Couches perfect for black people…and white people. Beds perfect for white people….and black people. That’s just two lines from a commercial for Red House Furniture that uses race relations as a selling tool.

The ad has caused many to cry racism, despite the message being one of racial equality. The makers of the ad followed up to the criticism, saying that the ad is “racial” and not racist, and that the absurdity of applying racial labels to furniture was making a broader point about racial labeling in general.

The Red House Furniture ad below. Following that, the video from one of the ad’s creators explaining the thinking behind the ad. Have they gone to far, or is this ad actually very clever?

Explanation:

