the first place?
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