On Ethnocentricity and Marketing

I am English. I don't know people called Aurora Ponce or Kaden Gonzalez. I don't know people called Caleb or Jordan or Ryan or Trey. There is nobody in even my widest social circle called Bryson, Valencia, Cristiano, Harley or Rogelio, Ferreira Mauricio, or Elliott, or Wyatt Cobb; nobody called Noel Suarez, nobody called Ladonna Ballard, no Misty, no Nelson, no Carter and no Quinn.

Nor will there ever be. We don't have people called those things here. This is England. Even people called Fergus MacBuggery get up our nose (particularly when they flout their Scottishness as though it is some sort of personal achievement; and I speak as one with a Scottish grandmother.)

So why do spammers think that I will be fooled by these names? Hundreds of Chip Lombardos and Emilianio Lowells flood into my spambox, and all that is happening is that when, one day, I meet someone with a Hispanic first name and English surname -- or vice-versa -- the rage pent up in me after thousands of spammings will erupt. "Michael," they will say to me, "may I introduce Stanley Estevez (or Jaime Cogshaw, or Enrique Q Coleman, or whatever)?" and that will be that. WHOP.

It's wrong. I know it. But my defence will be: Spam Made Me A Racist.

(Full disclosure: the Scottish grandmother was called Euphemia May Vallance, and if that's not a name just made to be attached to V1@gr@ S*P*A*M, then I don't know what is.)

Comments

[honeysmack]

haaaaaa hilarious.

[Darius Jedburgh]

"Flout"... You mean "flaunt," right?

I'll get me coat.

[jimbod]

Michael,

It's lovely to have you back, and in such good form.