7658: Toyota Rolls With Stereotypes.

A number of sources have already weighed in on the Toyota “Swagger Wagon” spot, and Jim Edwards at BNET even presented a collection of rap-infused commercials. Much of the debate with Toyota revolves around the potentially racist nature of the message.

It’s tough to categorize these sorts of efforts as racist. Culturally clueless is a more accurate label. Lazy works, too.

It also seems wrong to lump everything into a single receptacle. Spots using hip-hop tracks as borrowed interest to deliver a point are harmless enough. It’s not much different than integrating pop music or R&B classics, which has always been an easy solution for hackneyed creative people. The Toyota commercial, however, goes beyond hijacking a hip-hop score.

A few defenders insist Toyota is playing off a Saturday Night Live piece. Sorry, but the commercial doesn’t come close to matching SNL on any level. The truth is, Toyota clumsily employs race-based stereotypes that ultimately reveal the ignorance of its creators.

But more outrageous than the clichéd and contrived Wigger angle is another stereotype so prevalent in the handiwork of Madison Avenue: Attractive Women Married to Balding Nerds.

Honestly, what’s the motivation behind these bizarre husband-wife pairings? Such couplings only happen in real life when the man is filthy rich—and purchasing a Toyota minivan would never enter the equation. Yet White families in commercials constantly push and perpetuate the unbelievable marriage scenario. Why? Are Caucasian creative people playing out some personal fantasy, hoping to fabricate an illusion that might influence societal shifts?

Imagine the conversations and conspiring that must take place in casting sessions. Does a full head of hair, dashing features and good teeth lead to blatant discrimination? How many handsome White male actors are rejected simply because of the way they look?

It’s time to end this offensive distortion and disrespect once and for all.