Creativity revealed the crazy kids at TBWA\Chiat\Day have a banner in the agency depicting Grady Wilson of Sanford and Son fame. It makes sense. After all, this is the shop that revamped Uncle Ben as a corporate chairman. Maybe they’ll integrate CEO Grady as the honcho of a waste management empire that he took over when his partner Fred joined Elizabeth following The Big One. Or perhaps they’ll position the image as a peace offering to the New York City Commission on Human Rights. Good goobly goop.
At one of the many agencies where i was the only black person (not a janitor or secretary) i worked with a white media planner who would randomly quote lines from Good Times and Sanford & Son to me for no apparent reason.
ReplyDeleteAfter a few weeks of polite tolerance I finally asked him, "Why do you keep saying that stuff around me, and nobody else?"
His response--as sincere as could be:
"You like that stuff, don't you? I know i think it's cool."
Grady, along with the Jeffersons were also popular references that I've been initiated with over the years.
Lost track of the number of times someone walked into my office singing "We're movin' on up".
It's funny to them, because we're funny to them. Funny and little else.
And that's pretty sad. Still.
Your post was pretty funny.
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