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Note: The following essay makes reference to an advertisement. Half of the ad is recalled in detail, while the bottom half reads: “For the sons and daughters of former slaves. For the sons and daughters of former slave-owners. Threads that connect us. Words that free us.” This text is in white on a black background, aligned to the far right of the bottom half of the page.
NuSouth�s line of clothing is represented by a provocative advertisement as found in a recent issue of Details magazine. While the bottom half of the page is predominantly black with a small amount of text, the top half is a Confederate flag, redesigned to include the African-American colours of liberation. Each of these elements contributes to a visual presentation that is striking in its paradoxical imagery while being offensive in its implications and symbolism.
Historically, the Confederates were a group of southern states in America who wanted to secede from the U.S. to form a separate nation, as they viewed their government as being corrupt and ineffective. Traditionally, however, because these rebelling Southerners were known to support and make use of slavery, the Confederate flag is now associated with white-supremacist groups that promote hatred and intolerance of African-American people (among others). The very use of this image brings to mind racism in its many forms and the devastation caused by those who suffer from this social sickness. As a result of the flag�s racist implications, it is often viewed with disgust and embarrassment by people of all races as they recall sentiments that are associated with bigotry.
In contrast to the ideas represented by the Confederate flag are the bold colours of liberation of the African-American people. Their freedom from oppression is an incredible series of events that culminated when slavery was abolished in 1863 by the Emancipation Proclamation. The colours of black, green and red represent African-American people, land, and blood, respectively, and are symbolic of strength and unity. Presently, these three colours are seen frequently on clothing as a positive expression of pride, either in one�s own race, or for acknowledging the hardships of African-Americans and the persistence that freed them from enslavement.
The amalgamation of these images results in an extremely contradictory set of ideas. By uniting opposing images, this advertisement presumably attempts to bring people together, and overcome the barriers that are caused by racism. In this way, one is not only wearing an article of clothing, but expressing a political view. Instead, the pro-segregation aspects of the Confederate flag combined with the highly distinguishable and recognizable colours of African-American liberation might lead viewers to a conclusion of the re-introduction of racial isolation. We are presented with the suggestion of an African-American-led separation of races; an idea that conflicts with our determination to be racially indiscriminate and unbiased. One may even interpret the NuSouth logo as a role-reversal, where perhaps history could have been different. The obvious reference to racism is present and is encouraged by offering a standpoint that the once-oppressed can relate to: that of exacting revenge upon the oppressors. In this way, the advertisement establishes a relationship with the viewer, as they now apparently share a common experience, and NuSouth can force its alternative views upon an attentive and willing public.
The text included in this article also relies upon racially motivated and expressive imagery, in addition to further negative ideas expressed verbally. The text is white and situated in small clusters upon a comparably immense background of black. This suggests that there is no equality between the two colours and that they cannot find a common ground, which is related to the general theme of African-American dominance found throughout this advertisement. Conversely, the ideas presented by the text are solely concerned with the unity of races and our abilities to overcome when faced with difficult situations. These implied allusions to a state where race is of non-importance contradict those suggested by the modified flag.
This advertisement for NuSouth Apparel is a blatant expression of propaganda. Its continued implied and observable references to a world where racial equality is non-important misrepresent our society and the far-reaching advances that have been made. The extreme and radical view expressed in this Details magazine advertisement calls for a revolution where a prejudice-free people will be forgotten, personal pride can be confused with superiority, and freedom from oppression is replaced with an equal but opposite repression of a race. Nearly every aspect of the advertisement conflicts with another; the Confederate and the African-American representations within the flag, the text and flag�s differing messages about unity, and the contrasting colours between the text and background are all inconsistent with each other. Rather than selling a product, NuSouth is selling the acceptance of an intolerable social movement that wears a mask of promoting racial harmony, but instead nourishes racial division and inequality.
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