In a glaring display of selective outrage, Transport for London (TfL) has yanked an advert depicting a black teenager harassing a white girl on a bus – all because of a single complaint crying “racial stereotypes.” Meanwhile, multiple past ads, all featuring white men as the aggressors, were approved, exposing the double standards that shield uncomfortable realities from public view.

The controversial ad was part of TfL’s “Act Like a Friend” campaign, aimed at encouraging bystanders to intervene in cases of sexual harassment or ‘hate crimes’ on public transport.

In the short clip, a black teenage boy verbally harasses a young white girl, with his white friend sitting nearby, effectively boxing her in. But according to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), this portrayal – when viewed in isolation – “reinforced a negative racial stereotype” associating black males with threatening behavior.

The local government body “Transport for London” has banned an advert showing a black man harrassing a white girl on bus for 'reinforcing negative racial stereotypes'??pic.twitter.com/oNQ1D6G8fH

The ASA’s ruling came after just one complaint, deeming the ad “irresponsible” and likely to cause “serious offence.”

They stated: “We understood there was a negative racial stereotype based on the association between black males, including teenagers, and threatening behaviour. […] The ad, when seen in isolation, had the effect of perpetuating a negative racial stereotype about black men as perpetrators of threatening behaviour.”

TfL was ordered to ensure future ads avoid such “harmful stereotypes.”

…the BBC is so terrified of it’s own shadow it shows a bus instead of an image of the ad. So here it is…pic.twitter.com/kddnOYeWUr

TfL even defended the campaign, noting it featured a diverse range of scenarios to reflect London’s population. Other cut-downs included a white male committing a hate crime against a black woman and another white male targeting a white male victim.

Ah yes, but any instance of a black person being the aggressor must be purged. That is not allowed, because clearly it NEVER happens in London and it’s racist. OK?

Source: modernity