Is a pro-Romney ad racist? Five questions to ask yourself

Our Index of Racist Potential measures the degree that a political ad has the potential to evoke – consciously or unconsciously – voters’ stereotypical attitudes about people of color, regardless of the intent of the candidate or campaign team. To determine whether a political ad this presidential election season would score on the higher end (more racist) of our index, ask yourself these five sets of questions.

- Charlton McIlwain and Stephen M. Caliendo, July 23, 2012

4. Does the ad create an 'us' vs. 'them' racial contrast?

In fact, another crucial question to ask is whether Mitt Romney explicitly states such a racial contrast (between “us” and “them”) by using first- and third-person language. Does he talk explicitly about “us,” “we,” or “our?” And, if so, based on the images of those portrayed in the ad, are “we” most or all white?

In the same "good and decent Americans" ad from question No. 3, the imagery of all-white supporters surrounding Romney helps to clarify who “we” and “us” are, and implies who “they” are. If “we” are all white, by virtue of those pictured in the ad, then “they” – those who don’t love America, and so on, could be interpreted as those who are not white.

OPINION: Not every bad encounter with a white person constitutes racism